Feedback wanted: Dive Plans for a week on the Big Island

I've gotten great feedback from local divers on other destinations, so I thought I would ask about my plans for a week of mostly shore diving in July. I'm diving with three people and will likely be accompanied by a couple of snorkelers as well. We'll be based in Waikoloa. Any recommendations, advice and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Sunday

• Puako Church
• Puako Village End

Monday

• Old Kona Airport beach
• Alula cove
• Manta Ray/Black water dive with Big Island Divers

Tuesday

• Ke’ei
• Place of Refuge

Wednesday

• Mahukona park/harbor
• Frog Rock

Thursday

• Kailua Bay
• Kahalu’u Beach park
• Pahoehoe Beach Park

Looks like a great list.

Some thoughts:

Ke'ei and "Two-Step" (Place of Refuge) are a short drive apart, but I'd recommend doing Two-Step first, due to possible parking issues. If you get there early, you can park close to the entry point. If you get there late, you may need to park quite a distance from the entry. Ke'ei is off the beaten path for tourists, so parking is usually not an issue there.

Also, with many of these shore dives there is enough to see for multiple dives... Puako is a good example. I live here, and have only scratched the surface of all there is to see on that (an other) reefs.

But there is also something to be said for hitting as many different spots as you can.

You'll have fun either way!

Best wishes.

I have been to a few of those spots, and will say that you may want to cut the list a little farther and do yourself a favor by doing multiple dives at each place. I could easily want to do 3 dives at Place of Refuge in one day, get there early, and park in the paid area but "DONT" use the picnic tables for putting your gear on. Ke'ei, will keep you entertained all by itself also. Another dive I enjoyed was in the Paradise neighbor hood, I think it was call black sand, or black pebble beach? However when we went we only did one dive as the surf was coming up on our exit, and we weren't going to fight getting back in Next time I go I'm also going to dive just outside the harbor to where the green buoy is, and there is another dive site just to the north? as you come out of the harbor. Hope that helps, now I want to go back bad, lol.

One more thought came to mind... do you plan to any sight-seeing, or is this a diving-only trip?

The reason is that there are fairly significant elevation changes if you decide you want to go to Volcanoes National Park, drive to Hilo, etc.

In general you are "ok" driving to Hilo in the late afternoon via Waimea and Hamakua after a single morning dive, but possibly NOT ok after multiple dives. You would need to do the calculations using the USN or NOAA ascent to altitude tables. And driving over Saddle Road would generally be out on the same day unless you dove very early and drove very late.... I never drive over Saddle Road after diving however.

If you do plan some sight-seeing, you'll need to consider the ascent after diving.

Best wishes.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I plan on staying on the West side of the island until the day after my last dives, then we plan on visiting the volcanoes N.P. but will definitely check the altitude tables.


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