woohoo! Kona -and- Kauai this fall

[georgec02]

Tep,

We just returned from the Big Island, but didn't dive this time because of our kids in tow. We've used Pacific Rim Divers (Patrice) a couple of times in the past, and really enjoyed the service.

For the Mantas, I'm not sure how far in advance they book, but there's a really easy snorkel currently off Kauna'oa beach where the Mauna Kea resort is located that you might want to try first before paying for a dive.

Here's the rundown of our experience and my thoughts doing a self-snorkel:

• The Mauna Kea resort runs a spotlight into the water right offshore after dark (they actually have a restaurant above called the Manta). It attracts the the plankton and the manta's (often/no guarantees) come in. It's north of the airport on the Kohala coast.
• There is "public" beach access, but very limited public parking at the resort that's first-come-first serve with no fee. We showed up at about 3-4 PM and there were spaces available because folks were leaving the beach for the day. You just drive up to the guard / front gate, say you're going to the beach, and they just told us we were welcome to go check for spots. The public spots are marked. September should be a lot slower/less crowded. I heard that they stop letting the public in at some point, but don't have any official info to confirm.
• It's a short walk down to the beach from the public parking. You can see the light at the far left side of the beach if you're looking at the ocean (the farthest end away from where the public access entry), mounted at the top of the rocks.
• If you get there in the day time, you can scout out the spot, it's really shallow, probably not more than 10-15 feet, and also catch a nice sunset while eating a picnic dinner, or eating something at the resort.
• You don't need a dive light to do the snorkel, but it's helpful to get to and from the beach. Its was a short swim and it looked like the resort had a guide taking small groups of guests out with masks/snorkels, no fins. The pool of light is small and close to the rocks. When we went last Friday, there wasn't any surge.
• There were 8 of us, 4 adults (3 experienced divers, one not as comfortable in the water), and 4 kids ages 7-9 and we took out 2 boogie boards for the kids to hang onto if they wanted to. We entered at the end of the beach closest to the light. It's a very easy, gradual sand entry.
• Shortly after dark, we had 4-6 mantas come in with one doing backflips in the light. They were swooping in and out of the pool of light the whole time we were there. There was one dive boat that set-up further out in the cove with their own light and only stayed for a short time. However, I think most boats go to the airport which is a lot closer to the marina.
• I know everyone here abides by the no-contact policy for all things we encounter. However, as I mentioned, the water isn't that deep, and they're swimming in a fairly small area under and around you, even if you're trying to keep your distance. My understanding is that contact can damage their skin and cause infection. You really don't even need fins to get out there if it's as calm as when we went. I felt my longer dive fins needed closer minding when one would swim underneath.

For reference, we've also done the manta night dive. The dives are really for manta viewing only, and as mentioned, you just sit on the bottom and wait/watch. The snorkel experience was just as good or better. You can stay out as long as you want if you do the self-snorkel.

I've also seen recommendations for the Sheraton which is much closer if you're staying in Kona, but the locals I talked to said it's a rocky entry and really hard exit.

Also, we stayed on the south side of Kona. We had "vog" on some days, but not a problem for breathing. It really is a "big" island and the Kona and Kohala areas are very far from the volcano. It's safe and there's nothing the worry about. We did a day in Hilo, much closer to the volcano side, and even there, no issues.

Hope that helps. Ping me if you have any questions.