Kona May 6 to May 11

[Nwcid]

The GF and I are new divers. We are coming to Kona for a week for a trip that was planned before we were divers so now we are fitting that in too. We are staying at a timeshare in Kona (not sure on the name, GF is dealing with that) so our days will be starting and ending there. I know at least one day we are going to go to Hilo as I have a friend that lives there.

We were wondering if there are any locals that might be up for diving that might be willing to dive with us and show us the ropes in HI. We both grew up in areas of fresh water and the ocean and all that goes with it are very new to us. Half of our dives have been in Puget Sound locals mostly as 1-1 dive practice. We will be bringing all our gear minus tanks.

Thanks,
John

 

[Jack'sDivingLocker]

Aloha John,
It's great that you are coming to Kona! You'll be amazed at the marine life after growing up around fresh water. You may find that local divers aren't necessarily up for the responsibility involved in taking new divers (or any divers they don't know) under wing. If you do find someone, make sure you feel completely confident in your own skills and knowledge of the area (after researching and checking it out) to take care of yourselves even if you are with someone else. If you decide to go with a professional guide, there are many dive operators in Kona who can guide you and help you. You'll find a lot of information here. There's shore diving and boat diving (which can actually be easier). Have a great time here in Kona!
Mahalo, Angela

 

[Nwcid]

Well I guess I just expected a little different since in the PNW there are tons of experienced divers that are very willing to help out new divers. It just trickles down.

Just thought it wouldnt hurt to ask.

We have been doing lots of reading about local sites so will be narrowing things down soon.


Thanks for you reply.


ETA: After reading my post I guess that sounds a little bad. It was in no way a bash on locals in HI vs locals here in the PNW. Being a local and a new diver probably has a lot to do with it. Since HI is a vacation destination I am sure the locals get hit up all the time. I can understand them not wanting to be free guides. Just thought if some where going they might not mind us tagging along.

 

[DiveMaven]

If you've never been diving in Hawaii, do yourself a favor and either hire an experienced dive guide or book a recommended dive charter with excellent dive guides. I have heard far too many times from first timers to Hawaii that "everything is dead" or "there's no marine life" and when quizzed further, we always find out they either saved money by shore diving on their own, or went with a charter that did "underwater tours."

The topography and marine life in Hawaii is SO different than everywhere else in the world that the "never been to Hawaii" diver simply misses 90% of what the experienced Hawaii diver will find. You also won't know if you're looking at something endemic to Hawaii (found only there) or something a bit more common.

After 200+ dives in and around Maui, we still prefer diving with a guide. We figure that we find about 50% of the really cool stuff and our guides find the other 50%....and just about every trip we take, we have at least one new "first" creature sighting. Feel free to check out our website with photos of Hawaii marine life that my husband has taken. I should have our most recent photos from April uploaded in the next few days.

http://divetraveladventures.shutterfly.com/maui

 

[PeterNBiddle]

The snorkelling at Kapoho "Vacationland" S of Hilo is extremely good.

Well worth the drive and hassle if fixing the parking and deciding if you want to pay the entirely voluntary parking fee.

 

[Hoomi]

Hi John! My wife and I will be in Kona, staying at the Sheraton, from May 1st until May 8th. On the recommendations of some of our Tucson area dive friends, we're booking some dives through Jack's, though we've also heard good things about some of the other operations in the Kona area, including the Kona Honu Dive Shop.

Our plan is to do a shore dive the morning after we arrive, primarily to get our weight checking done before the boat dives. There are some unique dive opportunities in Kona that you two might consider worth the investment, including the Manta Ray night dives (organized by at least a couple of different shops). One of my friends at work went on the Manta dive, and loaned us her video of it to watch. It's looks to be a pretty awesome experience, and a chance to see some impressive underwater gentle giants.

Alas, with only a short overlap time between our trips, we probably couldn't manage to meet up with you two for a dive. My guess is, you'll be landing later in the day on the 6th, and since we fly out on the morning of the 8th, we won't likely be doing any diving on the 7th, just to keep the safety margin well-cushioned. However, check back in this topic between the first, and your departure, and I'll post updates of where we dove, and what the conditions are like. I'm sure, though, after mostly cold-water diving, you're going to love the tropical seas off the Big Island. I know we sure enjoyed the diving off Oahu last year.