YO-257 Shipwreck
On the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii, over 115 feet down lies a US Navy oiler boat, the YO-257. Intentionally sunk after fulfilling her duties to battleship groups, this artificial reef offers quite the challenge to scuba divers.
She is definitely a dive for more advanced divers: her sharp points, and the strong currents surrounding her serve as a deterrent to all but experienced divers. The YO-257 is also a fun dive to see the small submarines of the Atlantic Submarine cruise around – but definitely exercise caution with them.
Teeming with cool sea life, you won’t be disappointed at how this sunk ship has blossomed into a great reef. Along with puffer fish, white tip reef sharks, and eagle rays most famous to the YO-257 is the gorgeous Hawaiian green sea turtles.
Electric Beach
With waters year-round from between 70° – 80° at a site nestled along a shore, the Electric Beach dive site is great for any level of dive experience. The power plant that sits across the road from this beach provides an interesting feature to the dive: there are great tubes that the namesake of the beach uses for water supply that is fun to explore.
Most of the reef offers clear waters and especially warm due to the power plant’s tubes. This has invited a great deal of sealife to build their various homes here. While you will see butterfly fish, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and octopus, you will likely find plenty of eel darting in and out of their little cave homes among the coral.
Do exercise caution as theft among the parked vehicles has been a common problem at this site – so lock up and don’t leave your valuables to be captured by parking lot pirates!
Magic Island
Magic Island is another great dive for those just starting out, especially with its easy entry and exit. The lagoon is a man made feature, designed to give divers and their families a fun place to play near the Waikiki downtown area. Magic Island provides a great learning experience for those beginning their diving adventures.
For those seeking a more experienced dive, there are some great open water spots just out of the channel. Visibility in the open water is clearer, as the lagoon itself is also a great place for snorkelers and swimmers. There is still plenty of awesome sea life to be seen in the lagoon proper. There have been those beautiful sea turtles, a variety of types of Nudibranch, and the truly unique looking frogfish spotted along the sand of this shallow dive.
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