Oʻahu is Hawaiʻi's wreck-diving hub: four signature wrecks — the 174 ft Navy yard oiler YO-257 (with the San Pedro alongside), the 168 ft Sea Tiger, the Mahi off Waiʻanae, and an intact WWII Corsair fighter — sit in 20–37 m of 24–27°C water, backed by summer-only North Shore lava-tube shore diving and green turtles on nearly every dive.
Destination info
Conditions, highlights, and the resident marine life.
Conditions
Water and air temperature across the year.
WaterAirDryShoulderWet
Description
Most of Oʻahu's diving runs as short boat rides out of Honolulu, Kewalo Basin, and Waiʻanae Harbor, and the island's calling card is its wreck collection. Off Waikīkī, the YO-257 — a 174 ft U.S. Navy yard oiler built in 1938 that served through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam — was scuttled as an artificial reef by Atlantis Submarines in 1989, with the smaller San Pedro (scuttled 1996) lying roughly 30 m away, and the company's sightseeing submarine still circles both on tourist runs. Nearby, the 168 ft Sea Tiger, a Chinese trading vessel seized in 1992 for smuggling 93 undocumented immigrants, was stripped and sunk in 1999 and is Honolulu's deepest commonly dived wreck (deck ~27 m, sand 34–37 m). West Oʻahu has the Mahi, a former Navy minesweeper scuttled in 1982 that draws patrolling spotted eagle rays, and Maunalua Bay off Hawaiʻi Kai holds an intact Vought F4U Corsair fighter ditched on a 1946 training flight, ringed by Oʻahu's only diveable garden eel colony. The south and west shores are diveable year-round in 24–27°C water; the North Shore's celebrated shore sites — Sharks Cove and Three Tables in the no-take Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District — open only in summer (roughly May–September) and become dangerous to deadly under winter surf. Green sea turtles are ubiquitous, whitetip reef sharks rest under wreck overhangs, Galápagos sharks gather off Haleʻiwa's deep channels, endangered Hawaiian monk seals make occasional appearances (federal rules prohibit approach), and from November through May humpback whale song is commonly audible underwater.
Highlights
What makes this dive worth the trip.
Two wrecks on one tank off Waikīkī: the 174 ft Navy yard oiler YO-257 (scuttled as an artificial reef by Atlantis Submarines in 1989) and the smaller San Pedro (scuttled 1996) rest roughly 30 m apart on sand at about 26–30 m — and the Atlantis sightseeing submarine still passes the site, so divers routinely wave at the passengers mid-dive.
The 168 ft Sea Tiger was seized in 1992 after being caught smuggling 93 undocumented Chinese immigrants into Hawaiʻi; Voyager Submarines bought and stripped the vessel and scuttled it off Waikīkī in 1999. With its deck near 27 m and sand at 34–37 m, it is Honolulu's deepest commonly dived wreck, with guided penetration of the cargo holds and bridge through pre-cut access points.
The Mahi, a former U.S. Navy minesweeper scuttled off the Waiʻanae coast in 1982 as one of Hawaiʻi's early artificial reefs, rests upright on sand at about 26–29 m and is best known for the spotted eagle rays — sometimes whole squadrons — that patrol its heavily encrusted hull.
Marine life
37 species you’re likely to encounter on a dive here.
Dive sites
6 signature sites at this destination.
YO-257 & San Pedro
A 174 ft U.S. Navy yard oiler (built 1938; served through World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) scuttled by Atlantis Submarines in 1989 about two miles off Waikīkī, resting upright on sand at ~30 m with large diver-access holes cut through the hull. The 34 m former fishing vessel San Pedro (scuttled 1996) lies roughly 30 m away across the sand, so both wrecks are normally covered on a single dive. Green turtles rest on the decks, bluestripe snapper school in the superstructure, and the Atlantis sightseeing submarine regularly glides past the wreck full of waving tourists.
20–30 mintermediateDay boatModerateVisibility 18–30 m
Sea Tiger
A 168 ft former Chinese trading vessel seized in 1992 for smuggling undocumented immigrants into Hawaiʻi, then stripped and scuttled off Waikīkī in 1999 by Voyager Submarines as a dive attraction. The largely intact hull sits upright with the main deck near 27 m and the sand at 34–37 m, making it Honolulu's deepest commonly dived recreational wreck. Pre-cut access points allow guided penetration of the cargo holds and bridge; bottom time is short, so operators run it as the first deep dive of a two-tank morning. Turtles rest on the deck and whitetip reef sharks shelter under the hull.
24–37 madvancedDay boatModerateVisibility 18–30 m
Mahi
West Oʻahu's signature wreck: a former U.S. Navy minesweeper scuttled in 1982 off the Waiʻanae coast as one of Hawaiʻi's early artificial-reef projects. It rests upright on sand at ~29 m with the main deck around 20 m, heavily encrusted after four decades down; sections of the mid-deck have collapsed, so penetration is discouraged and sharp metal warrants care. Spotted eagle rays patrol the hull — sometimes several at once — with clouds of milletseed butterflyfish and taʻape over the superstructure and the occasional passing turtle.
20–29 madvancedDay boatLightVisibility 18–30 m
Corsair Plane Wreck
An intact WWII-era Vought F4U Corsair fighter that ditched during a 1946 training flight, sitting upright on a flat sand bottom at ~33–35 m in Maunalua Bay off Hawaiʻi Kai. The propeller blades are bent back from the water landing and the cockpit and tail remain clearly recognizable. The surrounding sand flat hosts Oʻahu's only readily diveable garden eel colony, plus frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, morays, and the occasional stingray. The depth and open-ocean exposure make it a short, advanced, exterior-only dive — penetration is not possible on an aircraft this size.
32–35 madvancedDay boatModerateVisibility 24–30 m
Three Tables
Named for the flat reef sections that break the surface at low tide, a few hundred meters southwest of Sharks Cove within the same Pūpūkea MLCD. The best structure — ledges, arches, and lava tubes — lies at 9–14 m beyond the tables themselves. Entry is gentler than Sharks Cove on small days, but it shares the same summer-only window (roughly May–September) and the same no-take rules. A relaxed shore dive with green turtles, schooling goatfish, endemic reef fish, and octopus hunting the rubble.
4–14 mbeginnerShoreLightVisibility 9–18 m
Sharks Cove
The North Shore's best-known shore dive, inside the no-take Pūpūkea Marine Life Conservation District: a boulder-lined cove opening onto lava-tube caverns, arches, and swim-throughs in 5–14 m. Strictly a summer site — roughly May through September, when the North Shore lies flat — and completely undiveable under winter surf. Four decades of MLCD protection (established 1983) keep fish life dense; green turtles, moray eels, and day octopus are reliable, and the shallow caverns make a classic easy second dive or guided night dive.
3–14 mbeginnerShoreLightVisibility 9–18 m
Where to dive & stay
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