A very smooth experience! We booked online, it gave meeting area instructions, times, etc. The…read moreteam was punctual, friendly, and knowledgeable about the boat! The views were amazing! Only thing that would make this 5 star is if the music would have been more prominent.

Such a gorgeous, relaxed day on the water. The crew were friendly (did I mention relaxed?) and…read moreknowledgeable about the marine life around us. Captain Damian used the light winds to carry us a few miles offshore, then apparently switched to electric power when the wind ebbed. It was blissfully quiet and peaceful. When we spotted whales surfacing nearby, mate Shaun dropped a microphone over the side and we were treated to the chorus of multiple humpbacks singing all around us - unbelievable! The crew kept us supplied with healthy snacks and hydration and good information about the baby, mother and male escort whales we were seeing. All and all, it was an epic morning experience off the West shore. Love to come back!

Keona was amazing! We did the the underwater scooter and it was sooooo fun! I have Lived on island…read morefor 10 years and very versed in snorkeling and diving and the scooters were a great new experience I would highly recommend. Good vibes, fun times and knowledgeable operators! Can't wait to come out again! Cheeeeehooooooo! Do it y'all. You won't be disappointed!

Went on an excursion and rented equipment from Ona, the experience was amazing. Once in a lifetime…read more We hiked to a secluded beach, no one was around, we paddled and snorkeled. Ona is extremely knowledgeable about the ocean, and the culture in Hawaii. She showed me how to use the equipment properly, and I felt completely safe. I rented a paddle board for a week there after. The equipment was flawless, she was amazing and I was able to contact her at any time with questions and suggestions. I wold absolutely rent and go on another excursion with her.

We loved this so much! Our entire family had the best time. Great people, so many turtles. SUPs…read moreare so cool and unique. Felt totally safe. We will be back for sure! 10/10!!

Highly recommend! We initially found LightSUP on Yelp at the top with all its stellar reviews and…read morewith SUP on my check off list, we booked it. I talked to Kelly on the phone and she was amazing ! and very patient answering all my questions, I had a lot lol since this was our first time. Looking at weather and surf conditions, she assured us Tuesday would be a great am for lessons. We drove down to Kona from Waikoloa ~30 min drive. Meet up was near a wharf, where we found free 2 hour parking off of Ali'i drive. Met up with our instructor Mark 830 am - a super friendly and understanding dude and he made us feel at ease. He went over some instructions with us regarding the board, how to, safety, and possible route. He warned us, looking at the windsock, it was a little windy, waters might be rough, but that we could make it work. Life vests were available, I wore one since I'm not the greatest swimmer. The boards were really cool, with the upper half containing a clear glass portion for views of marine life in the ocean. In the evenings, they offer lit up SUP boards. When I got onto the water, the waves were soooooo choppy, I immediately felt seasick- nauseous and dizzy, I was only able paddle for less than a half hour. Hubby was able to stand up a few times, but soon was washed off the board due to the waves. Mark noted that it was definitely advanced waters kinda day. We weren't able to enjoy as much as we had liked to or be out the two hours allotted. But, he made us feel comfortable and was so kind. He shared with us all the videos and pics he took of our am. He called and left a message with Kelly, the owner, of our uneventful morning. I messaged Kelly as well, and she did not charge us. Mahalo! We definitely tipped Mark for his time, kindness, and patience : ) This is a wonderful small owned company that cares about its clients! Check them out!

Overall - really enjoyed this dive operation. Crew was super helpful. We did not have a large…read moregroup (~10 people) -so, the boat did not feel too crowded. The food was very good - so, be prepared to eat. The food is good, plentiful and varied. The snacks after the dives were equally good - warm cookies-mmmm. The dive guides did a good job with the briefings and they were very helpful on the dives (of course, there is always that diver that pushes you out of the way because they think they are a professional photographer). Unfortunately, the on-board videographer/photographer was on vacation the week we went. So, we did not get many shots from the crew. The guy that was substituting took some pictures of fish but did not take any of the divers -then, at the end of the dive he had a CD with some pictures from our week but many more pictures from previous dives. The boat is a bit dated in the cabin area and a bit shabby. But, I always view liveaboards as "camping" anyway. The ac was cold -they had warm water for post-dive showers and en suite lavatories -that is better than some operations. The dive platform is a bit challenging. You have to suit up and then walk down 3-5 stairs to get to the platform to get in the water. Then, after the dive, you have to pull yourself up the ladder out of the water and then climb those same steps to get to the equipment area. Not too bad for me and my son but we had a few older folks on the boat that struggled from time-to-time getting up both after some challenging currents. The dives sites were great - the manta dive was great but crowded. There are only two sites that the dive boats typically attend -so, you have a ton of divers in the water and many snorkelers above. There were divers on top of divers. Of course, with the liveaboard, we were able to stay longer than the other operations -so, after a while, it cleared out and we were one of the only groups still there. The diving in April was pretty cool -water temps were typically in the low 70's. So, I wore a full 5MM wetsuit and gloves - a hood on most dives and all of the night dives. Enjoyed it!!

Here is an update with a sample of the weekly itinerary on the Kona Aggressor II:…read more Day 1 - Saturday - Guests arriving at Kona International Airport Saturday afternoon are transferred to the yacht. Passengers may board after 5:00 p.m. Once everyone is aboard, the yacht departs for its first anchorage while the chef serves dinner. After dinner the Captain gives a safety briefing which is followed by a welcome party. Day 2 - Sunday - Divers suit up for the first dive and the guests can go up to five dives each day. Excellent snorkeling is available for non-diving passengers too. The chef prepares snacks and meals. Night dives are offered throughout the week too. Kona is known for some awesome night dive encounters with 2,000 pound Manta Rays. Days 3,4, 5 and 6 The West Side of Hawaii - Diving continues Monday through Thursday at favorites such as: Paradise Pinnacle, Tubestria Tunnel, The Hive, Turtle Pinnacle and Rob's Reef. The yacht goes as far as South Point, the southernmost tip of Hawaii and the U.S. if the weather permits. Day 7 - Friday - After diving the Kona Aggressor II returns to Kailua-Kona in the afternoon. The Captain and crew host an evening cocktail party at 5:00 p.m.. This is what I attended and I had a great time. Day 8 - Checkout - Checkout is 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Guest are transferred to the airport or a local hotel.

Best private beach in the Kona area! It was so nice to have nice shady spots to relax and enjoy the…read moreday. The bay was amazing and the water crystal clear! We were able to get some very tasty beverages and some yummy food at the Napua, as well. Definitely recommend going here if you have the access!

Hands down 5 stars for everything! Best Beach on the big…read moreIsland in my opinion. Perfect spot if you have a person in your group that is not a strong swimmer. Bathrooms are so clean & plenty of them. This place is one of my happiest places on earth, for real! Snorkeling is great here too. Enjoy!

Good company to dive with out of "A" Bay, but I am not fond of the dive sites north of Waikoloa…read more My family and I were staying up at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and the 10 mile drive down south to hop on the Lani Kai was really convenient. I booked the trip through Ocean Sports that has a shack on the beach at "A Bay" also known as Anaeho'omalu Bay. My sister has lived on the Big Island for a few decades and I visit quite often, but I still give up on pronouncing most of the Hawaiian names. DIRECTIONS TO A BAY: If you are heading south from Hapuna Beach turn right at the second light which is Waikoloa Beach Drive. Go past Marriott and make a left when you see Kolea Resort. There is a gate, but look to the left and you will see the public parking lot. Park and walk down the path through the lava field and you'll see the Ocean Sports Beach Shack. Check in there and you'll see the Lani Kai sitting in the water. See my photos. WEBSITE: http://www.waikoloacoastdivers.com PHONE: (808) 895-8387 MY TRIP DETAILS: Date: Thursday, August 23, 2012 Time: 8:00 a.m. to noon COST: $177.00 for two tank dive, including the gear. Walked out into the water and boarded the Lani Kai. Met James and Brooke and we headed north to our first dive site near Puako. All the wet suits, tanks and BC's are provided. James Bach was our captain for the day and Brooke Landt was the Dive Master. Captain James headed north toward our first dive site. On the way there we saw a huge pod of dolphins and we all headed to the bow to take photos. Our first dive site was near Puako. It wasn't my favorite place, but we went through some lava tubes. I don't recall seeing any memorable sea life while down below. James and Brooke caught two big Ono on our way to the second dive site near the Hilton Waikoloa. We saw a blacktip reef shark and some Horned Helmet Snails which were cool during our second dive. I think the next time I go diving on the Big Island I will concentrate on sites south of Kailua-Kona because I think the sites are much better. The Lani Kai was convenient for our hotel though, so we didn't have to drive an hour or more to board one of the vessels down south.

Doug was very helpful with scheduling my diving and answering all my questions ahead of time. He…read moreis a transport from Malibu to Waikoloa. His son James was our captain and was awesome. We also had Danny as our dive master who was also fantastic (and wanted me to make sure I wrote about him even though he has no idea what Yelp is!) They took us out to a spot called Buddha Point and Pentagon. The Pentagon is very popular and I loved loved loved that dive. Ask for the Pentagon. The boat is wonderful and leaves from the Marriott beach which is each to get to. James even found us a school of dolphins in-between dives. It was fabulous. Call them, you will not be disappointed!

This tour is a must do!!! Paul is awesome tour guide!! He took us to amazing places before the…read morepark and in the volcanic park!!!! So nice to not have to drive. We are so glad we booked this tour!!!

My parents and I went on a tour with Marcus and thoroughly enjoyed it. We did the PM volcano tour…read more Marcus is super knowledgeable about Hawaiian culture, plants, and volcanos. Because of the time of year we went there was a bit of rain so he was constantly checking apps for updates on the weather to ensure we were able to get great views. Despite some fog I got some awesome pictures. I absolutely recommend this tour!

We were staying at the Hilton Waikoloa. A friend recommended fishing at Holoholokai Beach Park…read morewhich is a short drive from the Hilton. First, we headed to the Walmart in Kona to pick up fishing gear. We found telescopic poles (perfect for traveling), a net and other fishing supplies. Then we headed to Safeway for shrimp for bait. When we arrived at Holoholokai Beach Park, there were only 2 other cars parked in the parking lot. We walked to the left side (facing the ocean) of beach but found it a bit too rocky. There was a turtle stranded on the reef, about 20 feet from the water. We called DLNR, but they said that the turtle will be find and that they won't be sending anyone out to help it. I hope that the poor guy made it back to the water. We headed to the opposite side of the beach (right side) and found a couple areas which allowed us to walk out on the reef (at low tide) and fish in shallow pools or close to where the waves were breaking on the reef. My son caught a fish on his first cast. He caught another fish (mostly Kupipi), then another and another. We almost always smash the barb on our hooks with a plier so that it is easy to remove a release the fish, so not to cause much harm to the fish. My friend said that Kupipi is good eating, just throw it on a grill. But why eat an ugly reef fish when you can order pizza and pasta from the resort that you're staying at, right? Ha ha! Anyway, it was a beautiful day for fishing. We even came back a second day and the results were the same, we caught (and released) a lot of fish. We saw less than 10 other people there (all tourists), but no other fishermen. If you go, make sure to bring sunscreen, a hat and bottled water. It's quite hot and there aren't any trees to provide shade (at least not near the fishing area). We will look for other fishing spots the next time we visit Kona, but this is definitely a convenient fishing location while staying in the Waikoloa area. There is also a public restroom near the parking lot. Happy fishing! : )

The worst bathroom I've seen in my life, no divider between the urinals AND NO DOOR TO THE…read moreTOILETS!!! When you walk in the door you have a clear view of the toilets. And if you need to drop the kids off?? No privacy AT ALL