Blue Water Charters in Kona, Hawaii

The Blue Water Hunter is now offering diving charters in and around Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Whether you have come into our store, been referred by a friend, read our freediving and spearfishing journals, checked out our diving videos on YouTube, or found us via search engine... we're just happy you found us! You really NEVER know what you are going to find out here! Most of our charters are oriented toward spearfishing but spearing a fish is only PART of the entire adventure.

The structure of the charter day goes like this: we meet at 7:30 am at the Honokohau Harbor bathrooms between the two boat ramps on the North side of the harbor. Although it is very easy to find, we recommended to locate this area before the day of the charter. The boat will leave as soon as all gear and passengers are aboard and we will be back around 1:00 pm. We supply sandwiches, snacks and water for the divers and chum to attract game fish. We have a captain on the boat at all times to operate the vessel and a dive guide in the water at all times to help locate game fish. We do not rent any equipment so all divers must furnish their own. Again, we do not rent any equipment so all divers must furnish their own. The Blue water Hunter provides all the equipment necessary for sale on-site or on-line here at www.bluewaterhunter.com. Please read our dive journal page for years worth of stories and information related to diving in Hawaii. We also have YouTube videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/BlueWaterHunterVideo for even more entertainment and information.

Sharks are a common concern for many of our divers. Let me assure you that you don't have to worry about seeing sharks because you, with all likelihood, WILL see a shark, or two... You see, we actually hope to see sharks. One of our goals during every charter is to find sharks so that we may show our customers how to "interact" with these beautiful animals. Most people have never seen a shark in the wild so we want to share this amazing experience with everyone in a safe, semi-controlled, supervised environment. No cages, no bang sticks, just our knowledge and experience. We discourage petting or hand feeding the sharks though, sorry. We may also encounter a variety of Dolphins and whales, manta rays and whale sharks.

Even though blue water spearfishing is considered "advanced," it is our main focus. Blue water spearfishing is considered advanced because, typically speaking, the fish are larger and more powerful than your average reef fish. The reality is hunting reef fish in Hawaii requires a lot of skill just to shoot a small fish. Shooting reef fish is gear simplistic but labor intensive, shooting blue water fish is gear intensive but labor simplistic. In other words to shoot reef fish in Hawaii you need a very good breath-hold and knowledge of the fish, but you don't necessarily need expensive, high-tech equipment. Whereas blue water spearfishing may only require a dive to ten feet and to hold your breath for ten seconds but you need very good equipment that can handle the size and power of blue water game fish. The reasoning behind this is fairly simple, many people hunt reef fish whereas blue water fish may have never seen a human. But once a powerful blue water fish is speared they will break inadequate gear or they will simply swim off with it never to be seen again.

Where we find many of our creatures to view and hunt is at our local FAD's. No, that doesn't mean spearfishing has anything to do with the latest trends; a FAD is a "Fish Aggregation Device," or buoy, that is anchored to the ocean floor. Off the Kona coast we have approximately 7 FAD's within reach during daylight hours, however, it is only possible to reach about 3 of the available 7 FAD's during our charters 6 hour time frame. Sometimes we will come across floating debris, which may hold an abundance of game fish, sharks, Dolphins etc.

Up close and personal...

All charters offer a guided dive, which means one of us will be in the water with you at all times to help you with your gear, to help identify approaching game fish and to identify and aid in dangerous situations. A smaller boat means a more personal experience. On the Big Island, more specifically the Kona coast, the dive locations are close by and the weather is generally very good. Our first possible dive location is roughly 4 miles off shore and takes about 10-15 minutes to get there from the harbor. We utilize a 20ft. Twin Vee twin hull boat powered by twin 90hp Yamaha four-stroke motors. The twin-hull allows for a much smoother ride than the traditional flat or V-hull style boat and the twin 90hp Yamaha four-stroke motors gives a high performance 40 mile per hour ride with whisper like sound. We have custom seating for 7 people (5 passengers, Captain and dive guide) and custom spear gun racks in the back of the boat. With this setup we are able to keep the amount of passengers small for a more personal experience but also to blend in with other fishing boats. In Hawaii keeping a low profile is VERY important. It also keeps the number of divers in the water to a minimum to increase diver safety and success for spearing fish.

As for mother nature, we do not have a crystal ball and therefore we cannot predict weather no matter how hard we try. However, seasons generally don't affect us here like they do in other parts of the world. The weather in Hawaii can be nasty, rainy with 40 knot winds one day and absolutely beautiful the next. Our little saying is, ya just gtota go! That being said, if we deem the weather unsafe than the charter will be either canceled and boat charter monies refunded or the charter will be moved to another day, whichever our clients decide.

Dive Charter Rates and Packages

The Basic rate is the base rate that we are able to consider a charter booked. The Basic rate per diver will decrease as the number of divers increase, up to a maximum of 5 passengers (see our price structure below for more details). A big draw for many people is an "Exclusive" charter where we tailor the charter to the individual party (1-4 people). An Exclusive charter is for those who desire personal instruction or individualized care for themselves or their party. We offer the Exclusive charter at the discounted rate of $800, which is available for 1, 2, 3 or up to 4 people in your own party. No additional divers outside your party will be added on the Exclusive charter.

The following will outline our pricing structure:

• $600 - Solo Rate (1 person) diver or non-diver ($600 per diver or non-diver)
• $600 - Twin Rate (2 people) divers or non-divers ($300 per diver or non-diver)
• $750 - Standard Rate 3 person/diver ($250 per diver or non-divers)
• $800 - Exclusive Rate 1-4 person/diver ($200 per diver or non diver)
• $800 - Discount Group Rate 4 person/diver ($200 per diver or non diver)
• $1000 - Discounted Group Rate Max Cap. 5 person/diver ($200 per diver or non diver)

Our charters are available most days the week but only go out when we are booked. We require a minimum of a Basic charter, 1 or 2 people at $600, to consider a charter booked. If you are alone and don't want to afford a Basic charter than we will try our best to find at least 1 other diver to make our minimum $600, however, we do not guarantee or imply a booked charter if we are unable to find another diver and reach our minimum. So please plan your vacation or time accordingly.

Please call us toll free at 1 (800) 826-7341 or (808) 331-2237 or email us at to reserve your trip.

*** The Blue Water Hunter reserves the right to revise or amend any and all information at any time. The Blue Water Hunter also reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at anytime. Cancellations must be done no less than one week ahead of the agreed charter date otherwise all charter fees will be forfeited. Charters canceled due to weather will be refunded in full.

Suggested Viewing and Reading

What might you experience on a dive charter with Blue Water Hunter of Kona, Hawaii? Check out the following freediving and spearfishing videos and books.

And more information about spearfishing in Hawaii, don't forget to check out Rob's Dive Journal.

	Legends of the Blue 2 DVD $29.95   Blue water hunting consists of a handful of divers brave enough to venture into the unknown abyss, where the depth of the water and the size of the fish appear limitless. Legends of the Blue 2 was produced to entertain and educate divers considering blue water hunting. Join us as men and women, from beginners to veterans, enjoy the sport safely and successfully. Blue water hunting is not only about the fish that are speared; it’s about the techniques, the equipment, and the trials and tribulations culminating into the ultimate adventure! DVD, 80 min.
	Spearfishing on the Island of Hawai'i Book $26.95   Sonny Tanabe's Spearfishing on the Island of Hawai'i is a pictorial history of diving off Hawai'i Island, beginning with the Hawaiians who dove without fins or goggles and relied on muscle power to thrust their wooden spears. Today, spearfishermen are freediving down to 80-100 feet in the search for large pelagic predators such as marlin, ulua and ono. Bluewater freedivers are now hunting off of fish aggregation bouys anchored in waters that are often deeper than a mile.

These and other educational books and videos are available in our online store.