Trip Report for Kona, Hawaii and Jacks Diving Locker

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sharksdelight

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Of the more than 200 published articles I have written, this will be my first trip report so forgive me if I leave out some important info. The famous manta dive is one that I thought I was the only one to never have done so I was truly looking forward to this trip along with my wife, my dive buddy Randy and his wife. The diving was strictly for just Randy and I. I have a friend and former dive buddy and fellow founder of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition, Bob Gladden, move to Kona about 3 years ago and Randy, whose time-share we used, and I looked forward to getting on Bob's new boat and getting quite a bit of diving in when the wives weren't demanding their time.

Unfortunately, Bob came down ill the first few days and couldn't take us out. Never the less, he recommended Jack's Diving Locker, one of the many dive operations there. Okay, no problem. We went to Jack's and the people were all very nice and friendly. They asked for our C cards, mine is an advanced instructor rating(tho I do not teach anymore) and Randy has a bunch of c cards stemming from our time on the San Diego Sheriffs Search and Recovery Dive team together. I have a bit over 3,000 dives and Randy, who has been diving since the 60's, has about 2500 dives. The point being that, while no experts in everything, we both had some experience under our belts and it was made clear that we did not want to be on a cattle boat with a class of new divers and such. We were told that that was not a problem and they could fit us in on a boat with the 'more experienced divers'. It was not going to be cheap however, and it came out to $260.41 for the two of us for a two tank dive. Other than the weights and tanks, we had our own gear. Glad that as were leaving the shop I asked, extemporaneously, what kind of tanks we would be using, wondering in my head whether to switch my din 1st stage to a yoke. The reply was "steel 72s". Wow, haven't dove a steel 72 in decades and they said they would be happy to put a couple of aluminum 80's on board for us. You can't take anything for granted these days. I think this is the first operation I have seen that used 72s.

We were at the dive shop earlier than the appointed 8:30am time and we were given a choice to go either on their shuttle to the harbor or take our rented car. We took our car and got to the boat. It was a good sized boat of 46ft called the Kea Nui and had 19 paid divers on board. I won't say it was a cattle boat but it was very crowded. Okay, so remember, this was a boat we were told was for the more advanced divers, so I really was quite shocked to see several little kids between, and I'm guessing here, 10 and 13 years old come on board saying they were going to get their final certification dive that day. HUH!!

Randy and I were asked if we wanted to set up our own gear or have the crew do it. Nice of them to ask, I appreciated the courtesy but preferred to set up my own gear. Of the other divers, I don't know who had their own and who were renting, but my guess is that the majority were all renting equipment.

The divemasters split the boat into 3 groups with Randy and I place in the 'more advanced' group that would hit the water first. After a short dive briefing we motored to a dive spot they called 'the Sand Chute'. Randy and I wasted no time jumping in as we looked forward to some fantastic diving. OMG, this was a dive spot? Absolutely nothing but a slope of dead coral going down to a 64ft bottom of bare sand. Yes, there was a small fish here or there but REALLY? I am not exaggerating, even looking for the tiniest of creatures to film, there was nothing of interest. I had seen more the day before just snorkeling in one of the bays, at least there we had a few schools and a couple of turtles. Here at the 'Sand Chute', absolutely nothing. The divemaster who was assigned our group got into the water about 10 minutes into our dive and though he probably was looking, found but one long nosed black hawkfish to point out to us. I could be wrong about the species of fish, but that is the only thing he pointed out. Maybe it was the army of student divers that came in 15 minutes after we did criss crossing our paths that chased anything else away. Who knows.

Back on board with a half tank left and right before lunch, one little round tyke exclaimed, "Yay, I got my certification, how do I put on this regulator and where's lunch." Maybe that is a paraphrase but it is as close to a quote as I can get. It did make me laugh when I heard it. We ate the provided lunch. It consisted of 3 two foot Subway sandwiches cut into 2" parts, one tuna, one turkey and the other ham. The ham was not kosher for those who are interested. These were scoffed up pretty quick so you had to be satisfied with one section and hope there would be an opportunity for a 2nd. In the end, a couple did manage to grab a second piece of the sandwich. Some cookies were also served and there was plenty of lemonade or water to hydrate yourself with. As we sat and waited one of the 'advanced' divers was complaining about how he dropped his weights and couldn't get down. Hmmm, interesting.

Okay, now Randy and I are praying for a decent 2nd dive and the boat motored to a site called 'Honokuluu' which was about 20-25 feet from land. Heck, anyone could have shore dove the sucker, didn't need a boat for this one. Randy and I get in the water, drop down, and wait for the divemaster assigned to us. After waiting 15 minutes we say the heck with it and move on on our own. A pretty site with coral that, at least, was alive at this time and some small schools of fish here and there but nothing that would float the boat of anyone who has been in the water more than a dozen or so times. No mantas, no turtles, saw a couple of nice morays and that's about it. Finally the classes of divers got in and appeared to do well following their leaders. I never saw ours again until we had boarded the boat and he came up to me and said "I thought you were going to wait for me". Yep, we were but got tired of growing older. After the dive, a female divemaster mentioned that Honokuluu was one of her favorite spots. Okay, good enough for me, maybe the marine life was just somewhere else that day. It does happen and she was sincere about what she was saying.

For Randy and I, the diving was a bust and boring beyond belief. If I had my macro lens on, maybe I would have searched harder under the dead stuff or in the holes but not this time.

Two days later Randy and I went back to the shop to rent tanks and weights because Bob had recovered and was going to take us to the night manta spot. Rental for the 2 tanks and weights came to $62.50 for the both of us with the rental good for 24 hours. Off of Bob's boat we had two wonderful dives and yes, the Mantas were amazing. I was testing out some new video lights for an upcoming review and the lights just blew the doors off of anyone else's in power and light dispersion, but more on that when time to publish. We had a great 2 dives.

The next morning Randy and I returned the tanks and weights to Jack's Diving Locker and I asked to see the owner. She was in a hurry to leave for a meeting of some sort as was certainly not dressed for dive shop operation and she quickly got the shop manager to come out. No problem, she had a legit need to be somewhere else. The manager came out and invited me into an office. I recognized him since he had been standing next the employee the day we signed up for their boat dive for ' the more advanced'. I am very poor with names so forgive me if I have not mentioned the specific names of anyone. Names would be beside the point anyway.

I thought to start the conversation on a positive note. You never get anywhere by being rude or nasty and I wasn't. The crew and shop folk were all very nice and helpful and the tank fills couldn't be better at 3100 lbs. Too often we get tanks hot filled with 2700 lbs and have to grin and bare it, but the tank fills at Jack's Diving Locker were just perfect.

Then we moved on to how I felt about being told that we to be on a boat that wasn't for students even though that's is exactly what we were on. He was both calm and understanding about this and asked for suggestions to improve the situation. He wasn't patronizing but I felt the answer to his question was obvious. Just be honest about what was to be expected. He did offer to put us on another boat and didn't mention it costing us anything so I prefer to think he was offering us a freebee. I had to turn the offer down as Randy and I had wives that demanded 'their day' before we left the island and then there was that 24 hour out of the water before flying thing to take into account. While I did not ask, no mention of any kind of refund was mentioned by he or I, but I would have taken it if it had been offered. The boat dive really was THAT BAD.

So what is to be gained from this report? Certainly, never take anything for granted. At least we weren't stuck with steel 72's. But, even after diving most every place around the globe, I had to relearn to ask for site description and that the word 'Advanced' can apply to a person with 3 dives on their belt as opposed to only 2. Jack's Diving Locker is a large and professional operation with a pretty good sized retail end as well. Probably most of their divers are from the mainland and they really don't have a way of knowing just how experienced someone may be. Some divers tend to exaggerate their skill levels. Better to ere on the side of caution, I understand that. Never the less, after leading trips around the world many times over the years and after owning my own dive shop as well, this shouldn't have happened. These sites were great for the student diver, calm water, not too deep and very safe surroundings and topography but definitely not what we were told the diving would be like and certainly the Sand Chute would be good only for someone just getting their certifications. In the end, I guess I should have grilled them more before signing up.

Happy diving,
Steve
Kenneth Stone
Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group
Wetpixel.com :: Underwater Photography and Videography

WORLD FILMS & TRAVEL
WWW.WORLDFILMSANDTRAVEL.COM <http://www.WORLDFILMSANDTRAVEL.COM
 
Sorry to hear this.....

We are here now, and leaving for Maui tomorrow. We had a FANTASTIC day of diving with Steve at WannaDive. 6 pac boat with all good divers and great DM. The owner Steve was the skipper, and our first dive maxed out at 90 minutes (I had to cut it short at 83 minutes when I hit 600 psi but my daughter was down the whole 90) on a site that was called Golden Arches - great topo, tons of interesting fish. 2nd dive at Suck em up/Aquarium with 80 mins of bottom and a really great lava cave that was a rushing thrill ride (well not really) with the surges! Octos, eels, and two eagle rays were just some of the highlights. Went back out for the night Manta dive and had 5 on site and although there was some issues with seasickness (my daughter and wife both got hit this trip) - the crew was great and we would highly suggest anyone check Steve and his operation out!!!
 
[...] After a short dive briefing we motored to a dive spot they called 'the Sand Chute'. Randy and I wasted no time jumping in as we looked forward to some fantastic diving. OMG, this was a dive spot? Absolutely nothing but a slope of dead coral going down to a 64ft bottom of bare sand. Yes, there was a small fish here or there but REALLY? I am not exaggerating, even looking for the tiniest of creatures to film, there was nothing of interest. I had seen more the day before just snorkeling in one of the bays, at least there we had a few schools and a couple of turtles. Here at the 'Sand Chute', absolutely nothing. [...]

Hi Steve -

I'm sorry that you didn't have a better time. I also suspect that you're a much better videograhper than I am; I am just
starting out and still learning.

That said, there is life to be found at Sand Chute:

[video=vimeo;22731388]http://www.vimeo.com/22731388[/video]

Also, AFAIK Jack's uses Luxfer Aluminum 72s, not steel.
 

Gerald

When you lit the flame angel, was that a dive light or the orange led typically found on video cameras? I ask because I'm trying to get a sense of how much color correction the white balance is providing -- I'm going to be in Kohala next month and trying to shoot pictures for the first time. Currently playing with camera in a pool here just to get used to operating it underwater. Same thing when you lit the coral just before the filefish sequence -- it looks like it's quite a consequential correction. I'll be using a Lumix ZS5, so no RAW mode unfortunately.

Thanks,
Curt
 
When you lit the flame angel, was that a dive light or the orange led typically found on video cameras? [...]

21W HID canister light, manual white balance on the camera. I've started using Magic Filters - M A G I C - F I L T E R S - and am pretty pleased with the results.

HTH -
 
There are lots of good dive shops in Kona, and I feel that Jack's is one of them. We all have our favorites, but most of us here know that most shops run a good operation and finding one that suits your personality, etc is key. From your report is sounds like you thought the staff was nice, so that's a good start. Are you sure they said steel 72s and not just 72s? I only ask because they use aluminum 72s and 80s...so I'm not sure why someone would say steel.

I'm glad Gerard posted a video of that dive site to show that there are lots of fish there. Thanks, Gerard...I do like that site. Like most sites...some days there's tons of stuff and some days there's not.

Jack's is pretty straightforward when it comes to telling people whether or not there is an advanced trip on a given day. They need a minimum of 4 divers to run an advanced trip...and if they don't have that, they do their best to group the most experienced divers on the boat together. Now if the most experienced divers on the boat aren't as experienced as you, that's just the way it is. The important thing is that you said they did put you in the most experienced group on the boat.

I personally don't like it when groups "criss-cross" on the dive like you said...so that I can understand how you felt about that. Some of the sites have narrow spots between shallow and deep water and perhaps it couldn't have been avoided...I don't know. Creative guiding can often prevent that from happening.

As far as kids being excited about getting certified...good for them. How cool is that?! Kona, and Hawaii in general, is a family destination. A Chuuk liveaboard probably wouldn't have 12 year olds getting certified on it...but a Kona boat probably would!

An "advanced" diver dropping a weight belt?...what does that have to do with the dive operator?

Jack's rents tanks for $10/24 hours with free refills during that 24 hours...weight belts same price, so not sure how your bill was over $60. Jack's can look up your bill to see if it needs adjusting.

As far as the diving in Kona...I know many divers who travel to the most exotic dive locations in the world...and the come back to Kona over and over again to dive. Is the diving here like it is in PNG, Indonesia, etc? No, it is not. It is different.

Anyway, it sounds like you prefer other locations so that's what you'll probably do in the future.

Is non-Kosher ham really a situation worth mentioning?

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I'm sorry you didn't have a better time. Bob is a real nice guy. I know he'll take you on some nice dives if you're here again.

Cuddlefish
 
Hey Cuddlefish,
The comment about the ham being kosher was a joke. Sorry you didn't get it. Other than my novice wife and a dive student or two when I was instructing, I have never seen
anyone drop a weight. An 'advanced' diver not checking his gear leads me to believe that maybe 'advanced' was too strong of a word for him. In other words, Jacks saying that divers are advanced doesn't mean they are. As far as costs go, they were what they were and I have the receipts to prove it. I am certainly not going to fly back to Kona to get back the difference that you said there should have been. And yes, the individual who signed us up, said Steel 72's. Whether he meant something else or was just mistaken is not important, he said what he said. I can only tell you that my report was 100% truthful and not exaggerated in any way. We were specifically told that this 2 tank boat was for the more advanced divers and that the other boat would have all the students and newbies. I never mentioned any names so I have no idea who Bob is and don't think it wasimportant to mention names anyway. As I said, the fills were great, the shop personnel hospitable and the sites we went to, on the day we went to them, pitiful. I have received many private emails and messages saying they had similar experiences with Jacks and that is unfortunate but also confirming of what my buddy and I experienced. I did get a couple saying that they had a good experience at Jacks but they were in the great minority. As a visiting diver, it is not my concern regarding their policies for #'s of advanced divers or not, I was only concerned with going to a good site and not having to deal with little kids running around. We were told in advance that there would be no classes and such on board. Obviously, this was not the case. Here's another thought to ponder. The 11 year old says 'Yay, I am certified now' yet still hasn't any idea of how to put on his regulator? Would you want your child certified by any place that doesn't teach this basic first step in diving..How to attach a regulator. I wouldn't.
Steve
 
Uhh, what do you mean you don't know who Bob is? Bob Gladden!

Perhaps the kid was joking. Perhaps he just needed some help. I know lots of divers who are certified and still need help with their gear. Yep, it's true.

I know for a fact that if Jack's accidentally charged you the wrong price, you wouldn't have to fly back to Kona to get a refund. That's ridiculous. I suppose if you rented 4 tanks (instead of the 2 that you mentioned) and 2 belts, the $62.50 you were charged would be correct.

Bottom line, I really am sorry you didn't enjoy your dives.
 
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