Dive Review of KDC (Kona Diving Company) in
Hawaii/Kailua-Kona Big Island

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KDC (Kona Diving Company), Oct, 2013, by Chuck , HI, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports). Report 7178.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	[None] 10/3/2013 Aloha,My wife Julie and I are avid scuba divers. We are formally from Flushing, New York but now reside in Kaneohe, Hawaii. We have dived throughout the world including the Northeast USA, St. Croix, Bonaire, Sipidan , Bikini Aroll, Papua New Guinea, The Solomans, Truk, Kosrae and NOW Kailua-Kona just to name a few. This is a short review of the amazing experience which we had with Kona Dive Company. I selected KDC, Kona Dive Company, over all the other dive shops on the Big Island by using what I think is the best dive magazine which is called Undercurrent. It has no adds. I also used Trip Advisor and major web surfing. All paper work was done over the internet and finalized at their superb shop in Kailua-Kona. It was a joy communicating with the staff. This dive company has a great staff who organized our dives, an amazing boat that is quite stable since it is a catamaran, with a small upper sitting area, dry area, a small head, plenty of snacks AND a hot water shower which was very much appreciated by me. The dive boat is run by Captain Mike who explains all boat rules and regulations with a fun type of professional humor. Our dive master Luke, a Brit, created an above and below world of fun and excitement. Unlike many Hawaiin dive operations, the entire staff seems to truly enjoy what they are doing. The atmosphere from the time we boarded the boat was one of relaxed but intense excitement for the up coming dives. My wife and I had done some diving on Oahu which did not excite us. The main reason for coming to Kailua-Kona was to check out the reefs to see if there were any interesting coral and fish. We were pleasantly surprised to see quite colorful hard coral, lots of small to medium healthy fish and even some Mantas in the distance. Luke was able to show us at least four morays, 2 flaming anthias and lots of his personal friends. Visibility ranged from 60-80'. So from the get go we were quite impressed. BUT WE CAME FOR THE MANTAS. And that's what we got. I wish I could show you my video taken with my small canon s90 in a FIX housing purchased from Backscatter in California. But it is over 40 min. Long! This specific dive rates on par with Sipidan, Bikini Atoll, Truk and the Solomans. On purpose KDC plans everything out for a reason. We were the last divers to get in the water. There were at least 12 boats diving the same spot which did not bode well with me. But because we were the last in, some of the other dive boats were getting ready to leave. So we had the site to ourselves for part of the time. It took us 3-5 min. to get to the manta feeding area. When we got there it was like Close Endounters. Large LEDs hung from above and all divers were either kneeling or sitting on underwater rock formations and had their lights shining towards the surface.KDC knows the names of most of the mantas and can pick them out by their under belly markings. The 50 minutes that we stayed there was like being in a zen trance. Clarity was perfect for a night dive even with all the plankton that attracts the mantas. They were even in the water as we did our giant strides in from the boat. Actually bumping us. KDC makes it crystal clear that any touching of the mantas is forbidden. The mantas were huge, 8-15' across. You could see them checking you out since they get so close to you. They did acrobatic maneuvers through out our too brief stay. It was a total out of body experience. Luke got us back to the mooring line and up via two excellent stern ladders. I can only compare this experience to my five times on the Truk Odyssey which for us is the greatest live aboard in the world. True, it's unfair to compare a 110' luxury boat to KDCs boat but what I can compare are the similarities of the two staffs and how they created a totally amazing experience. Yes it did help that the mantas were there to participate.GO! let KDC help you have an experience you will NEVER forget. My wife and I will be back MANY times in the future. Mahalo Chuck and Julie Feinberg, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Websites	KDC (Kona Diving Company)
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	The entire Caribbeab, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, Truk, Kosrae, Solomans, Bikini Atoll
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	78-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Very flexible and unlike other operators there is no strict schedule. If you are good on air consumption you can dive longer
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
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	N/A	Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments

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Dive Review of KDC (Kona Diving Company) in Hawaii/Kailua-Kona Big Island

KDC (Kona Diving Company), Oct, 2013,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of KDC (Kona Diving Company) in
Hawaii/Kailua-Kona Big Island