nippurmagnum
Contributor
Hello friends,
I am making my third dive trip to Kona, after an absence of about 6 years, and wanted to ask for advice on two points:
(1) Manta night dive operators
I'd love to find an operator that does not limit dive times for the manta night dive absurdly. The first time I did the night dive was with Big Island Divers, about 8 years ago, and we had 24 mantas circling over our heads -- but the dive operator ended the dive after just 45 minutes. I just wanted to scream, I had 2000 psi left in the tank (after kneeling motionless at 30 feet the whole time), and there was absolutely no reason to limit the dive to 45 minutes, other than apparently the staff wanting to go home early, and not caring about tips. The second time I went with Jacks Locker, and did a two tank twilight/night dive, and that time the second dive ended at about an hour with about a dozen mantas around us. I still would have loved to have stayed an extra 15-20 minutes in the water, but it didn't feel as rushed. Does anybody know of an operator who stretches out the night dive time to 75-90 minutes?
(2) Shore dive spots
I explored the following spots on my previous trips -- does anybody have any other suggested sites, or anything in particular to look for on the sites I mentioned below?
Alua Beach -- did a bunch of dives there, saw tigers on three dives. I've never seen dolphins on a dive there though, is that a function of just going early enough in the morning?
Puako -- awesome turtle cleaning station
Miloli'i -- gorgeous lava tubes and pristine corals; I've heard of schooling hammerheads there but didn't see any, though we were there in the summer.
Black Pebble Beach
Blow Hole
Two Step (which I found too crowded and a museum to dead coral)
Any other suggestions? Thanks!
I am making my third dive trip to Kona, after an absence of about 6 years, and wanted to ask for advice on two points:
(1) Manta night dive operators
I'd love to find an operator that does not limit dive times for the manta night dive absurdly. The first time I did the night dive was with Big Island Divers, about 8 years ago, and we had 24 mantas circling over our heads -- but the dive operator ended the dive after just 45 minutes. I just wanted to scream, I had 2000 psi left in the tank (after kneeling motionless at 30 feet the whole time), and there was absolutely no reason to limit the dive to 45 minutes, other than apparently the staff wanting to go home early, and not caring about tips. The second time I went with Jacks Locker, and did a two tank twilight/night dive, and that time the second dive ended at about an hour with about a dozen mantas around us. I still would have loved to have stayed an extra 15-20 minutes in the water, but it didn't feel as rushed. Does anybody know of an operator who stretches out the night dive time to 75-90 minutes?
(2) Shore dive spots
I explored the following spots on my previous trips -- does anybody have any other suggested sites, or anything in particular to look for on the sites I mentioned below?
Alua Beach -- did a bunch of dives there, saw tigers on three dives. I've never seen dolphins on a dive there though, is that a function of just going early enough in the morning?
Puako -- awesome turtle cleaning station
Miloli'i -- gorgeous lava tubes and pristine corals; I've heard of schooling hammerheads there but didn't see any, though we were there in the summer.
Black Pebble Beach
Blow Hole
Two Step (which I found too crowded and a museum to dead coral)
Any other suggestions? Thanks!