Jack’s Diving Locker

My husband and I took our teenagers on the Manta dive, the 3 of them scuba dove it and I snorkeled it. Hands down an awesome experience! And the guys on our boat were very professional and were extremely cautious of safety not only for everyone on the boat but also for the mantas. They were very attentive to the kids. I was the only snorkeler on the boat so I got Flipper as my buddy. He made the adventure so fun, had me laughing all night! We definitely would use these guys again, and we highly recommend!

Just got back from our introductory scuba dive! We went to High Rock & Manta Ray Bay. I got seasick and let nerves get the best of me but after a small panic attack and the helping hands of Captain Jack and Josh I was able to relax and make the most out of my day by doing some awesome snorkeling above the divers! Just wanted to give a huge thank you to Josh who wasn’t even my instructor but went above, beyond, & out of his way to make sure I felt comfortable as can be! Thanks Josh for all the laughs, your smile is contagious (:

Jack Diving Locker in Kona is an excellent choice to dive with. I’ve been scuba diving since 2007 and I have never seen such an amazingly appointed dive shop! If heaven had a dive shop this is what it would like look, hyperbole, only slightly. Only thing that matches their dive shop is there dive boats! We had 22 divers on our boat and there wasn’t a cramp space anywhere. The Captain Kawika was so helpful and you could just tell he loves what he does. I didn’t get to dive with Mongo but I overheard his pre dive briefing and I was so impressed with all the fish life he talked about and then we saw underwater. For lunch they had these gourmet sandwiches that were damn good! I am a pretty harsh critic of dive operations but this place just does everything right!
Now some logistical stuff. My dive battery after 5 years of diving finally started to die out on me. I own a Scubapro Galileo Luna Dive Computer with transmitter air integration. I was in Maui and even though there were two «Scubapro Select Dealers» dive shops on the island, one of which I dove with doesn’t even carry the battery in stock (from their tech guy). The second dive company did have the battery but their tech guy keeps them locked up and is only available from 9am-​11am Mon-​Friday. WHAT?!?
Called up Jacks, «no problem, we got it waiting here for you.» That’s what I’m talking about!
So Jack appears to be perfect, right, but hey they make mistakes too! They lost my wetsuit. What! Yep Jacks lost my wetsuit! This is where customer service really takes off for Kona Diving Company and Jacks Diving Locker. To hear the end of the story check out my review on Kona Dive Company.

This was the best experience my husband and I could have asked for. We were both going for our diving certifications and planned on diving 2 days to get our 4 open water dives in. I was very anxious and they provided us with a personal instructor when they didn’t have to. They went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable. Our instructor Juan was the best. He provided confidence, history, and thorough instructions. We got to see some pretty cool and amazing marine life. If you’re looking for the best experience overall I’d choose Jack’s Diving Locker. I promise they won’t disappoint!

Did a pool refresher for me and intro five for my daughter these week. Very professional and friendly… instructor Zaquito. Also did 2 ocean boat dives off Kona on Monday and 2 on Wednesday. Wow, these guys are organized, friendly and tried hard to ensure we had a great experience. We saw a Monk seal, barracuda and so much more. I didn’t see Laverne the big tiger shark. They always kept safety a top priority. Although all staff were great; standout instructor guides included; Zaquito, Sven, Shannon, Keller, Patti, Kate and Captains Bob and Matt. Office staff like Teri and Laurie were also great. Definitely dive or get certified with guys, you will be in competent hands. Also, the equipment selection in the store is great and staff is super knowledgeable with no pressure to buy anything.

Had a great time! All the crew knew exactly what they were doing and very friendly while doing it! I would recommend taking the refresher course before diving if it has been over a year since your last dive. Great experience overall!

Jacks is wonderful. I had my 13 year old daughter certified two years ago and last week I brought my 21 year old daughter to Jacks to get her open water certification. She was nervous and apprehensive but Jacks did a great job! She had a new instructor assigned, Spero. He is new to Jacks but not to instruction and certifying students. He was very competent, great attitude, very patient and supportive. A great instructor and dive operator make all the difference. I will be back in August to dive with Jacks again. They are top notch and the best ! Thanks again Spero !!

Twice we have been to Big Island and both trips included stops at this fantastic store. The employees were outstanding, knowledgeable and helpful with no pressure to buy anything. The first trip I was wanting a spring suit because I get cold so easily in the water. The price was so reasonable that my husband ended buying one too. We have used them many times over the past couple of years and they are still in great condition. The next trip we decided to invest in a quality mask. The employee who helped us find a mask was kind and informative and actually helped me to find a less expensive mask that fit my face well. They also sell used masks which is wonderful. We live on Oahu but have not found a store here that can compete with the service this team provides and variety of quality products.

Hands down an awesome company to dive with. They help you feel comfortable. They keep everything entertaining! Very organized. Great scheduling. The perfect size for how many people. You can see they love what they do and it is not just to make money! I can wait to dive with them again!

My husband and I just did 3 days in a row diving with Jack’s Diving Locker. Absolutely wonderful group to dive with! They had no more than 6 divers with each instructor. Each group was spread out so we weren’t fighting to get our gear on next to each other. Then we had time to do a buoyancy check before diving to ensure we had the correct weight. Keller told funny «bad» jokes that kept us laughing and Flipper was just a nut. They definitely made our dives even more enjoyable. The Manta night dive was my favorite. A must-​do dive while on the big island and the best group to go with is Jack’s Diving Locker!!!

I did the Manta Ray night dive two times this past week with Jack’s Diving Locker. I last dove with Jack’s Diving Locker in September of 2009 and fell in love with the Manta Ray night dive back then.
Thursday, April 28^th, 2016: I went into this dive with very high expectations based on my last dive with Jack’s Diving Locker. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed! Our dive crew included Mongo (the dive master I dove with), Captain Bob, Flipper, Chris, Mark and Shannon. Everyone went out of their way to make my dive experience both safe and enjoyable. I dove with a BC and a dive computer that I had not used or serviced in some time. My dive computer (a 16 year old Cobra Suunto) went nuts on me and was not measuring depth correctly. Captain Bob quickly changed me out to a backup gauge and depth finder and I was back in good order before we even left. My inflator on my BC also had an issue with the inflator button getting stuck (I had not used it in a while and overlooked the need to service it) and Mark noticed I was having a problem and offered to perform a «field fix» to get the inflator button to work again… much to my relief! A final problem happened when I didn’t read my dive log correctly and went in for the first dive under weighted. Captain Bob worked with me to get that fixed too! Both dives were great and we were blessed with the presence of 12 Manta Rays doing their thing with the plankton from our dive lights! Also, I should mention that Jacks has brand new 2500 lumens LED lights for use by the manta ray divers… very nice! Mongo also took video of our dive and obliged me by getting me in many of the videos since I had signed up to buy his videos before we left for our trip! Mongo is a true renaissance man and was one of the best, most capable dive masters I have dove with… ever! Thank you Mongo, Captain Bob, Flipper, Chris, Mark and Shannon! :)
Friday, April 29^th, 2016: I worked with Patti the day after my dive to get my Suunto Cobra dive computer fixed under warranty. Patti also helped me out with some sight seeing instructions around Kona at my request. Thanks Patti!
Monday, May 2^nd, 2016: On this dive, our crew consisted of Keller Laros (the dive master I dove with), Flipper, Chris, Carlos and Captain John. When I approached the dive boat before the start of our dive trip, Carlos took charge of reconnecting my newly repared dive computer tommy main rig and did an awesome job! On our first dive we saw an entire school of spinner dolphins, two manta rays, the elusive monk seal and a fairly large sea turtle. On the second dive we had 17 Manta Rays show up at the campfire and they put on quite a show for us. Keller Laros is surely the «Manta Man» and was able to write down on his slate the names of all seventeen Manta Rays that showed up (see photo). Keller was a lot of fun to dive with and he also took everyone’s safety just as seriously as he did their enjoyment of their dive. The other staff members also far exceeded my expectations and made my dive trip comfortable, fun, rewarding and unforgettable. I was truly sorry that this dive trip would be my last with Jack’s Diving Locker for this trip to Kona. I am definitely going to book with Jack’s Diving Locker again when I return to Kona next year I am also going to be donating to the Manta Pacific Research Foundation started by Keller and his wife Wendy. How awesome is that? Thank you Keller, Flipper, Chris, Carlos and Captain John!
There was one negative thing that happened during my Manta Ray night dive that had nothing to do with Jack’s Diving Locker: Five minutes after I took up my designated position at the perimeter of the campfire on the ground with the rest of my group… a freelance videographer named Ryan Leinbach showed up wielding a huge video rig armed with two 10,000 lumens flood lights. Acting like she was master of ceremonies over everyone else (about 50 other divers from multiple dive shops), Ryan breached the campfire ring and positioned herself a few feet above ground level in the middle of the campfire and when a series of large Manta Rays made several close passes over my group, she decided it would be a great idea to aim her flood lights directly into my eyes for several minutes which completely blinded me (see photo). I tried to get Ryan’s attention so I could motion to her to get herself and her blinding flood lights away from me and she just ignored me. Based on what I saw, Ryan Leinbach does not think that the five rules for this dive (agreed upon amongst the dive shops in Kona) apply to her… at all. I looked up her credentials and it is amazing to me that she claims on her websites to be a protector of the Manta Rays when what I observed first hand from her was a blatant disregard for the protection and well being of the Manta Rays as well as a reckless disregard for the safety of her fellow divers. I think Ryan desperately needs a good dose of self-​awareness!

4 days and 10 dives! This shop has it down!
Patti is a great request for critter hunting! Keller was the Manta Magnet Man! 22 in one night! Josh is good to open your dive week.
Juan Carlos is the best timer ever! Promise I will beat 50 seconds some day. They provide lockers for your gear on multiple dive day trips, they took perfect care of my gear. From beginning to end this team took great care of our team. Mantas, Dolphins and Tiger Sharks! Tiger Cowry, Nudis, and lobster! They have it all big to small!

Amazing dive shop. So professional and organized. Dive was amazing too with lots of rays. The snorkels in our group played with dolphins. 5 stars for sure

Just got back from diving with JDL. They are the best dive co in town. It was windy today but Capt Bob knew where to go for a good dive. Staff on the boat was well organized & actually enjoyed their jobs – Keller, Zach, David and Capt Bob Thank you. Good jokes are always well appreciated by Keller. Thanks for the great day of diving on the Big Island

Had to book last min because another shop canceled. Once I got on the boat, Flipper, John/​Josh (cant remember his name) and jacks where the crew. They were great and very willing to help in any way. I am a dive master and have been diving for years. They were more then willing to talk about diving on Big Island and helping with everyone on the boat to make sure it was a great trip.
The only problem I had is that it was a little over priced. but over all I would go diving with them again!

Really professional, customer-​focused, safety conscious dive outfit. My wife and I did two advanced dive trips, both were supposed to be long-​range. On the first day, the wind came up significantly and they changed the trip to a local, which everyone on board agreed was the right thing to do.
The special things that happened were after the first dive. When they realized a second dive wasn’t going to happen for safety reasons (getting back on the boat would be scary) they stopped and dropped us off at the dock next to the Sheraton Keauhou and had a Jack’s van come and shuttle us back to Honokohau Harbor, north of Kona town, where our cars were parked. They did this simply to avoid us having to ride in the boat back against the wind — which wasn’t terrible, it just would have made for a longer boat ride.
Essentially what I’m saying is that when a company handles adversity this well, you can be confident they are top-​notch — and we went with them again the next day and had a great time down south of Kona.

I went on the blackwater pelagic dive with Jack’s Diving Locker and had an amazing time! Niel did a very thorough and thoughtful dive briefing, and love the information I took away! The actual dive was incredible! Thank you Niel and Jack’s Diving Locker!
They even provided pick up and drop off!

Both of my experiences in this store were horrible. Sad bc I usually hear great things…
Wish I would have been helped or even noticed when I was trying to purchase a mask for my fiancé.
Looks like I’ll be ordering online.
P. s. It’s probably not a good decision to talk about getting wasted when there’s a potential customer in the store. Instead you lost a customer.

Where do I begin? Great experience with the awesome staff at Jack’s Diving Locker, where we were dive animals for 4 days. My friend heard about this operation from her friends back home and I was along for the ride. My friend deserves mad props for the recommendation.
Firstly, this place runs like a well oiled machine. We booked 11 dives for 4 days ahead of time and when we got to the shop on day 1, it was like they already knew who we were. We kept a tab running for our trip which made payment easy. They pool tips so you can either tip per dive on the boat or, if you’re like me, you can put it all on a card at the end.
Next, the people. Each dive master/​instructor is into something different which made for great variety. Alexia loves finding teeny tiny things in cracks and on coral that I would never know existed. Keller is the Manta Man, and we did a manta ray speciality with him that is an unforgettable experience. Mongo loves his flame angels and psychedelic wrasse; it’s like an underwater tour with the Grateful Dead. Gregg has an eye for finding invertebrates and shells. Neal is the king of the pelagic night dive and we found his briefing to be an awesome learning experience. We made great friendships on this trip.
The sites. Oh the sites. We have never been diving in Kona before. This was my first dive in Hawaii and this is also the first time that I have wanted to return to the same place to dive. We couldn’t do some of the sites due to swell but we found others that made me feel I wasn’t missing anything. Apparently the sites rotate based on seasonal swell patterns so a good excuse to return. The manta night dive was unforgettable but reviewed heavily on other reviews, so I will end there. The pelagic dive was a unique experience: surreal, an exercise in mindfulness, and humbling as you realize how incredible these tiny marine invertebrates are adapted to such a vast environment.
Everything was catered to. If there was a first class in diving, Jacks would be it. They kept our gear for the duration of our trip so no lugging it back and forth. They rinsed everything and set up and took down all our gear on the boats. They included sandwiches and cookies on all the two-​tank dives, much more substantial than other dive operators I’ve traveled with.
Needless to say I’m in love with this place. Cannot wait to get back here and do more exploring with this fine staff.

Awesome diveshop, thanks for the fantastic memories. Definitely go for the Manta Night Dive (also possible for snorklers). They are like a big familiy and very committed to protect and care for the ocean and its inhabitants.
If I ever return to the Big Island, I will go diving with Jacks Diving Locker again. :)