Dive Review of Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort, Phase II in
Hawaii/Kona

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Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort, Phase II, Jun, 2007, by Lee Fenner, OH, USA ( Contributor 12 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 3391.
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	Dive Makai is a high quality operation. Their website information is accurate. Boat takes maximum of 12; 10 on adventure (3-tank) days. Dives are guided with max group size of six. Divemasters and owner, Mike (who also dives and drives the boat some days), are extremely friendly, fun, and safety conscious; but do not impose time limits. They guide using a nice, slow pace and make sure everyone sees the critters. We dove with them six days in row. Manta Ray 2-tank night dive is a must! 1st dive is late afternoon fam dive for area orientation. 2nd dive starts after dark. We saw two mantas up close and personal. We watched them and a friendly moray eel for 30 minutes before finishing the hour dive with a tour. Towels, dry area, water, tang, and snacks (Costco cookies, carrots, trail mix, and chex mix) are provided. They will keep BC/reg, mask/fins when diving multiple days, but you must take wet gear off boat. They rinse gear daily and your wet stuff if you want to wait. Boat is ideal for diving and is trailered. You meet in the Honokohau Harbor parking lot and wait for launch at one of two boat ramps. They use steel 80 cu ft tanks and start you with six less lbs than you normally use. Of our 13 dives, only one was less than a hour. We got back about 12:30 to 1 p.m. from 2-tank days and at 5:30 p.m. from the 3-tank. Humane pee rule is briefed. If you pee in your wetsuit, they ask you remove your wetsuit and boots before moving off the back of the boat and then rinse yourself and wet gear in the ocean. Rear deck area is large with two ladders, so this isn't too tough to do. Make sure you visit the seahorse aqua farm (www.seahorse.com) about 5 miles from the harbor. They run tours M-F and you can make 2 p.m. tour after diving. Reservations are required. Kona coast underwater topography is beautiful with lava swim-throughs and pinnacles. Not very fishy and large critters sightings are rare. Standard reef fish with some endemic to Hawaii. Saw three sharks and three turtles over the six days. Dolphin schools were spotted on surface. Despite surge most of the time (down to about 20 ft), conditions are great for beginners and those wanting nice, easy, peaceful dives. Kona Coast Resort is about 7 miles south of Kailua-Kona and is a timeshare complex surrounded by golf courses. Some units have ocean view. We exchanged a portion our Disney timeshare points for a week in a Phase II two-bedroom, two-bath unit. Units are superb and kept up in near immaculate condition!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Lake Erie, Lake Superior, Tobermory, Kauai, Roatan, The Keys, Destin
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	75-79°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	130 ft depth limit, no decompression diving, 300 psi remaining back on board
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 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	Medium-sized rinse tub on boat (also used for lights). Dry area upfront.

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Dive Review of Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort, Phase II in Hawaii/Kona

Dive Makai/Kona Coast Resort, Phase II, Jun, 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, Phase II in
Hawaii/Kona