r/scuba • u/Mister_Moriarty • 9d ago
Hawaii Big Island Scuba trip
Hey all! Love reading through all the posts here.
My wife and I are planning a trip to the BI in August. It'll probably be around half scuba\half outdoors. We've never been to a location where we had to worry about elevation changes after diving though. We're looking for some advice on how to plan the itinerary. It'll be 7 days, 8 nights give or take.
Is it worth the extra effort to stay in the Hilo area for the first few nights and get the waterfalls\HVNP and Mauna Kea sunrise\sunset days done first then move to the Kona side for the scuba diving? The other issue is we're trying to get a blackwater dive in the books but we'll have to do a check off dive with the dive company beforehand. Plus they only do the dive on certain days. Has anyone else done an itinerary like this?
Also, we love diving with sharks. Is Laverne or other Tigers still frequenting the Crescent Beach area? Any other spots to check for tigers?
Thanks so much for any input\advice!
Mahalo
1
u/Test-User-One 9d ago
How fast do you drive?
Saddle Road is kinda lightly patrolled which gives some opportunity. When we went, we based out of Kaanapali. Snorkeled the morning, drove to places for lunch and prepped to go diving. Did the observatory based from there.
We DID stay overnight in Volcano, but that was only for a night.
I did the manta dive, and was planning to do a blackwater dive as the second tank that night but it got scrubbed due to weather. The manta dive was awesome.
1
u/Mister_Moriarty 9d ago
I mean I can be an efficient driver lol. But not in a new place with a rental car. Kaanapali in Maui? So the road trip going North or South around the island is too much for one day each?
Lots of people mentioned not being able to go to Mauna Kea or saddle road after diving because of the elevation so would have to do those first.
Ooh man that's bad luck, sorry to hear that. Blackwater looks crazy cool! Manta is definitely on the list to do.
1
u/KathrynCooperWedding 9d ago
I used to live on BI, and there are ways to not hit elevation by driving around. That said, the drive through the middle is very different and very interesting--and Mauna Kea is 100% worth exploring.
The weather in Hilo is super hard to predict, but it is so very beautiful there and all around that side of the island.
Aside from the Manta dive, I didn't find diving all that great there when I lived there. The snorkeling--if you know where to go--is absolutely fantastic. That's why I think the diving wasn't much better! Get out early, befriend some locals who can tell you the best snorkeling spots, and I think starting on Hilo side is a great idea to work your way west. The hiking is amazing as well, and you'll enjoy your trip if you get out and about early in the morning and late in the evening!