Oahu diving
Oahu, is the third largest of the Hawaii islands. It offers great diving opportunities and you will find beautiful dives, both shallow and deep. For divers keen on wreck diving, there are at least 10 interesting wrecks to explore, Oahu is a wreck paradise. The wrecks attract a lot of sea life like eagle rays, reef sharks and plenty of pelagics.
Always dive according to your level of training. Never enter the water without checking with the local dive center for safety, additional information, level required for each dive site and without being accompanied by a professional. All the information provided is purely informative for our readers and shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.
The diving in Hawaii depends a lot on the weather, it can be unpredictable that’s why you should not venture into diving in most places in the Hawaiian islands without consulting the dive operators first and having a guide.
The north shore in winter is not suitable for diving as there are waves that hinder diving while in summer the waters are calm. There are different levels of diving here which includes several wrecks.
Humpback whales can be seen in the south of Oahu between December and May. They come here to breed and calve in the warm waters of Hawaii. The different operators on the island organise special tours to view the humpback whale.
Shark’s Cove is a nice shore dive on the north shore. It’s a reef with plenty of marine life. You will encounter white tipped reef sharks and turtles. March to October are clam months and are suitable for both snorkelling and diving. The reef goes to about 25 feet (8 metres)
The trench is a deep wall dive. The depth goes from 35 to over 100 feet (11 to over 30 metres). Plenty of marine life is found here and includes hammerheads and white tips, turtles, eels and lots of reef fish. This dive can either be done as a shore or boat dive. There’s a coral pinnacle on this wall at 35 feet (11 metres) from the surface.
Oahu’s east side has a lot of dive sites. There is good wall, reef, cave and drift diving which can be done practically all year save for when the winds are strong. This side is specially sought for drift diving.
There are reef dives at shallow depths of about 25-60 ft.(8 to 18 metres) that are suitable for novices and then there are deep dives at depths of 80-120 feet (24-37 metres) for the more advanced diver. These include cave and drift diving. Look out for monk seals on your dives.
On the east side you can dive the Corsair wreck sunk in 1946 when the pilot ran short of fuel during training and had to abandon his aircraft. This world war II plane is a deep wreck at about 100 feet (30.5 metres) and is a special dive because here you will see a field of garden eels.
South of Oahu has some good reefs that are suitable for novices. There are also wrecks for the more advanced divers. One popular reef dive is the Turtle Canyons in Waikiki. The depth does not go over 45 feet (14 metres) and the visibility is very good and can reach 70 feet (21 metres) On this dive you will encounter lots of turtles and plenty of reef fish.
Nautilus reef is also popular and this is made up of two shallow dives on lava rock beds. There is a lot of marine life here including manta rays, grey reef sharks, box fish, trigger fish, sting rays and tiger sharks just to mention a few. There are finger reefs here where you can see lots of nudibranches, crabs and octopus. The depth of these finger reefs is approximately 30 feet (9 metres).
Perhaps the most sought dives in the south are the wrecks. There are the YO-257 and San Pedro wrecks that are lying next to each other. Turtles and white tip sharks inhabit these wrecks. The visibility here can hit 100 feet (31 metres).
The YO-257 wreck was a boat used to fuel other boats. It was used in World War 2. The ship is said to have been bought by the Hawaiian authorities from the Japanese and sunk in 1989. The depth of the wreck is about 120 feet (36.5 metres). While diving this wreck you will encounter green sea turtles, and eagle rays.
San Pedro wreck was deliberately sunk in 1996. It is approximately 95 feet long (29 metres). The marine life here includes green sea turtles, sharks, mantas and dolphins
Another wreck is the Sea Tiger. It’s a deep dive and lies in a protected area off Waikiki. It was a smuggling vessel. It was confiscated and later sunk to form an artificial reef. It is about 165 feet (50 metres) long, 40 feet (12 metres)wide and sits in a upwards position. The marine life around this wreck includes eagle rays and big puffer fish.
The west of Oahu boasts very good visibility. Here you can dive Oahu’s underwater lava tubes that were formed at the time of volcanic activity on Oahu. Encounters with spinner dolphins are almost guaranteed.
Also in the west there is the Mahi wreck. This 176 foot (54 metre) wreck is a former US navy vessel that was sunk in 1982 to form an artificial wreck. While diving this wreck you will be treated to a lot of turtles and eagle rays. It has three decks going from 60–80 feet deep (18-24 metres).
There are several diving operators who will tailor your outings to your needs. Diving courses are offered from beginner to advanced level. Scuba equipment can be rented on place. So do not hesitate to ask your local diving center to give you more detail as the diving places mentioned here are not exhaustive.
