Kona’s Famous Black Water Dive

Helpful and friendly crew Considerate and incredibly helpful crew. I had sea sickness for the first time ( my fault for not taking dramamine), and they were very helpful and accomodating. Great dive spots.

Dolphins! Fantastic diving! Carlos, Emily and Dillon so warm and knowledgeable. They took great care of us! 5mm suits Saw dolphins and octopus

Otherworldly experience We had the time of our lives ! 2 different outings, 2 tanks each. The first was with Colin as captain, and Mary/Emily as Dive Masters. Wonderful dives, plenty of fish, canyons, and a cute baby shark ! The second outing was with Carlos as captain, and Marly as dive master. The highlight of our trip to the big island was scuba diving with the Manta Rays ! Otherworldly, amazing, incredible, unbelievable, and many other adjectives ! To tap it all out, Marly sent us movies she took underwater, which looks amazing ! Highly recommended.

The Twilight Reef & Kona Manta Ray Experience We (three family members) completed the twilight and evening dives with Aquatic Life Divers on December 16, 2025. Our captain was Colin and dive guides were Honey and Emily - a very hardworking and energetic crew. The boat felt small with everything being compact and several other guests, but was relatively stable in the swell, assisted by the catamaran design. There are very few dive companies in this area which operate catamarans. Foam-padded decking was comfortable on the feet. The provision of dry boxes to each passenger was appreciated. Beanbags on the bow are a nice touch and evidently were comfortable. The snack selection was what is provided by many companies - potato chips, snack bars, rice bubble slices, nuts, various sodas and juices - nothing special. Potable water was available through a very slow dispenser. Ginger tea handed out after the second dive for the ride back to harbour was thoughtful. The first dive was not especially interesting. There was a mild to moderate swell. Marine life was not terribly abundant - 5 or 6 moray eels were seen and various fish, but not vast amounts. The coral was not particularly colourful or diverse. The second dive was in the same place, but separated by an hour and made absolutely spectacular with up to about 20 mantas coming by in a wild fever, performing a prolonged manta ballet. It was incredible, awesome, and certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience (unless you return to do the dive again). The mantas were practically brushing people's heads as they swooped and dived and sailed around. There was moderate swell, so significant effort was required at times to hold onto your allocated rock so as to stay still in the same place; but this was an unforgettable experience. This is not a luxury expedition by any means, but it is certainly an authentic and expertly managed and run diving experience which delivers reasonable value for money both in terms of length of trip and time under the waves.

Awesome diving experience! Fantastic small dive operation in the Kona area. The entire staff was friendly, professional, fun, and knowledgeable. Divers with different experience levels were all treated with respect and care, even allowing better divers to remain down for the most time possible. Thank you for 5 great dives!

Great operation with a few tweaks needed; overall great experience We had fabulous dives: sites with diverse lots of fish, good orientation, attentive DMsMixed on operations: Great (divided divers into two groups based on experience; asked if we wanted to set up own gear; washed all of our gear at the end; abundant snacks and drinks; less expensive than bigger operations) but not so good (bit crowded so all divers couldn't kit up at the same time; with big, constant emphasis on correct boat protocol, they did not say anything to the divers who were touching all over the reef with their hands and fins, no DIN tanks available except an adapter was loaned at no extra cost; sea creatures were sacrificed for entertainment) and bad (employee on own time did not share with clients unusual finds; an employee collected shells with live creature inside which was returned to the sea, but this employee also sells jewelry made from sea items which they collected on dives)

You only live once We did the night-time "snorlel with the manta ray" tour.It was definitely an adventure. The crew and captain were incredible. The tour is a blast but be ready for cold temps, rough seas and adventrue. You only live once, so definitley plan it!

Great dive and snorkeling experiences Fabulous crew and instructors. Experienced my first dive and manta ray night snorkeling. Aside from the exciting dives and snorkeling, even the boat rides, instructions and interactions were engaging and fun. Special shoutout to my dive instructor Mary and snorkeling instructor Lily for their patience and care. Wave to the monk seal and harlequin shrimp when you get there.

We will be back for the Black Water Dive Luv Luv Luv this team, Good people Good times. This will be our go to Dive Shop when ever we are back in Kona. Took me on as a last minute diver two days in a row for some local dives as well as a Sunday Morning local and Diving with the Mantas that same night. Highly recommend this Dive Team.

Great team to have on your side We thoroughly enjoyed the night snorkeling. A very different experience than day time snorkeling. The staff was very a knowledgeable and helpful! The comfortable ride and the many mana rays that we encountered. So glad we decided to take this excursion. Two individuals in our group actually went scuba diving with the same company and were well satisfied with those trips as well.