Looking to dive Hawaii’s best diving but don’t know who to book with? In this guide we break it down for you by listing all of the dive operators on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii. The western coast has some of the best diving in Hawaii with calm, clear, warm, waters and fantastic underwater lava formations making the Big Island some of the best diving in all of Hawaii.
Top 10 Kona Diving Companies
- Kona Honu Divers
- Kona Shore Divers
- Aquatic Life Divers
- Kona Diving Company
- Pacific Rim Divers
- Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii
- Kohala Divers
- Kona Ocean Adventures
- Big Island Divers
- Jacks Diving Locker
Bonus: Best Snorkeling Company
How We Rank Kona Diving Companies
We selected the most trustworthy review source of Google reviews. Google reviews are vetted and have strict requirements.
Criteria for Selection
- First we selected Kona diving companies by their score 5.0 stars, 4.9 stars, etc . . .
- Then we sorted by number of reviews with the Kona diving company with the most reviews at that rating at the top.
Top 10 Kona Diving Company List
Here are the top Kona diving companies. While there are as many as 15 different dive operations on the Big Island this list only covers the 10 best on the Kona (west side) of the island where the diving is best. If you’re looking for the best diving Big Island Hawaii has this is it!
If you’re looking to dive on the Hilo (east) side of the island keep in mid the experience is very different from the west side and the choices are much more limited. This guide covers diving on the east side of the Big Island.
1. Kona Honu Divers
Kona Honu Divers has consistently delivered the best diving in Hawaii having won the Scuba Diving Magazine Reader’s Choice awards several years in a row for the best dive operator in the Pacific & Indian Oceans. They were selected among the hundreds of operators in the pacific for having the best boats, staff, facilities, equipment, training and safety.
Read their reviews and you will see why divers consistently return to dive with Kona Honu Divers year after year. While many other operators will offer a combination of snorkeling and diving, Kona Honu Divers doesn’t compromise. They are laser-focused on providing a high-quality diving experience unmatched in Hawaii. Their attention to safety and equipment maintenance, as well as special amenities and service, put Kona Honu Divers as the clear standout Kona diving company. Having not only the most Google reviews of any dive operation in the state of Hawaii, they also consistently deliver high levels of service from their fantastic custom dive boats.
Reviewers frequently mention it’s the best diving operation they have ever dove with even after diving all around the world. Kona Honu Divers focus on quality and safety put it above not just other dive operations in the Hawai’ian islands but among other dive operations world-wide.
If you’re looking for a way for the family or friends to dive together you can provate charter one of their boats so everyone can be exclusively together.
Experience Welcome
If you’re looking for a more advanced outing check out Kona Honu divers Premium Advanced long-range tour. The tour takes an extra 2 hours but takes you to some unique spots not accessible with other dive operations. The time it takes to reach these far flung dive sites provides an opportunity to see some of the most unique pelagic marine life in the world. Advanced charters have spotted blainsville’s beaked whales, sperm whales, schools of hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and much much more.
2. Kona Shore Divers
While Kona shore divers does not offer boat diving, they do offer the best shore diving experience on the Big Island. This is the best choice for divers who want to do a single dive or are prone to sea sickness. The level of attention is high due to the fact that they typically take smaller groups.
They also have a small dive shop in Kona where divers can sign up, rent gear, or just talk story about Kona shore diving spots.
Read their reviews and you will see why so many divers love this Kona diving company.
3. Aquatic Life Divers
Aquatic Life divers is one of the newest Kona diving companies and so they are relatively unkown compared to some of the shops that have been around a while. They began their mission as a coral planting eco-conscious operation but have since shifted to doing all of the same diving tours run by the other Big Island dive shops. While they don’t have a dive shop they get high marks for their excellent staff, and their smaller, well-appointed boats only take out 7 divers at a time, meaning a less crowded and busy boat than other operators below.
If some of the best operations like Kona Honu Divers are booked out Aquatic Life Divers is a good bet as they have two boats that are often available.
4. Kona Diving Company
Kona diving company reviews are great. One of their biggest strengths is their service, which is mentioned frequently in their reviews. They typically dive in smaller group sizes and while they used to have a smaller catamaran style boat their new newton brings them into the same realm as other operators here in thes guide.
Their dive shop doesn’t have much to offer in the way of retail but they do offer much of the same services as other dive operations including rentals, and courses.
5. Pacific Rim Divers
Pacific Rim Divers has a new owner but not much has changed in this Kona dive tour focused operation. Their aluminum monohull is great for carrying up to 8 divers. They have great service and are lesser-known than many of the other Kona diving company operations here. if you’re looking to go off the beaten path this is a solid choice having great reviews. Their focus in on diving tours and they do a good job at this as you can read below.
6. Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii
One of the only Kona diving companies focused primarily on Manta Ray diving tours, Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii used to run mixed manta tours with divers and snorkelers, but recently they got a new boat that takes divers and snorkelers on a 5 hour manta snorkel tour, unlike our top pick Kona Honu Divers that exclusively takes divers. While they have received tons of good reviews from happy snorkelers & divers they haven’t been able to crack the perfect 5.0 star barrier as of yet. They do offer daytime tours as well from their two boats of both the snorkeling and diving variety.
7. Kohala Divers
Located in the northern part of the western (Kohala) coast. They are more of a Kohala diving company than a Kona diving company. The diving on Kohala’s coastline is different so that you will get a different experience from the other dive shops in this list all of them being located in the Kona area. Kohala divers doesn’t offer manta ray night dive tours but they do a solid job of offering great daytime diving tours in a unique diving location.
8. Kona Ocean Adventures
While not a dive operation per say, Kona Ocean Adventures does offer scuba diving as well as snorkeling from their smaller open boats. If your family or friend group wants to have a boat all to themselves, Kona Ocean Adventures is a great way to make everyone happy.
9. Big Island Divers
One of the larger operations in Kona, they have an older fleet of boats and offer both diving and snorkeling tours. If Aquatic life divers is booked out this is another alternative for those that insist on diving and snorkeling together on the same boat. If this is the case you might consider trying a 1-tank manta dive and snorkel tour. This is a quicker tour but is best for divers that are more experienced and have been diving more recently. If it’s been more than 2 years since your last dive we recommend doing a 2-Tank manta dive tour. If it’s been more than 5 years we recommed doing a quick PADI re-activate course.
10. Jacks Diving Locker
Jack’s has been around a long time. They are the Big Island’s largest Kona diving company. They have several dive boats and 2 shop locations with one of Kona’s largest wetsuit selections for scuba divers. They have a full-service scuba repair & rentals as well. They also have a neat pool with a see-through window so you can watch divers as if they were in an aquarium.
Bonus: Best Snorkel Company
While diving in Kona is spectacular sometimes divers choose to snorkel with their friends or family instead. In this case we recommend Kona Snorkel Trips. This is becasue they are by far the top-rated and most reviewed company in the state of Hawaii. Why do snorkelers love Kona Snorkel Trips? For starters they are one of the few companies whose guides are all lifeguard certified. Their guides get in the water with you and show you around the reef. They offer a more personalized experience than other snorkel operations and it shows in theri reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best diving in Kona?
There is so much great diving in the Kona area of Hawaii’s Big Island it’s difficult to say. From lava tubes, to sharks, to tiny critters the Kona coastline has so much to offer.
Which Kona Diving Company is the best?
Kona Honu Divers delivers a complete experience from courses, rentals, repairs, and tours while receiving a perfect 5.0 star rating and numerous awards from divers. It’s hands-down the best choice for any scuba experience in Hawaii.
Are there other Kona diving companies that are recommended?
There are many dive shops on the west side of Hawaii’s Big Island. Kona Diving Company is just one of them. They offer excellent service as their main draw. That being said there are many other companies, including Kona Honu Divers that have much more to offer including well-appointed boats, superior rental equipment, a world-class dive shop, and fantastic service to top it all off.