Many of our technical sites are a bit of a secret. We guard these sites because they

There are about 200 Hawaiian endemic fish known. There are at least another 420 non-endemic species around our Kona Coast reefs.

These are just a few of the Recreational dive sites around the Kona coast! We listed many of the recreation site depths as shallow, but in many cases these sites also offer easy access to very deep water. 

Maps of the Island And "recreational" Dive Sites

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Scroll down to view general dive site locations.

High Rock: (North of Honokohau Harbor at 2.8 miles, 15 min.)
Depth of Dive: 30-150 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: lava pinnacles and arches
Marine Life: Heller's barracuda, pyramid butterfly, pennant banded coral shrimp, octopus and turtles
Common to This Area: Wide old lava flow with many pinnacles and archways to be explored. Main pinnacle comes to within 10 feet of the surface.
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle
Things To Be Considered: At times this area can experience 1/4 to 3/4 knot currents. Be careful along the drop off. It's easy to go too deep!

Garden Eel Cove: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 4.9 miles, 20 min.)
Depth of Dive: 30-150 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: black sand, coral and lava boulders
Marine Life: spinner dolphins, garden eels, Hawaiian turkey fish, teardrop butterfly, nudibranchs, octopus and manta rays
Common to This Area: large colony of garden eels in only 50 feet of water
Type of Photography Recommended: macro
Things To Be Considered: This is a rare opportunity to see garden eels at such a shallow depth, located in a protected cove. The water is usually calm and safe for all divers.

Golden Arches: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 2.7 miles, 10 min.)
Depth of Dive: 30-50 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: White sand, old lava flows and coral formations
Marine Life: milletseed, tear drop, four spot & ornate butterflies, potters angels & blue line snapper
Common to This Area: archways and bridges formed of old lava flows
Type of Photography Recommended: normal lens to photograph lava formations; macro opportunities to photograph coral dwellers.
Things To Be Considered: This is a very open dive site, suitable to all certification levels. On the south side of the main archway is a beautiful stag horn coral formation which is great for a portrait/modeled photograph.

Pine Trees Point: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 2 miles, 8 min.)
Depth of Dive: 15-60 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: steep drop off to swim over, arches, lava tubes
Marine Life: trumpets, coronets and four spots and milletseed butterflies, sergeant majors, eels and a large school of silver flag-tails
Common to This Area: pelagic swim by, drop-offs, rich coral beds and tubes to explore
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle and video
Things To Be Considered: Moderate currents and surge may be present.

Suck-Em-Up Cavern: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 1.7 miles, 8 min.)
Depth of dive: 30-60 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: lava tubes, old lava flows and coral growths
Marine Life: moorish idols, thread fin butterflies, trumpets, parrot fish, puffers, eels & slipper lobsters
Common to This Area: long lava tube is 100 feet long with fantastic skylights, lots of different types of marine life inside, shells and large puffer fish
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle with strobe and/or macro
Things To Be Considered: The general dive includes Skull Cavern as an added bonus. These formations are perfect for the first time lava tubers. However, it is recommended that all novice divers be accompanied by the Dive Master Guides when exploring the tubes (not a place to dive during high south or west surf conditions).

Lone Tree Arch: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 1.7 miles, 8 min.)
Depth of dive: 20-60 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: old lava flows, coral heads, sand chutes, rubble, and large archway
Marine Life: octopi, raccoon butterflies, yellow tangs, puffers, orange cup corals and coral shrimps
Common to This Area: frog fish, schools of yellow tangs, and great cleaning stations in and about the rubble
Type of Photography Recommended: macro w/strobe in archway, wide angle and normal lens
Things To Be Considered: Surge moderate close to shore, (watch your depth, and enjoy a fantastic sight over the sand chutes).

Turtle Pinnacle: (north of Honokohau Harbor at a half mile, 5 min.)
Depth of Dive: 20-60 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: smooth bottom with rock formations, white sand patches, coral heads and coral covering the old lava flow.
Marine Life: green sea turtles, wrasses, parrot fish, scorpion fish, eels and octopus
Common to This Area: green sea turtles are everywhere, especially on the pinnacle. This is where the close encounters with one of the gentlest creatures on earth occurs, also one of the best cleaning stations on the Kona Coast, fish cleaning the shell of the turtles.
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle and video
Things To Be Considered: The green sea turtles are an endangered species, protected by federal law. Please do not touch or harass the animals.

Eel Cove: (south of Honokohau Harbor at 1 mile, 8 min.)
Depth of dive: 30-150 feet
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: green coral reef, sand bottom at 60 feet, rocky near shore line
Marine Life: Eels (yellow margin, white mouth, zebra and dragon moray). Spanish Dancer egg casings, pennant butterfly fish and an occasional dolphin.
Common to This Area: eels
Type of Photography Recommended: normal lens and close up
Things To Be Considered: please do not touch the Spanish Dancer egg casings (sea rose in color, very fragile) and do not tease the eels.

Fish Rock: (a.k.a: Ka'iwi Point north of Kailua Pier at 1.8 miles,15 min.)
Depth of dive: 15-60 feet
Skill Level: all
Terrain: variety of corals, old lava flow beds, lava tube, pinnacles, arches, wall and rubble
Marine Life: flame angels, eel wrasse, reef sharks, manta rays and an occasional whale shark.
Common to This Area: All types of butterfly fish. Flames, potters and bandit angle fish, squirrel, triggers, parrots and puffers, etc.
Things To Be Considered: Do not venture too far north and/or west of this point, as strong currents are not uncommon. Area is marine a sanctuary: "Look but don't take."

Casa Caves: (south of Kailua Pier at 1.5 miles, 10 min.)
Depth of Dive: 15-60
Skill Level: intermediate to advanced
Terrain: lava tubes, lush finger coral, outcropping of pillacles, staggered 20 to 30 feet apart, sand, and rubble.
Marine Life: white tip sharks, frog fish, soft corals in lava tube. Invertebrates, eels, octopus, hard corals.
Common to This Area: White tip sharks sleep in lava tube on a regular basis. Frog fish at base of mooring, octopus, lots of squirrel fish in lava tube, parrot fish and puffer.
Type of Photography Recommended: macro, wide angle and video
Things To Be Considered: Skill Level is rated as advanced. It is emphasized, this is a full dive, as there is a lot of ground to cover.

Manta Ray Dive: (north of Honokohau Harbor at 4.9 miles, 20 min.)
Depth of Dive: 20-40
Skill Level: beginner through expert
Terrain: rounded boulders with occasional coral heads
Marine Life: garden eels, squirrel fish, goat fish, invertebrates, sleeping butterfly fish, moray eels and most of all MANTA RAYS.
Common to this area:  Manta sighting encounters.
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle and video
Things To Be Considered: This dive has been rated as one of the top 10 in the world. See "National Geographic" December 1995.

Long Lava Tube: (south of Kailua Pier at 9.7 miles, 30 min.)
Depth of dive: 25-45 feet
Skill Level: intermediate through expert
Terrain: old lava flows, lava tubes, finger and hard coral formation
Marine Life: small schools of a variety of tropicals, wrasse, snapper, butterfly and angel fish. Lava tube life: cowries, crabs, pipefish, coral shrimp and a few lobsters
Common To This Area: The longest lava tubes on the Kona Coast- 120 feet long with beautiful shafts of light coming through the ceiling openings.
Type of Photography Recommended: normal lens, wide angle and strobe for inside of the lava tubes, also macro if you have time.
Things To Be Considered: Bring a dive flash light to see the many creatures and lava formations inside of the tubes. Moderate surge may be present during some parts of the year.

Amphitheatre: (south of Kailua Pier at 9.8 miles, 30 min.)
Depth of dive: 35 feet
Skill Level: intermediate to expert
Terrain: old lava flows covered with coral
Marine Life: a variety of small reef dwellers
Common To This Area: large lava cavern
Type of Photography Recommended: wide angle and normal
Things To Be Considered: Divers must be able to make a moderate underwater swim to enjoy this dive. Not a diveable spot when the surf is up and coming from the west.

A smaller dive group GREATLY increase your chance of seeing the larger Pelagic animals in the Hawaiian Islands as well as the more hidden and illusive creatures!