While The Big Island is a most promising place to encounter one, so far I had come up empty. Katrina knew I was very much excited to see and photograph a Tiger Shark. Not only did she ask me if any of the dive sites were becoming boring for me (they were not), but she provided an experience for which I cannot thank her enough. Katrina Peterson, provided a wondrous experience for me. The education he provides is “worth the price of admission” for sure.Īnother Instructor, Ms. I have heard his introduction three times, learning more each time. The Black Water Plankton dive is not only a unique experience, but our Instructor provided an explanation of all we are doing and (might be) experiencing before we left the harbor. Not only did everyone anticipate my needs and wants – gear and locations to dive, but I saw all the divers provided the same helpful and energetic consideration I was privileged to receive. This time, I did not feel simply treated like family, I was family. But the things the company can control, Big Island Divers did a fantastic job for us.Īfter my third visit with Big Island Divers I feel happily compelled to update my earlier contribution to Trip Advisor. Now as wonderful the trip was for us, there are things all the companies can’t control such as the sea state and number of Manta Ray sightings. Absolutely amazing.īack onboard the boat, we were served hot chocolate and cookies while enjoying a full moonlight ride back to the pier. We were told not to touch them but the large Manta Rays didn’t get that memo, and they were within inches of us as they did their somersaults feeding on the abundant plankton. After about 20 minutes of patiently waiting and moving about, the first of several Manta Rays did numerous somersaults right below our board. Then the Mantra Ray show exceeded expectations. While guides from other companies were like annoying cheerleaders, Liam focused on getting us to the right place and routinely and calmly checking with us to make sure all were okay. In the water he guided us to the first spot then moved us around for better viewing. Our snorkeling guide, Liam, was excellent. The trip to the site was only 30 minutes where upon arrival Ryan gave us a great introduction on how the dive would work and what we would be seeing as well as all the safety information. We had 9 snorklers and 5 divers on board which was very comfortable. At the boat, the crew welcomed us with fresh pineapple and aloha greetings. On the day of the dive, check in at the offsite dive shop was easy and friendly. The dive shop switched the 3 of us to snorkeling without complaint and gladly refunded us the difference. Unfortunately we had to change to all four us snorkeling because we forgot about the elevation change between Kona and Hilo where we staying with friends. This also worked out well for us in that one of our party was just a snorkler and the trip we booked was for snorklers and divers. Other companies seemed to only have two dive trips … one on the reefs then moving to the night dive with mantas. We chose Big Island because it was the only company we could find that offered a single dive with Manta Rays. Advice to the office staff, don't insist a customer is wrong and just acknowledge the possibility that you're wrong - it's really bad customer service. Attached is a picture of the document she gave me with the wrong time. I would typically mark it lower than 4 stars for such bad customer service, but being that I did end up getting a refund and that the team on the boat were great, I only marked down one star. She said she doubted I could get a refund for the difference but after repeatedly insisting she told me the wrong time, she spoke with management and I ended up getting a refund. However, when she called to try to clarify, she insisted that I was wrong and that she told me the earlier time. I understand people make mistakes and I generally don't hold it against them. I was an hour away from the dock so I was unable to shift up my arrival time without prior notice. However, the manta ray dive was the only dive trip I was able to do since the lady I originally signed up with told me to arrive at 4:45, which is 2 hours after the 2-dive trip boat leaves the dock. I even tipped the dive team since I had such a great time. We saw 3 really big mantas up close and the team on the boat were funny and provided a great experience. The manta dive was honestly one of the best experiences I've had while diving. I originally signed up for a 2-night dive trip while on my honeymoon, one of which was a manta ray night dive.
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