Big Hawaii
Big Hawaii is the youngest of the Hawaii islands. There are a lot of great diving and snorkelling locations on Big Hawaii's coast. The dive sites are varied and suited for all levels of expertise. A popular dive here is the Manta Ray dive which is usually done as a night dive when the mantas come out to feed. Both shore and boat diving are done on Big Hawaii.
Always dive according to your level of training. Never enter the water without checking with the local dive center for safety, additional information, level required for each dive site and without being accompanied by a professional. All the information provided is purely informative for our readers and shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.
Kona's coast has calm waters and has a wide variety of dive sites. Many of the sites are close to the coast while the more distant ones are more or less an hours boat ride away. The underwater topography includes wall, lava tubes, arches, pinnacles and swim throughs.
A popular dive here is the manty dive usually carried out in the night. This is when you can enjoy the spectacular view of these large manta rays coming out to feed on plankton. Other marine life that can be seen in Kona incldes octopus, Hawaii spimmer dolphins, eels and the occasional white tip reef shark.
Kohala's coastal formations have been shaped by a lot of past volanic action. It's also influenced by the trade windswhich makes diving sometimes difficult or not possible. However, when conditions are good you have a lot of beautiful dive sites to explore. The underground scenery includes arches, bommies, pinnacles, lava tubes, reefs and caves. There are lots of hard coral gardens and orange and red sponges.
You will encounter a large variety of fishes on your dives as well as ray, spinner dolphins, sharks and turtles. North Kohala has the Ulua Cave where divers can swim through the caves and the visibility is outstanding. From December to April you can have the treat of seeing humpback whales.
In Hilo, on the eastern coastline there is great shore diving and boat diving as well. The visibilty is not as good as on the western side but there's plenty of sea life. Encounters with sea turtles is common.
The whale watching season in Big Hawaii runs from December to May. They come to shelter in the warm waters to breed and calve. You can book a charter to go watch the humpback whales and you can even see them from the Kohala and North Kohala coastline. Hilo Bay on the eastern side is a popular place for whale watching as well.
Let the diving centers in Big Hawaii take care of your diving needs. The centers offer courses with certification from beginner to advanced level. You can rent diving equipment from your diving center. Certification from major diving agencies are offered.
