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If in doubt, do a Google search for NOAA drive to altitude after diving tables. Find their tables and run some two tank dive profiles so you have an idea of what you are looking at. I have to go to 1300 to get home, I like to give it an hour or two around town before I head home if I feel I've...

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure its gloves only, no females, size restrictions and months with an "r" only.

Do consider the Big Island as well. It's known for it's coral reefs, great viz and fish life. Currents are few and far between and the bulk of the diving is generally in 35-40 feet of water, with multi-level diving available for divers of all skill levels. My guess is that nearly all the dive...

Big Island's smallest boat isn't a 6 pack, it can and does carry more. That said, it doesn't always run full and probably falls short of their full rating on a reasonable frequency. I do run a genuine 6 pack, which also doesn't always run full... think I've had 6 divers to one guide on 4...

Kealakekua bay is arguably one of the two best snorkeling spots, probably the best, on the island and perhaps the state. As a dive site, it wouldn't make my top 20 in Kona. If you like drop offs and LOTS of plate coral and variety isn't important, then it's a great spot. Most of the fish life...

Shore diving on the islands is a possibility. For boat charters, Kona's your best overall bet. The boat dives I've done in south Maui have been glass flat at 7am, but by 10 am it gets pretty darned rough a lot of the time. Boat dives I've done out of Lahaina have been pretty choppy the whole...

Kona is generally 79/80 from late August 'til the northwest swells start up in late November to early December. We've seen 81/82 in the fall a couple times over the years, but it's not that common. Last year it more or less stayed about about 78 all summer and fall, but that seems rare as...

There is plenty of variety to be found in Kona, but for the most part I wouldn't call it all that advanced. I think you'll find that most companies "cater" to the open water diver simply because that's what the vast majority of the divers that get here are. Kona has a variety of sites, some...

By the rules, yes, enforced rarely. I'd really recommend it near any harbors or the pier in town on the Kona side, don't know what the situation is like on the east side.

I think the word you are looking for, although realistically I rarely hear it, is malihini.

Great White Sharks attack NOAA submarines in Hawaii! Recent Encounters with Great White Sharks in Hawaiian Waters

I think spoolin01 nailed it on the Big Island shore diving for the most part. My only additional comment might be that when I go up to Puako and the entries are a bit too much for easy access due to wind chop or a bit of surf, Mahukona (about 20 minutes to the north) is my automatic default...

A couple of thoughts on shorediving the Big Island- One of the things that makes Kona side shore diving so good is the lack of rivers, streams, soil and relative lack of sand. Rain doesn't effect the diving in all but the craziest circumstances. I've flown into Maui and seen a red ring around...

The Big Island offers both good boat and shore diving. There's a decent chance of mantas here, even on the day dives, and the night dives seem to succeed about 90% of the time, year round, much better than that lately. I've actually seen more sharks off Molokini the times I've dove there than...

A little culture lesson that I had explained to me years ago by someone who'd spent the bulk of their life here and told me I needed to be careful on words I choose... Kamaaina, meaning native born, or possibly just as often, "familiar", as in once you're here long enough you're "familiar", it...

I'd trust the ID. I've heard reports of fishermen seeing them off South Point for years. Had a friend freediving off Kona Paradise say he looked over and saw the back 15 feet or so of a big shark in the distance, he thought it a young whale shark, swimming over by his wife, the wife screamed...

It kinda reads as though he attacked it, trying to retrieve his fish or gear, then it turned it's attention towards him. Gotta be an unexpected scare/thrill no matter what. Edit: I just now realized this was Saturday. We did our first dive at Golden Arches, left shortly before noon, there was...

It's not just a Hawaii thing. Using their dive center locator in WA, CA and OR I'm only finding a handful of retailers and another handful of independants and educational groups in total between the three states, that's it. Times chang.

Right now we're just coming out of the high northwest surf season, winds can be a slight issue at times, water's at about the coldest point of the year and should start warming with a peak around September/October. Last year the water temp swing in Kona was only about two degrees over the year...