THE KOHALA DIVERS STYLE
At Kohala Divers we keep our groups small and our profiles flexible. We like to get to know our divers and cater the trip to your abilities and interests.
We encourage divers to slow down, relax, get neutral and let the dive unfold. Mellow breathing allows you to hear dolphin clicks as they pass overhead and Humpback whale songs surrounding you in winter. A slow pace brings your awareness to the hidden, tiny critters while not scaring away the fish and larger turtles, sharks and rays. The feeling above and below the water is never rushed and always fun!
We hold a great respect for the reefs that we visit daily and we have a no touching policy regarding coral, fish, octopus and other sensitive marine life. Our experienced crew is very knowledgeable about local fish and invertebrate life and give extensive pre-dive briefings about gear and boat policies, dive profiles, site features, and detailed marine life information. We have a beautifully healthy coral reef system on the Kohala Coast and are dedicated to keeping it that way for generations to come.
THE WHOLE KOHALA DIVERS STORY
Kohala Divers was established in 1984 by Turner Lett. He and his wife, Jorene, ran the shop and 6-passenger boat alone for many years. Around 1995 Kohala Divers joined forces with Ocean Sports and used their boat to book dive trips. About that time, Reed Harmon was running a sport fishing charter boat, Reel Pleasure, out of Kawaihae Harbor with Greg Kaufmann as his boat captain. In 2000 Reed Harmon bought Kohala Divers from Turner Lett and simultaneously ran his two businesses, Reel Pleasure and Kohala Divers, out of the same store front. Rebekah Keele, who was employed with Ocean Sports in 2000, knew the potential for diving out of Kawaihae and begged and pleaded with Reed until he purchased his own boat for the business in 2002. Rebekah then joined Kohala Divers and worked full time on the Kohala Diver, our 42’ Radon custom built dive-charter boat. We still work closely with the Ocean Sports team.
Over the next few years many new and exciting changes took place. The shop expanded to almost double its original square footage in 2006, Rebekah got her captain’s license, Reed got his minister’s license, and after a few eventful company parties Greg got the nerve to ask Rebekah to marry him while on a dive trip to Fiji. In 2005 Greg and Rebekah Kaufmann were married by Reed Harmon, and in 2007 Reed sold them the business (and now it’s the happily-ever-after-part and they are loving it)!!
KOHALA DIVERS IS A FULL SERVICE DIVE CENTER
Kohala Divers has a huge retail selection of dive gear apparel and accessories. Our fill station pumps air or Nitrox and we have an equipment repair technician on staff. Kohala Divers offers rental gear for Scuba, snorkeling, surfing and kayaking, and our 46′ custom built dive-charter boat runs daily Scuba and snorkeling excursions, as well as seasonal whale and night dive charters. As a PADI 5-Star Dive Center, our Instructors teach beginners through Divemaster training levels.