"Advanced" Diving in Kona?

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Check out Kona Dive Companys websit. I did the 5 dive package with them last summer. I ended up doing a 2-tank morning/2-tank manta dive on one day, a 2-tank morning/1tank night dive another day, and finished it up with a 3-tank long range heading north on another. We shore dive every day in between. I loved the crew and the shop, and it was easy to pick up tanks for shore diving, and you could pick them up, and drop them off at the boat if planned in advance. EASY!!! As for shore diving, we enjoyed Place of Refuge, Black Pebble Beach, and a place just south of the captain cook monument. Kerry the owner and primary Divemaster is a Fish finding nut, and knows what shes talking about. Out of all the shops ive dove with (9 total), they are by far my favorite.
 
Place of Refuge is one of my favorite sites, very cool topography.
two step is wonderful for a night dive! Gentle, easy entry and exit yet lots to see and deep enough with plenty of changes in topography and sea life.
Jack's does a pretty good job customizing on their Advanced dive trips. They took us out on an unforgettable deeper dive, a surge dive into lava tubes and some amazing dives where the whales were singing.
I also snorkeled with an Oceanic Whitetip on a surface interval and we even had a baby whale nursing a mama whale almost tip our boat over! Best videotape I ever bought as the DM ( who I believe actually owns the shop or part-owns it) was filming everything, including the shark, baby/mama whale and whale songs (audio). He was probably the best DM I've ever seen, spotting stuff everywhere. I dove with him the whole week since my ex husband was an air hog and the DM and I could sip air, staying down for a lot longer.
The manta dive is really easy at about 35 feet but a must-do dive, if they are doing it. Sometimes it's canceled do to a no-show of mantas.
The last time and I went to Kona, we only dived from shore and had a fantastic time diving our butts off.
We stay in a condo-by owner so that we can have a full kitchen. Saves a lot on eating out and we can pack a lunch/snacks for going farther out for our shore diving. I always bring a foldable, nylon cooler on dive trips. We do the same to places like Bonaire. It's really nice to pack cut fruit, boiled eggs, cheese/crackers and cold drinks for surface intervals. Plus, we can eat quick meals like breakfast at the condo, enjoying scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cereal or potatoes/fried eggs, just like at home for a fraction of restaurant costs and then enjoy maybe one nice meal out if we feel like it, or just spend the entire day and evening diving until we're exhausted and come home to cold beer and take-out pizza.

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Check out Kona Dive Companys websit. I did the 5 dive package with them last summer. I ended up doing a 2-tank morning/2-tank manta dive on one day, a 2-tank morning/1tank night dive another day, and finished it up with a 3-tank long range heading north on another. We shore dive every day in between. I loved the crew and the shop, and it was easy to pick up tanks for shore diving, and you could pick them up, and drop them off at the boat if planned in advance. EASY!!! As for shore diving, we enjoyed Place of Refuge, Black Pebble Beach, and a place just south of the captain cook monument. Kerry the owner and primary Divemaster is a Fish finding nut, and knows what shes talking about. Out of all the shops ive dove with (9 total), they are by far my favorite.
Are they a newer, small shop/boat? Just a young couple, DM'd in New Zealand for awhile? I think I did a two tank trip with them once and really, really liked them. They showed up at the marina with their boat, pulling it with their truck, just a website and advertisement in the local papers. They may be a little larger now, this was about 8-10 years ago and I think they had just opened up at the time.
 
There's also great shore diving at Hookena and South Point.
 
Place of Refuge is one of my favorite sites, very cool topography.
Are you talking about the park itself? - I agree, it's a favorite for all the places to explore.
I also snorkeled with an Oceanic Whitetip on a surface interval...
:wow: yikes!! I think I'd be snorkeling like mad the other way!
The last time and I went to Kona, we only dived from shore and had a fantastic time diving our butts off.
We stay in a condo-by owner so that we can have a full kitchen. Saves a lot on eating out and we can pack a lunch/snacks for going farther out for our shore diving.
And if you get one on the shoreline, you don't even have to drive, for some great diving.

I second the recommendation for Hookena, I've seen some cool stuff there. And it has amenities like shade, tables, sand, showers, and bathrooms, and sometimes free music.
 
The Oceanic White tip was amazing. One of my most exciting ( and scarey) shark encounters. The DM has lived there for over 20 years and it was the second that he'd seen. The first had tried to take a bite out of his son when he was a kid!:scared: His son was our Captain that day. The DM says they are one of the most agressive sharks, although they are so rare nowadays that we never hear of OW attacks.
The DM got in first, with the camera and decided that the shark wasn't going to eat him so I jumped in. He may have recently fed as he was swimming in the middle of a dolphin group.
If we turned away from him, he would "stalk" us. If we looked at him he'd start swimming off into the deep, after the first 10 minutes of watching us from a short distance.
I have some amazing video footage. It's unfortunately not digital.
I suspect it may be the only Oceanic Whitetip that I ever see, since they are so uncommon.
Did you see the recent post about the OW research trip with those amazing pictures?
One thing I love about diving. Sometimes you see things in the ocean that aren't supposed to be there, fish and mammals visiting from thousands of miles away. It's always an exciting new world down there! One of these days, I'd love to do some "blue water" dives. Oh, these are also offered by Jack's Dive Locker. They take you into the blue water and you hang on a line, waiting for big marlins and other open ocean fishies to just happen by. I bet it's a good trip in August, during marlin season.

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This dive looks very cool: the video is done by Jeff, one of the co-owners of Jack's Dive Locker.
http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/charters2/PelagicMagic.htm
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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