Dive Review of Blue Wilderness/Mauna Lani in
Hawaii/Big Island Kona

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Blue Wilderness/Mauna Lani: "A dive op with some shortcmings", Oct, 2022, by Francis Loncar, WI, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 12284.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	During my dive trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I ended up using 4 different dive ops during my stay, each of which had unique features. In common, they all had the policy of no “island time” where Check-in was concerned, the goal was an on-time departure. The DMs at all the shops were mainly composed of veterans, middle aged full-timers to retirees that help part-time. Weather was in the mid-80s every day, and with water temps around 80F, I did not use a wet suit, but I was in the minority. I will review each dive op separately. Note diving in Hawaii is expensive. Blue Wilderness was a dive op where the reviews are all over the place, varying from good to bad. They are tucked away in a little rustic area between the widely spaced resorts in the Northern Kona area. While they have a small shop and general store, all the business is handled at a boat ramp where they launch for each dive trip. The boat is a RIB and while it can hold a mix 12 divers/ snorkelers, the boat feels cramped with even 6 divers aboard. One difference with this op was that the crew takes your gear and sets it up for you while the boat is in the parking lot. Due to the cramped conditions, you cannot inspect your gear before diving, which was a deal breaker for me. At the dive site, the divers enter the water with mask and fins, the crew has to manhandle your gear in the water and now you can see if it is put together correctly. Coming back the process is reversed, the crew takes the gear from the water and then you can enter the boat. Snacks and water are provided, but there is no camera bucket. I did two trips with them, a standard 2-tank day dive at an average site with no large creatures beyond a few turtles. I also did a night Manta dive which was at a site by the beach of one of the resorts. Not many divers, but plenty of snorkelers. For those who say the southern site is too crowded, then go here. Be warned; fewer divers means fewer lights, less plankton and thus only a few Mantas. The other problem is that the sandy bottom gets stirred up quickly so visibility goes downhill fast. Overall, I can see why the reviews vary so much.
Websites	Blue Wilderness
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Kauai, Cozumel, Fla Keys, Wisconsin, Palau, Maui, Grand Cayman, Aruba
Closest Airport	Kona	Getting There	Served by major west coast airports
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-150 Ft/ 15-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Fairly tight leash with the dive guide.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Very cramped, no walking around. Seat lifted for storage, but no place to put cameras ore masks

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Dive Review of Blue Wilderness/Mauna Lani in Hawaii/Big Island Kona

Blue Wilderness/Mauna Lani: "A dive op with some shortcmings", Oct, 2022,

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 Blue Wilderness/Mauna Lani in
Hawaii/Big Island Kona