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!

We loved our time with Blue Wilderness Dive Adventures! A great crew took us out-- Flipper, Colin…read moreand Sam. Thanks guys for an excellent adventure. The two tank morning dive this week departed around 7:45-8am. There were three of us with one dive master, Flipper. Mahalo!

Did a night Manta Ray Dive with Blue Wilderness…read more It is the smaller dive operators like THIS that make diving fun! The DM, Phil was one of the nicest Dive Masters I have ever met! He made everyone comfortable and really did a great job! The boat is a trailered boat, and the ramp is quiet and out of the way from the hub-bub of the other dive outfits. This made the trip that much more enjoyable. As I was on SCUBA, my daughter enjoyed the snorkeling experience and she will never forget it! I would highly recommend Blue Wilderness for any dive!

Great people! Went out of their way to help my keiki granddaughter with a life jacketread more

Brad is the only reason this review contains anything positive…read more We rented four tanks and weights during unsettled weather. Brad handled the situation exactly as a dive professional should. He checked certifications, discussed conditions, made sure we understood the risks, and confirmed we were prepared to abort the dive if conditions were unsafe. Professional, responsible, and respectful. Then there was Tracy. She was rude, dismissive, condescending, and openly unpleasant. I also heard the way she spoke about other customers when they were not present. Based on what I personally witnessed, this went beyond bad customer service. In scuba diving, attitude can become a safety issue. Divers must feel comfortable asking questions, raising equipment concerns, questioning conditions, and saying they are not comfortable. An employee who makes customers feel stupid or unwelcome for doing that can discourage exactly the communication that keeps people safe. I would not personally trust Tacy in a safety-critical interaction after what I witnessed. I also personally heard her make a comment to the effect of, "just take it from the lost and found." I am not accusing her of stealing anything. I am stating what I personally heard, and I found the comment inappropriate and concerning for someone working in a business trusted with customers' equipment and property. The contrast with Brad was dramatic. He handled the same circumstances professionally and treated us like adults. Afterward, I spoke with other local divers who described similar negative experiences with Tina. I cannot independently verify their experiences, so they can speak for themselves. I can only speak for mine. I believe management should seriously consider whether Tina Davis should continue representing this business. If this were my company, I would terminate her employment. I have also submitted these concerns to PADI Quality Management / Quality Assurance for independent review. For the avoidance of doubt, this review also puts management and ownership on notice of the safety and judgment concerns I personally observed. If a future incident involves similar conduct, ignored diver concerns, or unsafe shortcuts, I would be willing to testify truthfully under oath about what I personally witnessed, heard, and reported here. Brad deserves recognition. Tacy is the reason this review is one star.

Super Duper Dive Guide. Richard was fantastic and…read moreknowledgeable about local marine life in Puako. He was well prepared and efficient in getting us prepped for the dives. He was flexible about me not putting my bc on at the car, and walked it to the shoreline. We saw resting turtles on the beach, and many in the ocean including a turtle cleaning station!!!! He pointed out many macro animals including a nudibranch. I have a bad back and was not super comfortable with the rugged shore dive, but he was there for me. Great experience and I would definitely dive with him again. Mahalo

I was lucky enough to visit the Big Island in July, 2013. I looked at a lot of big dive operators,…read morebut decided to go with LRB Hawaii Dive instead. Boy, am I glad I did. I'm spoiled now. I love shore diving, and I love looking for small creatures in the shallows. Richard listened to what I wanted, and we did 8 awesome shore dives in Puako. He helped me find and photograph Nudibranchs, Frogfish, Regal Slipper Lobsters, etc. etc. He also showed me local specialties like the Turtle Cleaning stations. The dives were long and shallow. It doesn't get any better than LRB's personalized service. I only hope I can go back soon!

Easy to arrange, good communication before dive date…read more Daniel was great on all briefings, great spots, really good debriefs. Everyone was great!

I can't say enough good things about Kona Diving Company. We have dove with them on three separate…read moretrips to the Big Island and absolutely love them. We've done morning dives, the manta dive, as well as the twilight and night dive and every experience has been incredible. The staff is fantastic and always takes such great care of us. I would recommend this shop to both new divers and seasoned divers alike. We've met some really amazing people through these trips and every outing has been organized, safe, and genuinely fun. The boat is spacious, they provide snacks and drinks during the surface interval, and they handle all of your gear setup which makes everything so easy and stress free. The team is super knowledgeable and does a great job grouping divers based on experience level so everyone has a good time. I'd also love to give a big shout out to Daniel and Cody who are always a blast and so much fun to dive with. Maxine is an awesome boat captain and Ashley was incredible dive master as well. She led our manta dive a year ago, gave such a great pre dive presentation, and was super thoughtful and fun to dive with on two separate occasions. Honestly, because of this dive shop we keep coming back to the Big Island and continue rebooking with them every trip. Highly recommend and I wouldn't look anywhere else for diving in Kona!

Fantastic dive operation! Of all the dive boats I've been on, this was without a doubt the premier…read moreexperience. Mike and Jess are incredible. My 10-year-old daughter and I had some amazing dives with them, but what really set the experience apart was how much we learned along the way. Both Mike and Jess have an incredible depth of knowledge in marine biology and technical diving, and they genuinely enjoy sharing it. The boat itself is outstanding, the entire operation is first-class, and the homemade banana nut muffins were amazing. I can't recommend them highly enough. Truly an exceptional experience from start to finish

What a fabulous time we had with Liquid Cosmos Divers! They have a state-of-the-art diving boat,…read moredeep expertise in scuba diving and marine biology, and are such gracious and welcoming hosts. Not to mention their homemade muffins made with Hawaiian apple-bananas are unbelievable! We had the most magical experience with wild octopuses, and so many beautiful fish and other sea creatures. It was an unforgettable experience. I couldn't recommend this family-run company more highly.

Hubby went on a pelagic black water dive the night before and was very impressed with the…read moreprofessionalism of Fernando and Ashton. We've been on several black water dives before and day are part of our top list. The next day we took apart in the two tank afternoon dive and manta dive. Again, Fernando and Ashton were very thorough with the dive briefing and safety. I particularly liked how he emphasized not standing or touching the reef as well as not harassing the wildlife. I've witnessed many dive masters, who don't do this perhaps fearing unsatisfied or offended guests? I also really liked how Hawaiian culture was integrated into the dive briefings. Under the water, he helped spot various endemic creatures. Another thing we really liked for the manta dive was the small group. On past excursions we've been with larger groups and were later to the site. Whereas this time we were first to the site and we were treated to a spectacular showing of mantas. Overall, we had an amazing experience with Big Island Divers.

Myself, in a party of three, booked the nighttime manta ray snorkel and dive instructor Kona. One…read moreparty member is a diver, and myself and the other member are snorkelers. Our diver, Bradly, said that Hannah did a great job as his dive instructor, and she was great at helping the newest diver of the group who was heavily struggling during his dive. Myself and Lisa were snorkeling with Laura and she was very helpful! She was great at finding mantas for us even when they wanted to hang out by the campfire. Chad, our captain, was super friendly and talkative. I get extremely motion sickness very easily. The waters were extremely rough during our visit, and I did get sick during the last five minutes of the snorkel, as well as the boat ride back. All members of the staff were very understanding and kind, and made it very clear that if I had to return to the boat during the snorkel or did have to hurl during the ride, they wouldn't be upset or judge, and wanted to help me in any way possible. A super nice and interactive crew, and they shared lots of stories about the rays that frequent the area we explored! We were lucky enough to see two bottlenose dolphins (a mother and child), a Galapagos shark, 4-8 rays for the snorkelers and 11 rays for the divers. I highly recommend booking through Big Island divers! They provided all of the equipment needed, and we were welcome to wear/use our own if it made us more comfortable. The only request I would make is that the snorkel instructor be more adamant about keeping our feet up straight in the water, as the two snorkelers across from me on the board constantly had their feet in the water as if they were doggy paddling, which over rated our view of the marine life and caused the board to shake (increasing my motion sickness). I chose not to wear fins because I had gotten anxious while wearing them earlier in the day, but I kept my feet up the whole time because of my previous snorkel experience . It would have been really helpful to have our snorkel guide get those guests to keep their legs up, but otherwise every staff member did amazing! Chad let a young girl steer the boat for a while which was really kind.

John is a great instructor for those new to scuba and can offer some unique experiences for those…read moreexploring the waters around the Big Island.

John is an excellent and safe instructor that strives to make sure you understand the basics and…read morefeel comfortable before entering the water. Once in the water John runs through the skills which in some cases may take a little extra time depending on the person but he is very patient which makes it a little less stressful on the student, there is nothing quite like going underwater and seeing the aquatic life I highly recommend using Waikoloa Dive Instructor and Diving Guide for your diving needs while on the Big Island of Hawaii.

If you plan on diving in Kona be sure you book your trip with Jack's Dive Locker! The dive masters…read moreput safety first and were all very knowledgeable and fun. This was my first night dive and they made it comfortable and enjoyable. The night dive was the Manta ray dive. Incredible! 12 rays that fed right over our heads for an hour. Just MAJESTIC! Book with Jack's and have the time of your life on one of the greatest dives around! Thank you to Keller, George, L, Presley and Captain Joe.

The last time I snorkeled with this company was 5 years ago and probably 8 years since I Dove with…read morethem so it was a no brainer that I was going to return but I was definitely DISAPPOINTED in my return experience and can't say I would return a 4th time. I had called a few days prior and spoke to Santiago about the snorkel experience. He answered all my questions and told me that the experience was approximately 2.5-3 hours we were to meet at 5:30pm and we would be retuning to dock 8:30-9pm. Even our conformation says 5:30-9pm. I just felt very rushed in the water and even rushed to get off the boat, When everything was said and done I realized that by the time we got back to our hotel in Keauhou it was 8:21pm the tour was significantly shorter than what was quoted. First of all we were a bit late so we were the last boat to get to the destination. I think that hindered us from getting a good spot to view the mantas. Sierra was our guide and she tried her best by moving us around to multiple different spots to find mantas. This made the experience a bit choppy and caused me to get a bit queasy in the water because we moved around so much. We had one soft top surf board that they cut holes in and put 3 lights that's were pretty dimmed compared to the other groups. They didn't give us any flash lights or any other material like in the past. I feel as if the equipment was lacking and wasn't like the other companies that attached plankton and the mantas. We didn't get to see any up close until the last 10-15 minutes of our tour and the only reason we saw mantas was because sierra found another group tour company who had already attracted 4 mantas and pulled us over to join them and attached our surfboard to their equipment. They also allowed someone to get on the boat who did not know how to swim and openly admitted that she couldn't swim, so that slowed us down significantly. At one point our guide had to stop and take two people back to the boat. One of the two ended up returning back into the water. I paid $175 pp plus taxes and fees, my total for 2 people was $379. In hindsight there are other companies that are cheaper with better equipment that I should've went with.

Fantastic experience with Martina as our guide. She was very knowledgeable and her passion was…read moreobvious. They limit the group to 6 maximum to make it more educational and enjoyable experience for everyone and less stressful on the Manta. The swim out is very easy especially with the fins and life vest. Would definitely do this again upon our return.