Big Island Divers

Boats and boat crews are good, but the shop staff seems to try their best NOT to help you. There are always 3 – 4 girls in the shop, but they ignore customers until you stand at the counter right in front of them, or specifically ask one a question. Also, forget about the ‘dive club’, you’ll never get on a boat for a discount and they never call. Overall, very poor customer service.

If anyone here is reading Unilocal reviews about Big Island Divers because they really want to go diving but are nervous about it for any reason then this review is for you!
When my husband and I decided to book a dive with Big Island Divers I hadn’t been in the water for 7 months and the dives we were going on would be only my fifth and sixth dives ever– the first four were the required dives I had to do for my certification.
From previous experiences being in the water around the Big Island as well as the fact that a hurricane had just missed the area I was afraid that conditions would be too challenging for me (i.e. having to deal with current). That, paired with fact that I was still a newbie and would be in the water with a few other and some significantly more experienced divers made me super anxious. Not just «normal» anxious but the «I’m going to pretend that I’m either throwing up or have diarrhea so that my husband who paid for this dive won’t try to push me to do this» kind of anxiety.
Without going into all of the details of our trip I must say that upon meeting the crew we were going out with all my fears were immediately dashed. Everyone was incredibly friendly, approachable, professional, and extremely experienced. They quickly made me confident in their ability to lead me in safe and fun dives even if I was a little rusty. Not only did they seem to enjoy their job but they also enjoyed sharing their love of diving with others. Needless to say, both dives went fine for everyone.
If you’re worried about having to go out with a group of divers that are far more experienced than you fear not– they offer «Intro to Diving» with a separate dive master for those who have never been before and don’t have certification.
Now, maybe your thinking «Ok, I have my certification but it’s been a long time since I’ve gone out and I don’t want to hold up the other divers.» Well guess what? Big Island Divers can help you out with that too– one of the women on our trip had her certification but hadn’t been out in several years and was able to arrange «refresher» dives (with her own divemaster) while her husband went out with the experienced divers.
Regardless of your experience level, I would highly, highly recommend giving Big Island Divers a try– where you’re a total newbie or have gone on countless dives you’ll have a good time.

If you’re reading reviews about dive companies, you already plan on going so I won’t bother gushing about how the Manta Ray Dive/​Snorkel is phenomenal.
After reading several reviews we signed up with BID for the Manta Snorkel and we had a blast. The crew was friendly, hospitable and knowledgeable. Chuck did a great job guiding us in the water and positioning us perfectly to hang out with 14 Manta Rays for about an hour.
I have two gripes:
* Check-​in was in town at 4:30 p.m. but we had to be at the marina (about 15 minutes north) by 5:15 p.m. — why not just have us check-​in at the boat?
* I wish the crew took photos of the dive to share with you afterward — not just the generic footage shot by another vendor.
Still, a great experience and a company I recommend.

The Twilight dive followed by the Manta Ray dive is a must. It’s worth making the trip to Kona just for this dive. We seen 15 rays, they came so close to us I had to duck so as not to touch them. I even had a little friend, a green Eel, hang out between my legs and enjoy the show with me. Capt. Alexia and dive master Andre took good care of us.
The staff at Big Island Divers were very friendly, funny helpful. I’ve been diving for 28 years and I have to say this was one of my best diving experiences.
Thanks again to all at Big Island Divers.

We did the 2 dive combo as part of the manta ray package. On the first dive we saw manta rays but nothing too breathtaking. The manta night dive, however, was absolutely amazing and totally worth it. The mantas literally swam over us and around us to get the plankton. It was a truly surreal experience.
Overall, id recommend doing the manta dive only and save your money on the 2^nd dive for something else… like gas to go to kehena beach or swim with dolphins :)

Set up a night manta dive. When I signed up they said they might not go out because the surf is to big. At 130pm the day of the dive they called and said that it was canceled because the boat never came back from the shop. Why wouldn’t they tell me when I book that the boat was in the shop and might get canceled because of that? Further more I had to rush to find room on a different companies boat and when we got out there they had 3 boats out there with scuba tanks on them. So they charged me for the dives and canceled and I have yet to get my refund. I called about the refund and they said it was the banks fault. Over all I would never spend another dollar on a company that treats customers like that.

I had a blast last week thanks to big island divers!
I dive very often in the cold California waters so I was pretty excited to check the manta rays in Kona.
We were 11 divers — ready to do a twilight dive followed by the night dive. I loved both, of course the 16 manta made the show.
I really liked the crew, and the fact they helped beginners divers and let the experienced ones do their stuff.
They waited a while to let us jump for the manta dives cause it takes time for the manta to all come, as a consequence it was fantastic.
I have tried lots of dive operation and this one is solid. Plus they provide lots of snacks and drinks between dives, and even towels. Yeah!!!

Ask for Capt. Andrew, Jordan, Lori, Chuck and Nick! Awesome crew took us on two fantastic morning dives to the Pawai area. The Iki was a great boat, the crew was fantastic and the dives were excellent. We dove with Jordan and she made it great, especially knowing we’re inexperienced divers. Definitely a great shop!
We also went with Capt. Colin, Kat, Tara, Brook and Dylan. All the crew and Divemasters were first rate. Highly recommend this Shop. We will definitely be back to visit these divers.

Night time manta ray snorkel was incredible. The captain and crew are super nice and helpful. Pretty sure I saw one of them save a woman’s life, and she didn’t even notice.

My daughter and I made 3 dives with them. The first was the Manta dive on 12÷26÷15 and it was amazing. Andre the Serbian was Dive Master and it was great. It was my first night dive and what a way to go on your first night dive it was amazing and they did an assume job. My daughter Go Pro’ed the dive and the footage is amazing. We then went on a 2 tank dive the next day. It was also a blast. I highly recommend this dive shop the staff was great. The in store help was great and will dive with them again when on the big island

My husband and I took the night time manta ray snorkel tour and we loved it.
Emily was knowledgeable and enthusiastic and her pre snorkel lesson really gave us even more appreciation for the gentle giants, (if that was possible). Before the trip i had no idea that this is the only place in the world you can have this experience.
We saw around 5 – 7 mantas, including Big Bertha, (the local celebrity) its easy to see how she got her name.
Mark and Emily’s knowledge about the area and the mantas enabled us to get the best from this experience and I would recommend this trip to anyone.

MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.
Hands down.
There is no better thing to do in all of Hawaii.
To get to be up close and personal with the natural world that exists below the water … and for it to not be negatively impacting said natural world …
It is literally mind-​blowing and life-​changing.
Book it. Book it fast. Book it here. Book them all.
I did the manta ray nighttime snorkeling but I would have also done the daytime dolphin swim if I had not had to leave the next day.
Make sure you don’t book on your last day incase there are weather issues.
You HAVE to do this. This is incredible. 12-​ft gentle sea-​monsters within inches of your face — even touching you by accident sometimes!

Manta Ray night dive was one of the best things that I’ve done on the big island! Our crew was Andrew, Jordan, and Katrina.
You check-​in at the store on the day of the dive. During check-​in, they determine what size fins, face mask and suit you need. Then you meet them at the boat which is about 15 minutes away.
On the boat, there are snacks and sodas. It’s about a 20 minute boat drive to the spot. There are many other boats that all gather at the same spot. They said this is referred to as the campfire. Lights are placed near the bottom (about 30 feet) to attract plankton. The plankton draws the manta rays and fish.
Scuba divers drop down to the bottom and sit near the lights. Snorkelers hold on to a platform (scuba board with PVC pipes around it). One of the crew basically pulls the platform around. As a snorkeler, you don’t even need to swim.
We saw seven manta rays and a lot of fish. They got so close to my hand that I thought they were going to nip at me a couple times. It was so beautiful: schools of fish swimming around, divers sitting on the bottom releasing thousand of bubbles, and several manta rays flipping as they fed on the plankton. They got so close that we had to move our fins. My husband got hit on the head by one of them.
Yes, there are many companies that met at the «campfire.» I can’t comment on the other companies, but Big Island Divers gave us a great experience! Thank you for being a highlight on our trip!

Great service, across the board. The manta ray dive is breathtaking. My boyfriend also enjoyed the manta snorkel. The crew and captain were very professional, and amusing. They showed us a great time.

We took the swim with dolphins cruise and not only did we swim with dolphins, but the Manta Rays also came out during the day which is very unusual as they are nocturnal. We also saw whales… bonus! The crew was extremely friendly and helpful. A lot of joking and fun by everyone. My daughter encountered a man of war jellyfish and started screaming from the pain as one of the tentacles wrapped around her wrist. The captain turned the boat quickly in response to her screams and the crew went into action. It was comforting to know the crew responded so quickly to not only my daughter but the rest of the people on board as they got them out of the way of the large jelly.
I would highly recommend this dive company!

This land lubber was not meant to have sea legs– however once I took the plunge and took my first breath through that regulator I was hooked. My experience particularly with Brooke E. Was perfect– I signed up for the discovery scuba dive — Brooke was patient and super fun. Somehow she knew how to keep my mind off the endless pukefest I experienced. She nurtured my first dive by ways of the phases of development — ala Piaget. At first — she made sure that I formed a secured attachment with her– (trust) — after that she allowed me to venture at first within arms length and then a few feet away but was always there when I needed her. This method really works as I begin and develop my perspective on a whole new world.
The whole crew in fact was fun and laid-​back– they made sure that everyone from experienced to beginner divers were happy. It also helps that they have ginger candy, Bonine and ginger-​ale! I’ll be doing my open-​water dives with Big Island Divers when on the Big Island– hopefully, you can dive with Brooke too.

Mike, Heidi, Ryan, Ivy, and Dillon were a great crew on our manta dive last night. They were very hospitable and provided a warm environment on the boat. My group went out with Ivy and he was really nice. He kept pointing out when the mantas would be coming under us so you could look for them.
I took dramamine and still got sea sick after a while and the boat crew was super gentle about the fact that I was puking over the side of the boat. They got me ginger, water, ice, etc to help me feel better.
I was terrified of the idea of being in the water at night but with all the boats of people and the lights, you can see the bottom as well as everything around you. The mantas get up close and personal. I had one belly roll under me about four times, within inches of my body.
AMAZING.

We did the Manta Ray Night dive\snorkel and it was excellent. The staff were so helpful and knowledgable. Our scuba guide was from Mississippi and he knew so much about the animals and environment. Made the trip so much more entertaining to understand more about it.
We saw a ton of Mantas and it was so peaceful and scary at the same time! Very cool! One if us Snorkeled and another dove and both experiences were great and you saw a ton.
On the way out we saw dolphins and the boat was great. The driver was super friendly and funny. We had some excellent pineapple. Just simple and so nice. The people were all so friendly. If I could recommend two things to do in Hawaii, this would be one and the volcano would be the other.

Nice and spacious dive shop offering lot of different dive trips, gear and services.
The staff is very nice and helpful… big thanks :)!
There is free parking as well.

Do the manta ray night snorkel (or dive if you’re certified). Completely worth it. Best part of my entire Hawaii trip. And thanks to BID for making it smooth!
Few things to keep in mind though, beforehand:
— Check in is at 5pm, but the boat doesn’t actually leave until 6pm, and is only ~10 min away from their shop. Plan to kill some time.
— The water can be choppy, so don’t be surprised if someone (or yourself) gets seasick on the boat. They do provide some things to help (ginger ale, ginger chews, Bonine), which is really nice.
— Be prepared to paddle to and from the boat. I was okay with this, as it was an excuse to workout, but several of the people on our snorkel raft either couldn’t really help or chose not to, leaving me, our guide, and a few other guys to try and swim us back to the boat after we were done.
Still an amazing, smooth, trip that I would gladly do again. Being literally inches away from manta rays in the ocean is a truly magical experience. Captain Zane (on his first official voyage!) was awesome, hilarious, and a great leader. I felt completely safe the entire time. If (and when) we go back to Hawaii, I’d love to do another trip with BID!