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Dive Review of Kona Aggressor II in
Hawaii/Kona

Kona Aggressor II: "Fun in Hawaii", Jun, 2015,

by Robert Schlamowitz, FL, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 8469.

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 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 2 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments This was a good trip, allowing access to areas quite remote from any land based dive operators. We gathered that Saturday evening at the pier (a public pier requiring the boat to remain only long enough to load and unload) and greeted all the divers and crew. Our rooms were comfortable and cool with ensuite bathroom/shower though storage in the room was quite limited. Tap water was reverse osmosis and though potable, clearly not tasty. We were given our own water bottle to fill and carry around with us making hydration easy. As has been my experience on five or six other liveaboards, the food was excellent and our chef went out of his way to accommodate dietary restrictions. However, the boat was inadequately stocked in some areas of food and drink and long before the week was over, we were out of OJ, decent beer options and lemonade. Gear setup started smoothly and nitrox divers were clearly identified and supplied. There was plenty of gear storage, camera table room and underwater fish/coral ID books available. Dive briefings were good both visually (dry board) and by description, with specific animal sightings suggested. Group diving was strongly encouraged and following the in water DM (usually rotated among all the crew including the captain) made for more efficient sighting of unique creatures and caves. The water was 76 degrees F so wearing a 3-5 mm suit with/without a hood kept us all comfortable, especially by dive #4,5. The dives were relatively shallow and my only complaint was a personal issue with constant ear pressure changes going down to water of 50-60 feet and then rising into shallow water only to drop down again. Best dives were the manta ray dives which were awesome. We managed two during the week with animals of 20' wing span dive bombing us while scooping up plankton brought on by our torches. The dive sites were mostly quite healthy and colorful with lots of unique critters to the Islands. No currents or particularly challenging conditions so everyone found diving easy. Swimming with whales and dolphins who happened to cruise by our boat topped the week off.
We were given only 2 hours to explore land based Kona on the last Friday but we did get to eat dinner ashore and found plenty of great places, some recommended by our crew.
Listing every little fish or critter encountered is not my intention but needless to say, the photographers had a ball (especially with the night dives with manta rays) and the video produced by the crew (sold at the week's end) was rock solid. Boatique was a bit limited and not open until the end of the trip though I presume they might have sold items during the week.
The passengers ranged from kids to adults (60's) and we blended well getting to know everyone quite personally (my reason for liveaboards). The diving was easy; conditions during the week were great above and below the surface; and the boat, crew and operation ran smoothly from start to finish.
Websites Kona Aggressor II   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Great Barrier Reef; Cayman Brac/Little/Grand; Dominica; Saba/St Kitts/Statia; Bonaire; Cay Sol Bank; Exumas; Turks and Caicos; Red Sea; Honduras; Bimini; Bahamas-Nassau, Columbus Isle-San Salvadore; St Lucia; Florida-Jupiter, Miami, West Palm Beach, Alachua, Key West/Largo/Looe/Marathon/Islamorada,
Closest Airport Kona Getting There Flew from Oakland, CA direct, nonstop

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, surge, no currents
Water Temp 74-76°F / 23-24°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions There were no 'enforced' limits but generally divers came up after an hour and went no deeper than 100'
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas Squadrons
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales > 2
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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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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