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For Divers since 1975 The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 |
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Kona Coast Divers/N/A, Jul, 2005,by James Heimer, TX, USA ( Contributor 15 reports). Report 1827.
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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| Accommodations |  |
Food | |
| Service and Attitude | |
Environmental Sensitivity | N/A |
| Dive Operation |  |
Shore Diving | |
| Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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| Value for $$ | N/A | ||
| Beginners |  |
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| Advanced | |
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| Comments |
We found Kona Coast Divers to be a friendly and accommodating operation. It is located in the harbor a few miles north of the town of Kona. They have the standard shop on the dock with the boat a few feet away. When we dove, there were 13 divers on their 40+ foot boat with a capacity of 20. Nine of the divers were from a cruise ship, and a family of five was doing their checkout dives. Julie did a masteful job of checking everyone in and sorting out the students paperwork. Dwayne (former marine) was the dive master for the students, while Bob (also former marine) handled the experienced divers. On the boat, the tanks were set up by the staff and Captain Bob (not a marine, to my knowledge) down the center of the boat's aft deck, divers sat on the sides and front with gear under the diver's seats. At the site, the non students suited up first. Each diver put on their weight belt and took mask, fins, and snorkel to sit at the back of the boat with thier feet on the dive platform. The tanks and BC's were brought to the divers, then they stood up and stepped off. It was remarkably easy and free of interference on board. The water was clear, a little cooler than the Caribbean, and the fish were of a different variety and very colorful. There are a variety of angel, butterfly, and surgeon fish. Turtles are common (but not for us); manta rays are possible (and there is a manta ray night dive, which we didn't do, where they are virtually guaranteed). The coral was in good shape and very prolific at our sites near the airport and the natural energy research station (about a 10 = 20 minute boat ride). We saw a frog fish and a crown of thorns star fish, along with the usual Hawaiian tropicals. The boat does two morning dives from 9 am ot 2 pm and a twilight and night manta dive for $80 to $100 per diver. We would use them again. |
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Reporter and Travel |
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| Dive Experience | 251-500 dives | ||
| Where else diving | Tahiti, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico E & W Coasts, California, Texas, Norway, Belize, Honduras Bay Islands, Australia, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, St Maarten, St Thomas | ||
| Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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| Weather | sunny | Seas | calm, noCurrents |
| Water Temp | 81-83°F / 27-28°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 3 |
| Water Visibility | 70-100 Ft/ 21-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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| Dive own profile | no | ||
| Enforced diving restrictions | Dive Master led dive, but individuals were allowed to leave group to make photographs or explore. Were told to remain above dive master. | ||
| Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | N/A |
What I Saw |
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| Sharks | None | Mantas | None |
| Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | None |
| Turtles | None | 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 | N/A |
| UW Photo Comments | Boat had large rinse tanks for cameras and "cameras only" was enforced. No facilities to load or open cameras on board, nor was there separate storage. As weather was calm and only two people were using cameras, cameras were put in rinse tanks for trip to and from dive sites. | ||
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above. |
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