Ive greatly enjoyed the legendary vis and diverse life Kona diving offers on several trips in the past. When I was planning for my most recent trip, though, I found that my favorite diving service DiveTek - had suspended operations, which is a real loss.
So I went in search of new options. I had used other Kona-based recreational services in the past, including some that I generally liked, including Jacks Diving Locker. But the lack of technical diving, sometimes large boats, and particularly the long drives from the Kohala/Waikoloa resorts with attending tie-up of the rental car had me wanting alternatives.
A search of the forums led me to consider Kohala Divers, based in Kawaihae. The reviews were, I thought, mixed, but the smaller boat, the proximity, and the prospect of diving less-frequently visited sites (the Kona boats dont really range that far North) led me to give them a try. I am very glad that I did.
First, the business has changed ownership in the last two years. I cant say anything about how it was in the past, but I will note that the reviews I read were of that vintage or earlier. I found Rebekah, who co-owns Kohala with her husband Greg, Captain Stephen, and Dive Masters Kim, Kelleen, and Robyn to all be attentive and professional. I dove with them three times over the course of a week and had an excellent experience each time.
Before describing the diving, let me say a little about the topside advantages I saw in Kohala. First, distance/time 12.5 miles from the Waikoloa resorts, vs. 24 to Honokohau Harbor and 27 to Kailua. Even better, after the first day I discovered that Kohala would pick me up at my hotel, a big, big plus for me. This relieved a potential stress as the rest of my party wasnt stranded with no vehicle.
Second, the boat a comfortable 42 footer rated for 24 but never with more than 12 on board. One day, the total load was me (NAUI Instructor,) Kohalas DM (PADI Instructor), and two DM candidates. When we had more than 6 on board, we broke into groups of 6 or less. I never felt crowded, although the racks are designed for single strap BCs which meant I couldnt fully set mine up (which the crew would have done for me) while we were underway.
Third, the professionalism of the crew. After my first dive with them, I was given what I felt was good latitude to see what the dive guide was finding or do more of my own dive. Buddy pairings were left to individual divers, and we did not all have to surface as a group, a way big plus in my book. I think that less-experienced divers got responsible attention from the dive leaders with respect to gas management and depth/time. Computer diving was encouraged.
Finally, the diving was great. The coral we dove over was in excellent shape, visibility was terrific. On my three trips, we took two North from Kawaihae (to Black Point, Frog Rock, Lava Dome, and Ulua Cavern) and one South to Puako 38 and Puako Point. Fish life was abundant, including white tips, jacks, lots of varieties of butterflies, flame and Potters angels, several varieties of eels, etc. A few nudibranchs though not an impressive number. Turtles, particularly at Puako 38. Octopus. Vis ranged between 60 to 100+.
All in all, I was very happy with my choice to try Kohala Divers. I will definitely use Kohala for my recreational diving, with the exception of a manta night dive which at this point remains a Kona event (I like Jacks for this, especially if you can dive with Keller.) While my primary love is the deeper, technical stuff, this has become much harder to do on the big island, and unless/until a good operation emerges, Kohala Divers will be my first choice on Hawaii.
So I went in search of new options. I had used other Kona-based recreational services in the past, including some that I generally liked, including Jacks Diving Locker. But the lack of technical diving, sometimes large boats, and particularly the long drives from the Kohala/Waikoloa resorts with attending tie-up of the rental car had me wanting alternatives.
A search of the forums led me to consider Kohala Divers, based in Kawaihae. The reviews were, I thought, mixed, but the smaller boat, the proximity, and the prospect of diving less-frequently visited sites (the Kona boats dont really range that far North) led me to give them a try. I am very glad that I did.
First, the business has changed ownership in the last two years. I cant say anything about how it was in the past, but I will note that the reviews I read were of that vintage or earlier. I found Rebekah, who co-owns Kohala with her husband Greg, Captain Stephen, and Dive Masters Kim, Kelleen, and Robyn to all be attentive and professional. I dove with them three times over the course of a week and had an excellent experience each time.
Before describing the diving, let me say a little about the topside advantages I saw in Kohala. First, distance/time 12.5 miles from the Waikoloa resorts, vs. 24 to Honokohau Harbor and 27 to Kailua. Even better, after the first day I discovered that Kohala would pick me up at my hotel, a big, big plus for me. This relieved a potential stress as the rest of my party wasnt stranded with no vehicle.
Second, the boat a comfortable 42 footer rated for 24 but never with more than 12 on board. One day, the total load was me (NAUI Instructor,) Kohalas DM (PADI Instructor), and two DM candidates. When we had more than 6 on board, we broke into groups of 6 or less. I never felt crowded, although the racks are designed for single strap BCs which meant I couldnt fully set mine up (which the crew would have done for me) while we were underway.
Third, the professionalism of the crew. After my first dive with them, I was given what I felt was good latitude to see what the dive guide was finding or do more of my own dive. Buddy pairings were left to individual divers, and we did not all have to surface as a group, a way big plus in my book. I think that less-experienced divers got responsible attention from the dive leaders with respect to gas management and depth/time. Computer diving was encouraged.
Finally, the diving was great. The coral we dove over was in excellent shape, visibility was terrific. On my three trips, we took two North from Kawaihae (to Black Point, Frog Rock, Lava Dome, and Ulua Cavern) and one South to Puako 38 and Puako Point. Fish life was abundant, including white tips, jacks, lots of varieties of butterflies, flame and Potters angels, several varieties of eels, etc. A few nudibranchs though not an impressive number. Turtles, particularly at Puako 38. Octopus. Vis ranged between 60 to 100+.
All in all, I was very happy with my choice to try Kohala Divers. I will definitely use Kohala for my recreational diving, with the exception of a manta night dive which at this point remains a Kona event (I like Jacks for this, especially if you can dive with Keller.) While my primary love is the deeper, technical stuff, this has become much harder to do on the big island, and unless/until a good operation emerges, Kohala Divers will be my first choice on Hawaii.
