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Dive Review of Kona Aggressor II in
Hawaii/Kona Coast, Hawaii

Kona Aggressor II, Jan, 2014,

by Randall S Preissig, TX, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 37 reports with 15 Helpful votes). Report 7504.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This was my 7th trip on the KA II. Why? Excellent Pacific diving with "guaranteed" Mantas and a week crammed full of "blackwater" pelagic night diving, humpback whales(Jan-Mar)and other rare encounters. Kona is easy to get to, can be combined with a land vacation to HI and is very reasonably priced compared to other Pacific dives. And the crews just get better and better. Vern is a true professional chef--EXCELLENT food! Karl, second Captain, is an excellent and passionate guide who sometimes stays down exploring a site to enhance the next dive after all the divers have surfaced. These guys love their jobs and Hawaii and it rubs off on everyone. Cliff, the engineer is truly dedicated and a master at what he does. Captain James, Mindy and David complete a great bunch.

Rather than list all the unusual fish we saw(Conger eel, ghost shrimp, pipefish, etc.) I will refer you to the Captain's log:
www DOT Aggressor DOT com/captainlogsview.php?log=3552
NOTE: change "DOT" above to "." before trying to access.

There were 10 of us onboard(it can hold 14 if the tiny quad room is filled--tip--DON'T get the quad room!). All were experienced divers and great fun--as usual. You meet the nicest people....

Take advantage of this trip--I've done dozens of liveaboards and resorts all over the world and this remains one of my favorites.
Websites Kona Aggressor II   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Red Sea, Raja Amphat, Komodo, Thailand, Sipadan, Tahiti, Palau, Australia,
Fiji, Cocos, Galapagos, Caymans, Bonaire, Cozumel, Etc.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 77-79°F / 25-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Sport diving limits of less than 110 feet and please try to hold dives to 60 minutes so we can squeeze in 5 dives a day.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales > 2
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Aggressor pioneered liveaboard dive photography and continues to lead the way.
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Subscriber's Comments

By report author: Randall S Preissig in TX, US at Jan 25, 2014 13:05 EST  
Service and Attitude, Large fish, and Overall Rating for UW Photographers should have been rated 5 stars(best). Sorry for the typo/R. Preissig
By Ms Lynda Durfee in VA, US at Feb 04, 2014 22:36 EST  
Randall, I dove on the KA II Jan 18-25, and while we had rough water and missed 1/2 day of diving on Wed (swell of the decade), the crew was fantastic, as was the food. I second all your comments. Saw a whale shark on the surface on Sunday, and most everyone jumped into to snorkel with the shark. I'd go back again. Note that the ladders are at a shallow angle, which can be difficult getting up in rough seas without risking slamming your head on the steps. Procedure is to hang on bar between ladders, just below swim deck, take off fins, then make your way to one of the ladders. I mention this for those who might have physical limitations. You really need a 5 mm wetsuit if you're diving Hawaii in the winter. Hawaii diving is expensive ($125 plus tip and transportation for a 2-tank boat trip), so you really get your money's worth by going on the KA II. We only had 7 guests my week.
By thomas j dwyer in HI, US at Jun 27, 2014 18:37 EST  
Any heavy currents and drift diving?Thanks
By Ms Lynda Durfee in VA, US at Jun 27, 2014 19:18 EST  
I recall we dove from the anchored boat on every dive. No big currents, though rough on surface (unusually high winter swell). I don't recall any heavy current off any of the islands. If there is a noticeable "drift", guides usually adjust start of dive to go with the flow (such as Molokini backwall off Maui). There was a noticeable surge on the Manta night dive (which I skipped, and saw 3 or 4 Mantas right at the boat); those who did the dive reported they had a hard time staying in place on the bottom.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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