Anybody dive Miloli’i recently?

[nippurmagnum]

I am planning a fourth trip to the Big Island this September, and I have fond memories of a dive I did in Milloli’i a few years back. The corals were the healthiest I’ve seen in Hawaii, and among the healthiest I’ve seen anywhere. But at least when I was there, I was a little concerned with all the “Keep Out” and “Beware of Dog” signs around the village. It gave off a rather unfriendly vibe. Anybody dive there recently? Any safety concerns? And are the corals still beautiful?

 

[tarponchik]

There are 2 sites at Milolii, The Rock and Village. Both have available parking spots so no real concerns of trespassing should bother you - unless something had changed radically since the last time I was there. I'll be there in June so I'll check.

 

[nippurmagnum]

There are 2 sites at Milolii, The Rock and Village. Both have available parking spots so no real concerns of trespassing should bother you - unless something had changed radically since the last time I was there. I'll be there in June so I'll check.

Thanks, I’d love to know your impressions.

 

[tarponchik]

OK, been there today. Dived at "The Village" site. There were tents there, but no people when we started. There were, however, like 25 people when we got out. BBQ, kids playing, etc. I hardly ever saw anyone there previously, so this was a surprise. These locals were friendly and joked that I bring them some fish next time (of note, spearfishing is illegal for scuba divers at Milolii). The unpleasant surprise followed later when we tried to hike to Honomalino Beach. We always did this hike after diving previously. The irritant of this hike was a fat ugly guy who would scream at hikers if they took one step off the trail. This time locals who obviously do not like the hikers to Honomalino changed tactics (or maybe Fatso finally had a stroke thanks to his bad temper). Now there are signs at the parking lot that there is absolutely no parking for Honomalino hikers. And if you try, a couple of ladies will approach you and very politely tell you that you are welcome to park if you want to use Milolii beach, but you can't park for the hike. And you can't park anywhere because, they say, every slab of lava id "private". They make their own rules but we did not want to risk slashed tires, so we left.

Also, at the pier, there were signs that it was reserved on the 16th and the 20th for fishing competition. So we were just lucky we came there on the 19th.

At another site, "The Rock", there were also changes for the worse. Previously, you could park on lava right next to the entrance, but now there are signs that this is "private park" and the excess for cars is blocked by rocks. You can probably park at the shoulder of the street and walk 200 feet with your gear but there is no guarantee that some moron will show up and tell you this is illegal.

So, overall, The Big Island is turning into a very unfriendly place. And I honestly do not know who is worse, the locals or the mainlanders who settle there. Everyone wants to slice a little piece of the island for himself and cut everyone else off. They still want our money but they want us to stay at the Sheratons or pile up at Hapuna Beach. Access to most beautiful places gets more and more restricted, either by stupid regulations or by local squatters.

 

[nippurmagnum]

OK, been there today. Dived at "The Village" site. There were tents there, but no people when we started. There were, however, like 25 people when we got out. BBQ, kids playing, etc. I hardly ever saw anyone there previously, so this was a surprise. These locals were friendly and joked that I bring them some fish next time (of note, spearfishing is illegal for scuba divers at Milolii). The unpleasant surprise followed later when we tried to hike to Honomalino Beach. We always did this hike after diving previously. The irritant of this hike was a fat ugly guy who would scream at hikers if they took one step off the trail. This time locals who obviously do not like the hikers to Honomalino changed tactics (or maybe Fatso finally had a stroke thanks to his bad temper). Now there are signs at the parking lot that there is absolutely no parking for Honomalino hikers. And if you try, a couple of ladies will approach you and very politely tell you that you are welcome to park if you want to use Milolii beach, but you can't park for the hike. And you can't park anywhere because, they say, every slab of lava id "private". They make their own rules but we did not want to risk slashed tires, so we left.

Also, at the pier, there were signs that it was reserved on the 16th and the 20th for fishing competition. So we were just lucky we came there on the 19th.

At another site, "The Rock", there were also changes for the worse. Previously, you could park on lava right next to the entrance, but now there are signs that this is "private park" and the excess for cars is blocked by rocks. You can probably park at the shoulder of the street and walk 200 feet with your gear but there is no guarantee that some moron will show up and tell you this is illegal.

So, overall, The Big Island is turning into a very unfriendly place. And I honestly do not know who is worse, the locals or the mainlanders who settle there. Everyone wants to slice a little piece of the island for himself and cut everyone else off. They still want our money but they want us to stay at the Sheratons or pile up at Hapuna Beach. Access to most beautiful places gets more and more restricted, either by stupid regulations or by local squatters.

Thanks very much for the report. How was the quality of the diving at the Village? When I was there last time I was impressed with the health of the corals. Don't recall much marine life, but I've heard people say that they saw schooling hammerheads there in winter time.

 

[tarponchik]

Thanks very much for the report. How was the quality of the diving at the Village? When I was there last time I was impressed with the health of the corals. Don't recall much marine life, but I've heard people say that they saw schooling hammerheads there in winter time.

Diving was good. Since I was diving with my 12-year old I was not able to make it to the arch with cup corals, but we found some cool stuff, including a Tinker. The reefs looked better than at 2-Step.