Kona May 2010 and Shore Diving

[sharkbait98]

Hi everybody.

I am looking at going to Kona in May and doing some shore diving. My only concern is the water temp / vis at that time of year. I have done alot of reading and the shore diving there sounds awesome, but I don't want to be diving in my 7mil.

Can anybody tell me about the water temp and if the shore diving there is indeed good at that time of the year?

I trust this forum more than websites

Sharkbait98

 

[ChimChim75]

Something between 3 and 5 mil depending on your preference. And I wouldn't worry about vis.

 

[DeputyDan]

You should go with the 5mil.
And if you don't have one the 7 mil would be a better choice than the 3 mil.

We dove there in July and my two teen daughters rented 5mils to wear over their 3 mils.

Do the Manta Ray night dive.... Top shelf.....

 

[jon m]

it depends on what you consider "cold" !
if you dive in Canada, i doubt you will need more than a 3mil. i wear a 3mil shorty, and have no problems. my wife, who gets cold, dives a 3 mil full...
wonderful shore dives there, we went with big island divers, rented 4 tanks and a 10 tank fill card. used them all, and did the manta dive at night, too. the guys and gals at the shop can tell you all (well most of) the shore diving spots....

 

[friscuba]

Expect the water temp to be running around 75-76 in May.

As far as what thickness of suit... height, weight and gender will go a long way, cold tolerance and how many dives you plan to do will help with the guess. If you're a 115 lb woman and diving a lot you'll want that 7 mil, if you're a 270 lb guy and used to diving cold you'll likely not need/want a wetsuit at all... in between and you'll want something in between for a wetsuit.