Dive Review of Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort (timeshare) in
Hawaii/Big Island

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Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort (timeshare), Aug, 2007, by James A. Heimer, TX, United States ( Contributor 15 reports). Report 3508.
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	For the second year in a row we booked with Dive Makai for three days of diving during our one week on the Big Island of Hawaii, including an evening and night dive combination culminating in the Manta Ray dive. Dive Makai operates out of Honokohau Harbor. You meet them for the two tank morning dives at 7:30 am (trade winds make afternoon diving “uncomfortable”, so dive operators prefer to get an early start and to get back before the seas pick up). You drive up to their trailered 34’ boat, load your gear on board, then walk to the boat launch to board the boat once it is in the water. Most of the dive sites are within a 20 minute boat ride, and the crew will tailor the selection to the interests of the divers (macro photography, for example). Most dives we did were in the 60 to 80 foot range, with most of the sea life of interest shallower. We saw frog fish, about four species of morays, and multitudes of the colorful wrasse and butterfly fish for which Hawaii is noted. The three crew give detailed dive briefings, and one or two will guide the group to see that all of the high points are hit, although you do have the opportunity of dive your own profile and stop to do photography. The Manta Dive was the highlight, though some divers don’t like it as it is definitely a staged event. Divers (and snorkelers) from several dive operations assemble in Garden Eel cove near the airport on their respective boats at dusk (Dive Makai does an afternoon dive as a prelude to the night Manta Dive), then enter the water and add their dive lights to a light array placed in the middle of a sand patch in about 35 feet of water. On our trip last year, two Mantas showed up – this time, at least six put on a real performance as they looped and swooped through the soup of plankton attracted by the lights. We concluded this night dive by following several hungry morays hunting on the reef – the yellow tang population took a hit. As an indication of how good Dive Makai is, on the second day of diving we had five “tourists” on board, three locals, and one Dive Makai Dive Master on her day off diving from the boat. We'll be back.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Hawaii, Tahiti, Indonesia, Malaysia, N & S California, E & W Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Bonaire, Aruba, St. Thomas, Australia (Barrier Reef and Coral Sea)
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, noCurrents
Water Temp	78-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Generally followed dive master, but allowed to remain in water near boat at end of dive subject to air and bottom time restrictions.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Small rinse bucket and fresh water hose on boat for cameras; storage was under seats - no camera table. No shore facilities available, but could use boat wash down area for quick rinse after the dive.

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Dive Review of Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort (timeshare) in Hawaii/Big Island

Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort (timeshare), Aug, 2007,

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 Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort (timeshare) in
Hawaii/Big Island