Big Island Trip Report: April/May 2018

[White Chocolate]

My wife and I had a 10 day vacation to the Kona Coast on the big island of Hawaii at the end of April. We stayed just south of Kona for 6 nights, and then spent 2 nights in Hilo before flying home. While on the leeward side we got shore dives in at 2 Step and Kailua Bay right in downtown. My wife had some fluid in her ear before the trip so unfortunately she cut the diving off early. I was still able to do the Manta night dive and the local 2 tank morning trip with Jacks Diving Locker. I also got some great snorkeling in at 2 Step, Kua Bay, Hapuna Beach and at Richardson's Park outside of Hilo. This was my first time diving in the warmer waters of the Pacific and it was fantastic. Our shore dives were pretty nice, and we had turtles, eels and all the reef fish on both of them. Jack's Diving Locker treated me very well for the boat dives and I couldn't have been happier with the shop service or guided boat diving they provided. We had 8 mantas show up for the night dive, and my 2 tank local dive featured harlequin shrimp, frogfish, leafy scorpion fish, nudi's laying eggs and beautiful lava formations, along with about 150 min of bottom time! The snorkeling was also really pleasant, and I saw turtles and big schools of fish on all of them. On land we drank plenty of Mai Tais, ate my weight in poke, did the tourist things around town, got sunburned on the one full day of sun, and saw some waterfalls and flowers. We also tried to spend the day in Volcano National Park, but we got kicked out after only a couple hours. Apparently the giant 6.9 earthquake that happened while we were at the caldera overlook and then the resulting giant ash plumes from the collapsing crater floor made all the rangers a bit jumpy.... We never made it down to the Puna district either unfortunately. There were some hot orange cracks in the ground that had been deemed dangerous and they were kicking everyone out. I have a geology degree so I still fail to see what all the fuss is about lol

 

[drrich2]

Hawaii seems to be a photogenic destination. Love the frog fish and manta face shots. What is poke? For those of us unfamiliar with it, why the move from Kona to Hilo a couple of days? What’s the advantage?

 

[Trailboss123]

Thanks for sharing about your trip. I will be over in Kona for the first time next month. Looking forward to a new dive experience.
@drrich2 - Poke is diced up raw fish/seafood- usually marinated in something and usually served over a rice bowl- but is also eaten as is, without rice. Here is a pic. This one has tuna, onions, soy sauce, garlic, cilantro.

 

[iamrushman]

I love Hawaii and it's people...thanks for sharing your trip report and the photos..

 

[White Chocolate]

Hawaii seems to be a photogenic destination. Love the frog fish and manta face shots. What is poke? For those of us unfamiliar with it, why the move from Kona to Hilo a couple of days? What’s the advantage?

Just to be upfront, this was my first trip to Hawaii so I am definitely not an expert in anyway shape or form! In my own opinion (based on this trip), if your reason for visiting the big island is mostly diving with some sandy beaches and tropical drinks thrown in, then Hilo offers no advantage over the Kona side. We stayed there to be closer to Volcano National Park (30 min vs 2 hrs of driving) and to see something different. We ended up absolutely loving it. Hilo is much more unpolished and a working town compared to the more tourist oriented Kona side, which my wife and I prefer over a more catered resort type experience. It does rain all the time in Hilo, although that makes the landscapes green and lush, with pretty waterfalls, flowers and rainbows. The Hilo area is where you go see the classic Hawaiian jungle scenery ending at rugged coastlines. Kona is much more arid, although above town it is fairly lush. I did read there is pretty good shore diving at a couple locations around Hilo when the seas are calmer, and I hope to check a couple of those spots out if we ever return. One significant advantage Hilo does have over Kona are the restaurant prices. The overflowing plate of sushi in the picture above (which I ate in about 5 min lol) was only $30....

Hotel balcony view over the bay in Hilo