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Dive Review of Kona Diving Company (formerly Bottom Time) in
Hawaii/Kona

Kona Diving Company (formerly Bottom Time), Aug, 2011,

by Wellington Lee, DC, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 6222.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Crew is excellent. They forgot nothing and were a step ahead on everything. Setup and rinse all your gear, taking care of it between dives. Briefings are informative and eco-conscious. Lots of food: wraps, sodas, hot tea, coffee, cocoa, soup, trail mix, godlfish! Boat is a bit cramped, head is emergency use only.

The Manta Ray night dive is amazing. I did two nights in a row. First night only one manta, but it liked us. Second night we had 5, some 16 feet plus in wing span, passing within inches of my mask and doing backflips for 30 minutes.

They supply all divers with UK kinetics light cannons, which are great. My personal Sola 1200 was effective at attracting plankton and mantas. The brighter the better.

DM Katie took great care of my family who were did the manta night snorkle while we were on scuba. My mother was extremely nervous and unsure of her swimming/snorkling abilities and Katie spent extra time patiently making sure she was comfortable in the water and able to enjoy the Manta night snorkle. (a monumentous achievement). For the night snorkle, there is a surfboard mounted with lights and hold fast lines. They also supplied pool noodles. The mantas swam with the snorklers passing within inches for 20 min. A priceless experience for non-divers.

Daylight dives were decent. Several octopus, potters and flame angels. Coral coverage was good, though, typical of hawaii, of limited variety and color.
Websites Kona Diving Company (formerly Bottom Time)   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Sipadan, Cocos, Maldives, Bahamas, Cozumel, Belize, Florida Keys, NC, Northern VA.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, surge
Water Temp 77-78°F / 25-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-70 Ft/ 12-21 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Back to the boat with 500 psi, dives were guided but allow for flexibility.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments The boat has two medium sized dedicated fresh water camera buckets. Divers were briefed on camera rinse bucket policies. There is very limited dry storage for cameras, the center table is mostly used for food. A large SLR with strobes may need to be put in the cabin or left in the rinse bucket.
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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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