Reef
down to 15 m
Kahalu'u Beach Park
- Open Water
- Turtles
Kona (Big Island)
Diving in United States
11 documented dive sites, 8 of them for Open Water divers. Known for manta rays, grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks.
- Best months
- All year
- Water
- 24–28 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced
- Nearest airport
- KOA
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Kona (Big Island) in October
Best season- Sea
- 27 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 28 °C
- 22 °C at night
- Rain
- 80 mm
- one of the driest months
- Wind
- 6 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Operators and dive-the-world describe Kona as diveable all year on the sheltered leeward coast; winter (Dec–Mar) brings humpback whales and occasional short-lived storms / north-west swells that mainly affect exposed shore sites (e.g. Mahukona, Honokohau). Summer is the calmest and warmest.
Dive sites in Kona (Big Island)
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m8 sitesRock formations
down to 18 m
Golden Arches
Lava arches and a wide lava swim-through with whitemouth morays, and occasional Commerson's frogfish and leaf scorpionfish.
- Open Water
- Whitetip reef sharks
Reef
down to 15 m
Kailua Pier
An in-town shore dive to 15 m: eagle rays over the sand, turtles in the shallows and occasional large akule bait balls.
- Open Water
- Turtles
Reef
down to 12 m
Mahukona
A shallow shelf (max 12 m) scattered with old mill equipment and boat parts from the SS Kauai, good for nudibranchs.
- Open Water
- Nudibranchs
Pinnacle
down to 18 m
Turtle Pinnacle (Turtle Heaven)
- Open Water
- Dolphins
Wall
down to 30 m
Two Step (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau)
- Open Water
- Whitetip reef sharks
down to 24 m
Garden Eel Cove (Manta Heaven)
By day Hawaiian garden eels sway over black sand; after dark reef mantas feed in the dive lights at around 35 ft.
- Open Water
- Manta rays
Reef
down to 18 m
Old Kona Airport
- Open Water
- Eagle rays
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m3 sitesWall
down to 61 m
Au Au Crater
- Advanced
- Hammerhead sharks
Cavern
down to 15 m
Suck 'Em Up
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
down to 24 m
Touch of Grey
- Advanced
- Grey reef sharks
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manta raysSource: konahonudivers.com | ||||||||||||
| Whale sharksSource: dan.org | ||||||||||||
| Hammerhead sharksSource: konahonudivers.com | ||||||||||||
| Tiger sharksSource: konahonudivers.com | ||||||||||||
| Humpback whalesSource: konahonudivers.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Manta rays: All year. Whale sharks: All year. Hammerhead sharks: Jan–Mar. Tiger sharks: All year. Humpback whales: Dec–Mar
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Grey reef sharks
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Dolphins
- Turtles
- Garden eels
- Moray eels
- Oceanic whitetip sharks
- Pilot whale
- Eagle rays
- Barracuda
- Frogfish
Where is Kona (Big Island)?
- Nearest airport
- KOA
Kona (Big Island): frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Kona (Big Island)?
- Kona (Big Island) can be dived all year round. Operators and dive-the-world describe Kona as diveable all year on the sheltered leeward coast; winter (Dec–Mar) brings humpback whales and occasional short-lived storms / north-west swells that mainly affect exposed shore sites (e.g. Mahukona, Honokohau). Summer is the calmest and warmest.
- Is Kona (Big Island) good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 8 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Kahalu'u Beach Park, Golden Arches and Kailua Pier. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Kona (Big Island)?
- The water is usually between 24 °C and 28 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Kona (Big Island)?
- Divers regularly see manta rays (all year), grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, dolphins, turtles and garden eels.
- How do you dive Kona (Big Island)?
- The nearest airport is KOA.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash