The Eastern Pacific
BIG ISLAND, HAWAII
Volcanic diving
Season: Year-round diving
Visibility: 20-40 metres (sometimes up to 50 metres)
Water Temperature: minimum 22°C in Jan-Feb, maximum 27°C in Aug-Sep
Over 70 moored sites and a variety of marine ecosystems await divers in the waters of Hawaii’s Big Island. More than 450 species of fish and many species of hard coral combined with an amazing clarity of water (30-40 metres is commonplace, with up to 50 metres at times) makes a trip aboard Kona Aggressor a very special experience. The volcanic terrain of Hawaii creates a stark beauty both above and below the waves, supporting an amazing diversity of underwater habitats including caves and caverns eroded out of lava flows, piles of basalt boulders and coral reefs. Some unique and spectacular fish make their homes here, but it is probably the lava tubes which provide the most fascinating aspect of Hawaiian diving. Streams of molten larva gradually solidified as they cooled in the seawater leaving long tubes with hollow centres. Along with the many species of reef fish teeming amidst the forests of black coral, one can also see some of the larger species found in these waters including Manta Rays, sharks, porpoises and sometimes whales.
