Kona
I’ve been to Kona three times, and each time we’ve stayed at a beachfront condo just south of Kailua-Kona, the main town on the west side of the island. Hotels are also available, but we find the convenience of a condo to be much better. There are many to choose from. The ones we’ve stayed at were walking distance to restaurants, bars, and stores. We rented a car so we could have the flexibility of doing some exploring and getting to the dive boat each day.
For the non-divers with us, there were plenty of things to do, including hiking, snorkeling, visiting beautiful beaches, and shopping. Many beaches are within a short drive from Kailua, where the snorkeling is easy, in shallow water, and lots of fish are easily spotted. Several of these beaches have restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and barbeque grills. Hawaiian green turtles are plentiful here and are frequently seen while diving, snorkeling, and on the beaches. We've even seen them lazing right in front of our condo. Kona is also one of the places where you can see the endangered Hawaiian Monk seal. We saw them several times during our visits.
The diving here is mostly by boat to reach the top sites. On the boat ride, you're likely to see Spinner dolphins performing acrobatic maneuvers while leaping out of the water. Since Hawaii is so remote, there are many endemic species that are not found anywhere else in the world. About 20% of the fish here are only found in Hawaii. The topography tends to be a sloping reef, so you can start your dives deep and shallow up, finishing in shallow water where you might find lava tubes, arches, and craters. The visibility is often 80-100 feet. We frequently made 90-minute dives because of the shallow depths, but didn’t sacrifice seeing fantastic sea life for the extended time. Kona is also a place where you have an excellent chance to see Tiger sharks. We saw tigers on two different occasions. If you're lucky, you may see dolphins on your dives and hear humpback whales singing in the distance.
Two of the world's best night dives are offered here; the world famous Kona manta ray night dive, and black water diving, that one of the dive operators calls “Pelagic Magic”. Before we did the manta ray night dive the first time, I thought it might be very commercial and touristy, attracting large crowds. That scenario is somewhat true, but the opportunity to interact with a dozen or more of these large, magnificent animals is worth it. Divers sit stationary in a circle on the bottom, shining their dive lights upward to form a column of light that attracts plankton for the mantas to feed on. They come swooping in to feed and we had to duck our heads several times they came so close. This is an exhilarating and enjoyable dive not to be missed and only found in Kona. The black water dives are conducted far offshore, in deep open water, in total darkness. They are done to see planktonic creatures (many of them fish or other animals in their larval, or juvenile stage of life) that ride the ocean currents. This is very exciting, but not for the faint of heart.
Lastly, if you have time and a car, a drive to the east side of the island near Hilo is a good diversion. You can visit Volcanos National Park where you can see two of the world's most active volcanoes - Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
Bottom line: Kona is a great place to visit for the tropical island experience, world class diving, a warm and welcoming population, and fun topside activities. Everyone speaks English, you don't need a passport, and the currency is the US dollar; all of this without leaving the U.S. Tip: Don't forget to try shave ice for a delicious sweet treat.
