Big Island diving in December

[jackyd]

Thanks leadturn. I'm gonna book a trip for early december. Looking to primarily shore dive but also do a few boat dives. Which dive operator do you like? What area would you stay in if you had your choice?

Thinking of bringing my spear to grab one nights dinner for the family. How's the ciguatera on the west coast? I have a test kit but I know those don't work and I can't risk getting anyone sick.

 

[friscuba]

Will dive boats still go out on these days?

Boat cancellations in December are fairly uncommon. Most of them occur in January/February, if at all, even then it sort of depends on what company you are using. I cancel when its so high I'm worried about tanks/equipment/customers launching out of place, and any time I know it's a guarantee it's going to be crappy diving conditions, if it's "real borderline" in my opinion, I'll offer a cancellation (there's been times I've offered to cancel and people have said they're going no matter what... every time that's happened, the majority of them spent much of their day puking. I think this last winter I cancelled all of 2-3 charters (one being intros that I knew I wasn't going to find "pool like conditions"), turned around twice because of winds and surf combined, and had a boat full of determined pukers once. In general, if the swell's under 10 feet or so at the harbor mouth you can find some decent dives somewhere, if it's breaking across the harbor mouth you might as well forget it most of the time (angle the surf is coming in can be important).

If you're looking at shore diving, pay attention to the evening surf news. It's generally for Oahu. If they say a big northwest swell is coming in "tomorrow", it'll probably be clear in Kona 'til the following day (it generally takes 12-24 hours longer to get there). In the winter, a 10-15 foot swell (based on Oahu reports, not actual Kona conditions, Kauai/Oahu/Maui actually shade the west side of the Big Island from the bulk of the swell) often amounts to nothing in Kona, a 15-25 foot (Oahu) swell can be easily worked around in Kona by picking spots shaded from the northwest, 25 and up (Oahu numbers again) might mess things up pretty good, but might not.

In Kona, if the swell's under 10-12 feet from the northwest you can usually find a spot to dive. From the direct west, swells of smaller size can mess up most of the coastline, that's usually happening in early spring or late fall if it happens at all.

Just plan on looking at the shore diving day to day, you'll probably be fine, if it is crummy it usually only lasts 1-3 days that time of year. Odds are it'll be a non-issue for you. I hope this helps some.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Thanks leadturn. I'm gonna book a trip for early december. Looking to primarily shore dive but also do a few boat dives. Which dive operator do you like? What area would you stay in if you had your choice?

Thinking of bringing my spear to grab one nights dinner for the family. How's the ciguatera on the west coast? I have a test kit but I know those don't work and I can't risk getting anyone sick.

Operator: Talk to friscuba of "Wanna Dive" in the post above... you can check out the link to his website in his signature line. There are a lot of good operators in Kona, but I really appreciate that friscuba is always ready to provide help & advice to anyone who asks questions about Kona diving.

Spearfishing: Unless you are really a major "spearo" and are familiar with what Hawaiian reef fish are good to eat (and like how they taste, not all people do!), I'd leave the spear at home and just enjoy the diving and sights. I used to spear a lot growing up as a teenager here, but now just enjoy "looking", and buy my ciguatera-free fish in the store

Have fun on your trip!

 

[coz7979]

Great info guys thanks

 

[spoolin01]

What friscuba and lead turn said! I go shore diving yearly between Turkey Day and mid-December (12 days and counting...) and we've rarely been shut out much at all for more than a day or 3 in a row and typically find many days on end with good shore conditions. There are easy places and places that are easy ONLY when the swell is down, and it's not a simple thing (for me at least, yet) to predict the good and bad places with high confidence simply from swell and wind forecasts though those are a good start. The dive shops hear about conditions, but you sometimes have to drill down a bit to be sure what they're basing a recommendation on. Much of the shore diving is off lava bench shoreline which makes the entry inviting, but things can get bad when the swell is up - be careful, study the spots for small protected access points, and learn where water is moving in and out (bad!) and where it's not, and how to time your moves.

The easy spots are mentioned regularly on this board, and the shops will point them out too.

I like the equipment rental policies of Big Island Divers, and the fact they're outside the town center. I don't know if friscuba rents for shore diving but he seems like someone good to try for a dive even if not.

 

[acooper]

Here is the swell forecast I use... SwellWatch 3D - Surf Report and Forecast Click on the map to zoom in. Usually pretty accurate. You can try the surfing sites as well, some of them link to webcams at various surf sites and resorts.

 

[iHeartScuba.com]

Love diving the Big Island! You may already have this planned, but just wanted to make sure and mention the Manta Ray night dive - this is a MUST DIVE when on the Big Island. If you need any dry bags, defog, or gear for your trip be sure to check out our site: Scuba diving books and apparel
Happy Birthday!

 

[spoolin01]

Thanks, headed there next week. I'll check out that site and some of the surfer ones too.

Here is the swell forecast I use... SwellWatch 3D - Surf Report and Forecast Click on the map to zoom in. Usually pretty accurate. You can try the surfing sites as well, some of them link to webcams at various surf sites and resorts.

 

[jackyd]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

 

[ballast]

As I get ready to head out to the Maldives, I just realized that I never posted a report after starting this thread.

Diving the Big Island in December was excellent. We had great weather, calm water, although a bit cool - I actually got cold for the first time, although it was the 3rd dive of the day.

Dove with Jack's Diving Locker. Great outfit, although large boat, you're split into smaller groups and the entire crew are extremely attentive. Very laid back, explore at your own pace - no rush to finish the dive by a prescribed time - those with air left can linger.

The Manta night dive is an absolute must! We lucked out with approx 8 mantas, smallest had about a 6' wingspan, can't even guess what the largest wingspan was, but it was HUGE!!! So big, yet so graceful and agile. Only downside was an obnoxious videographer from another group shining extremely bright lights in everyone's face while filming one particular couple. Luckily it didn't last too long, and the extraordinary experience of watching the mantas somersault above our heads was not diminished.