My wife and I both had a wonderful experience with Aquatic Life Divers in Kona this holiday season. We each came to the dive shop with different needs (my wife, being a novice swimmer with an ambition of earning an open water certification, and me, being a rescue diver, hoping for some recreational dives), yet both of our expectations were not only fully met, but wholeheartedly surpassed. We found Aquatic Life Divers to be incredibly service-oriented, conservation-oriented, as well as incredibly willing to work with clients - by meeting them at their respective scuba-diving skill-level.
Service Oriented: Though the crew meets close to 50 new divers on a weekly basis, upon or first meeting, I was immediately remembered by name, as well as for the remainder of the trip. Other examples of their service-orientated attitude include how we once returned to the boat dock in between dives, so that a snorkeler who grew seasick, and two DSD divers who couldnāt equalize their ears, could get off the boat. Another example was when Frank (the captain) noticed how a portion of my mouthpiece had been damaged, so he immediately replaced it with a new one without me even having to ask.
Conservation Oriented: Another aspect I really enjoyed was the conservation-orientation of the company. Before each day of diving, Mark (the divemaster) provided us with an overview of the fish we were potentially about to see, but also the risks that Hawaiiās sea life continually face from the tropical fish trade. His encyclopedic knowledge of Konaās fish and ocean life helped when it came to pointing out sea life that I wouldnāt have known to look for (such as viper moray eels; devils scorpionfish; hidden octopi; ghost shrimp; fellows nudibranch; etc.), fish behavior that I may not have noticed (such as the symbiotic relationship between cleaner wrasse and common predators in specific areas), as well certain fish, that were it not for his knowledge, I wouldnāt have even known were quite rare to see (saddleback butterflyfish).
Meeting clients at their level: I also commend Aquatic Life Divers for meeting their clients at their respective scuba-diving skill levels. My wife came to Aquatic Life Divers as a novice swimmer, but Mary (the dive instructor) worked with her, and made sure she was safe in open water (my wifeās first time ever in the open ocean), as well as confident and comfortable enough to demonstrate the necessary skills required to pass the PADI open water dive course. Maryās commitment to service was demonstrated clearly by one example, where she ā unprompted ā jumped off the boat to test the strength of the current before my wife entered for her last skill test. The rigor of the course tested my wifeās abilities as a novice swimmer, but Maryās constant encouragement and enthusiasm helped her achieve her goal of becoming scuba certified.
I encourage anybody interested in scuba diving near Kona to reach out to Aquatic Life Divers, and can say, based on our experiences, you will not be disappointed with your decision.