Dive Review of Kona Diving Company in
Hawaii/Kona

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Kona Diving Company: "Great dive company and DMs", Sep, 2021, by Leslie Russum, CO, US ( Reviewer 6 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 11650 has 3 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I did 20 dives over 6 days (4 were dusk dives and 4 were night dives including 2 Manta dives). It's very different than the Caribbean due to a lack of corals and sea fans due to the volcanic nature of the islands. There are lots of nooks and crannies for critters to hang out in created by the lava flows. There is very little current but you can have some surge which makes it a bit harder to see the small stuff. Water temps were warm 80-82F. I wore only dive skins but most people wore all 2-3mm wetsuits. Covid protocols are followed and lunches are packed in advance by the company. The boat is clean and only the staff handles the cooler and water jugs to prevent too many hands on things. We were allowed to dive until we were down to 1/3 of a tank -- this meant very long dives, typically 70+ minutes! All the DMs were good, but Daniel was a level above. He was an expert at finding nudis, eels, shrimp and octopus. He genuinely loves his job and it shows. The night time manta dives are worth it - such a great experience. If you have a video light, that also attracts them and I was lightly grazed by them several times as they came in to eat the plankton my light attracted. The boats are well appointed and in good, clean working order with adequate sun covering and a hot water shower. There are 2 large rinse tanks on the boat for cameras. The crew takes very good care of you, doing all your setup and tank changes, defogging masks, etc. At the end of the day if you are returning, they will take your BCD and regulator set to the office and rinse and hang it to dry if you wish.
Websites	Kona Diving Company
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Cook Islands, Galapagos, Guadeloupe, Tortola, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Dominica
Closest Airport	KOA	Getting There	Easy -- direct from DFW or LAX
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Let DM know at 1/2 and 1/3 tank. Returned to vicinity of mooring by 1/3 tank
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	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	Macro is a must -- lots of tiny critters

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Ryan Black in MI, US at Sep 17, 2021 15:46 EST

Very nice pictures! Haven't been to Kona in 4+ years and have been wondering if it was worth the higher cost (as compared to say Cozumel) and hassle of trying to be a visitor in Hawaii (e.g., rental car shortage, etc.). Will probably still hold off for a spell but your review makes me want to keep the door (somewhat) open.

By Craig A Wood in PA, US at Sep 21, 2021 10:23 EST

You saw a Tiger Shark?

By report author: Leslie Russum in CO, US at Sep 21, 2021 10:58 EST

Yes -- we saw 2 of them (or 1 twice). The first was just cruising the drop off. The other came in an circled us -- there were 2 morays eating a dead moray and the DM thought she came in due to the scent.

By Roy jennings in CA, US at Aug 22, 2022 12:10 EST

Any insight on their advanced adventure dives? Thank you.

By report author: Leslie Russum in CO, US at Aug 22, 2022 14:44 EST

The auto email stated you were looking for recommendations on a place to stay. We rented a VRBO (Property #1059224) which was a 2 bed, 1 bath ground floor unit. It was perfect - small kitchenette and nice living room with patio. Up in the hills so it was cool at night and a great property owner (Kayla Jensen). it was 10 min from the dock! We didn't do an advanced adventure dives - but we did the manta dive and a night dive on the reef.

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Dive Review of Kona Diving Company in Hawaii/Kona

Kona Diving Company: "Great dive company and DMs", Sep, 2021,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Kona Diving Company in
Hawaii/Kona