Jack's Diving Locker, Oct, 2009,by Bob DeFeo, CA, USA (![]() |
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | N/A | Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | ![]() |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | N/A |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | ![]() |
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Beginners | ![]() |
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Advanced | ![]() |
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Comments | Best dive operation on the Big Island and I've dove with most of them over the years. Jack's service is consistently outstanding in all aspects. Great shop personnel, great divemasters, great captains. On this trip I did two 3-tank advanced dive trips and one 2-tank trip. Great dive briefs--not too sketchy and not too detailed---just perfect and given by very competent and knowledgeable DMs. Jack's is a superb shop for starting or continuing dive training with a large number of experienced instructors, master instructors, and a course director on staff. Nitrox available with solid fills and accurate oxygen content. Boats, shop, and equipment all top-notch and not the worn look or feel you see in some shops. Jack's stays on top of all maintenance and cosmetics. We saw plenty of reef sharks, mantas, turtles, eels, and the whole variety of typical Hawaiian reef fish and healthy coral formations. These folks make you feel a part of the family when you dive with them from the very instant you enter their shop through the completion of your diving. Quite frankly, they are the best dive shop I've ever used--anywhere! All dives were over one-hour, water temps averaged 80 to 81 degrees. This is Nitrox country for you divers without enriched air certification if you want the extended bottom times that are possible here. Those divers on air had to ascend way before the rest of us who were on Nitrox. Jack's is a great place to pick up enriched air certification id you haven't been certified for it yet. It's well worth the $15 cost per tank of enriched air diving here. Food on the dive boats is always top-shelf. On the 3-tank you get appetizers between the first and second dive and hoagies, chips, cookies, all assorted soft drinks, fruit,and they serve you! Vegitarians are accomodated. Jack's leads the dive industry on the Big Island in environmental protection with a no touch policy and they were the dive company that pushed for installed mooring points instead of anchor use and they maintain the moorings for the benfit of the other dive operations and preservation of the ecology of the island. Even on their advanced, exploratory diving when forced to anchor, they take the added precaution of dislodging the anchor and attaching it to a lift bag in order to lift it withour dragghing across the bottom---where else to you see such care and consideration? You won't be disappointed with this dive operation and they want your input before selecting dive spots and will work to get you the type and location of diving that you want. A++ | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 251-500 dives | ||
Where else diving | Philippines, Caymans, Channel Islands, Puget Sound, Texas Lakes, Roatan, Monterey, Sonoma Coast, Kauai | ||
Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 81-82°F / 27-28°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 3 |
Water Visibility | 100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | None. Follow your dive computer | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | Lots | Mantas | 1 or 2 |
Dolphins | Schools | Whale Sharks | None |
Turtles | > 2 | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | ![]() |
UW Photo Comments | Superb rise tanks, protected camera tables, expert care and handling of cameras---outstanding |
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