Dive Review of Mauna Kea Divers/Paniolo Greens in
Hawaii/Big Island

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Mauna Kea Divers/Paniolo Greens, Oct, 2002, by Larry & Fawn Lovecchio, Ignacio, USA . Report 340.
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	In October we shore dived off the Big Island. There was quite a surge in the rough seas due to the consistent winds, thus lowering visibility significantly. Puako, normally a good shore dive location was relatively inaccessible. On one occasion, we did make entry and were rewarded with green sea turtles as curious of us as we were of them. Some fascinating lava tubes are in this area as well. Mahukona, in the northern part of the island is an easy shore dive off an old railroad pier. This site has interesting u/w topography especially south of the mooring buoy. There's an outdoor shower for rinsing off. Probably the best site of all is Place of Refuge, a popular site south of Kailua-Kona in a protected cove. Pods of dolphins frequent the area as well as myriads of small tropicals and a turtle cleaning station with two turtles getting their daily massage. Due to the shallow depths, expect long dives if you go on your own, and this time of year the water temp. was consistently 82 degrees. Kayaking and snorkeling at Kealekekua or Cook Bay was lots of fun. Here the Spinner Dolphins put on quite a show with their acrobatics near our kayak. Even a baby one was trying out the aerial spins. Aloha Kayaks across from the Shell gas station had good rental prices. A couple of negative points included being there during the Ironman Triathlon and paying grossly inflated car rental prices, not to mention the increased amount of traffic. On a positive note though, the "Aloha" spirit does exist and people are courteous. Unfortunately I cannot recommend Mauna Kea Divers as the shop is rarely open and it's difficult to get tanks and the owner seems like he's lost interest in running his business and had an overall negative attitude.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Mexico, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman Is., Bahamas
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy, surge
Water Temp	82-0°F / 28--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Shore diving:computer/air usage
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Mauna Kea Divers/Paniolo Greens in Hawaii/Big Island

Mauna Kea Divers/Paniolo Greens, Oct, 2002,

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 Mauna Kea Divers/Paniolo Greens in
Hawaii/Big Island