DiveTek, Jun, 2007,by Peter Korn, CA, USA ( 2 reports). Report 3381. |
|||
No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
|||
Accommodations | ![]() |
Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | N/A |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | ![]() |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
|||
Value for $$ | N/A | ||
Beginners | ![]() |
||
Advanced | ![]() |
||
Comments |
DiveTek (www.divetekadventures.com) was *fabulous* For a small extra fee, they provided steel tanks for my wife and I (96cuft for me, 116cuft for her - different sizes by my request). They took good care of us, and were especially accommodating of my wife's needs (she has rheumatoid arthritis, and they allowed her to walk down into the water via their stairs, and then helped her don her pre-weighted BC; the reverse returning from the dive). They checked in with us a fair amount at first (good as my wife is still a fairly new diver), then rapidly cut back from that as we demonstrated our competence. I was further amazed at how large & nice their boat was, especially in relation to the number of divers (space for ~40 tanks behind the benches, half covered). We dove with them 2 days. The first day there were three staff (our guide Janice, the owner Keith, and the boat captain), four diving customers, and one staff friend diving (with a rebreather). Second day my wife and I were the only paying customers, with two staff (same guide & captain) and the same rebreathing staff friend. Another accommodation for us: instead of their usual 7:30am departure time they departed at 9am, allowing us time to drive the 90 minutes to Kona from our family's place in Naahlehu (we were the first to book, so our desire set the departure time). My one, minor complaint: our wetsuits didn't get enough of a rinse by the staff, especially as we left them overnight for the second dive. We saw eagle rays, dolphins, octopuses, nudibranchs, trumpet & cornet fish, the beautiful egg rose of a Spanish Dancer, a frog fish, and of course lots of eels (especially at the Garden Eel Cove site) and other local fish. Thanks to our larger capacity tanks, our dives lasted from 53-74 minutes (at max depths ranging from 54-76 feet). The only experience I have had as close as nice to this from an operation was with Living Underwater in Cozumel in 2002. I had more fun diving there (because it was Cozumel), and while their staff was/is great, this staff experience was better - especially given my wife's needs (she wasn't with me in Cozumel). |
||
Reporter and Travel |
|||
Dive Experience | 51-100 dives | ||
Where else diving | Red Sea, Fiji, Cozumel, Monterey, Channel Islands | ||
Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
|||
Weather | dry | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 78-82°F / 26-28°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 3 |
Water Visibility | 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
|||
Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | Depth limits gently enforced | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
|||
Sharks | None | Mantas | Squadrons |
Dolphins | Schools | Whale Sharks | None |
Turtles | None | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
|||
Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
||
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
|||
Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | N/A |
UW Photo Comments | They dedicated a large rinse bucket for my camera (I was the only photographer both days), and handled my gear well. |
| Home | Online Members Area | My Account |
Login
|
Join
|
| Travel Index |
Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews
|
Featured Reports
|
Recent
Issues
|
Back Issues
|
|
Dive Gear
Index
|
Health/Safety Index
|
Environment & Misc.
Index
|
Seasonal Planner
|
Blogs
|
Free Articles
|
Book Picks
|
News
|
|
Special Offers
|
RSS
|
FAQ
|
About Us
|
Contact Us
|
Links
|