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!

Went whale watching first charter of season, 12/22/25, got plenty of action!…read moreSpouts, humpbacks and tails too. Crew dropped a mic in water and listened to singing whales! Gorgeous sunset was a bonus! Kids were enthralled! Capt Ty and Mo & Jessa were the best crew! So much information wrapped up in excitement, and music, mahalo! Can't wait to fish, dive, whale watch, snorkel & hang out with Kohala Divers again!! Da Hess Ohana

These guys is so pilau... Park their boat infront the poles when we already have everything set up…read more We called them and they said there's nothing they can do... Thats so unsafe these guys don't care about your safety

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!

We had such a great experience with Liquid Cosmos Divers on Hawaiʻi Island. The boat was really…read morecomfortable and custom-built for divers, and we loved the selection of advanced drift dive sites. Jess, the marine biologist, made the trip even more special with her knowledge, warmth, and enthusiasm. She also captured an amazing spotted ray video and shared it with us. There aren't many shops that truly cater to more experienced divers, so we were thrilled to find them. They also offer beginner courses, and I'd highly recommend Jess for any ocean-loving kid who wants to be a mermaid or is fascinated by the sea. She is an excellent teacher and about as close to a real-life mermaid as you will find!

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.

I completed my open water scuba certification with BID, and it was a great experience. With over…read more11,000 hours of dive experience, my instructor, Fernando, was the best. He was patient, knowledgeable, encouraging, and supportive. The night dive with the mantas was out of this world! Our captain, Micha, along with her crew, and our dive captain, Haley were all top notch! I'm planning my return trip for 2027. I highly recommend the outfit!

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.

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.

My wife, Kallie, and I had not done a full open-water dive since 2017, so when we planned our Kona…read moretrip, we decided to return to Jack's Diving Locker--the same company we had dived with back in 2008, according to our dive logs. The booking process was extremely easy. I called with several questions, and the staff was helpful, informative, and reassuring. Because it had been so long since our last actual dive, we chose to book a private divemaster for the two of us. We had completed a refresher in June 2025 for a planned dive weekend that unfortunately never happened, so we knew we would probably be a little rusty. Jack's also saved the day before we even got in the water. My personal Atomic prescription mask unexpectedly failed when the strap attachment tore out of the mask itself. I was worried I would either have to cancel or spend the dives as "Mr. Magoo," but the shop had prescription masks available and fitted me with one that worked perfectly. That level of preparedness and customer service made the entire dive day possible for me. Our divemaster, Sabrina, was absolutely fantastic. She was pleasant, friendly, social, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient throughout the entire experience. During our first dive, I had some difficulty clearing my ears. Sabrina stayed calm and helped me work through it, reminding me of techniques I had used years ago when I was diving more regularly and occasionally had "bad ear days." Both Kallie and I were a little rusty on that first dive, but Sabrina never rushed us or made us feel uncomfortable. By the second dive, my ear issues had resolved, we were both much more relaxed, and the old muscle memory started coming back--including some of what I learned during my Peak Performance Buoyancy certification. The difference between the first and second dives was huge, and Sabrina's patience and guidance were a major reason why. Sabrina also went above and beyond outside the dives themselves. While chatting with us about the rest of our trip, she recommended the Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm as a "must visit." We had somehow missed it in our planning, immediately looked it up, and booked the VIP experience, where Kallie and I each get to hold a seahorse twice. That recommendation made our trip even better. I would recommend Jack's Diving Locker--and Sabrina as a private divemaster--**100,000% and without hesitation** to anyone, especially divers returning after a long break. The entire experience was professional, safe, relaxed, accommodating, and genuinely fun. Sabrina also took all of the underwater photos from our dive day, which gave us some fantastic memories of the experience: https://arroyo.smugmug.com/2026-Photos-and-Pics/HI-Vacation-Big-Island/Day-3-Kona-Diving

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.