Kona · United States · Pinnacle · Reef
Turtle Pinnacle
Green turtles rest at the base while kole surgeonfish clean them
Area photo: Brocken Inaglory · CC BY-SA 4.0
A reef pinnacle on the northwest coast of Kona, dropping to a maximum of 18 metres. Green sea turtles settle on the reef at its base and kole surgeonfish pick the algae off their shells, which is what most divers come to watch. Away from the cleaning stations the structure holds moray eels, octopuses and healthy coral cover.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Kona and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive is built around the base of the pinnacle, where green sea turtles rest on the reef and kole — surgeonfish — graze the algae off their backs. Green sea turtles are a threatened species protected by federal law, so this is a dive for watching from a distance: settle a few metres off, keep your hands to yourself, and let the turtles decide how close the encounter gets rather than swimming after them.
Away from the turtles the structure is worth working for its own sake. Moray eels sit back in the holes, octopuses shift colour against the rock, and the coral cover on the pinnacle is in good condition. Turtle Heaven, a separate site nearby that operators list alongside this one, is also good for turtles and adds a shallow arch to swim through, healthy coral and a drop-off. Pods of spinner dolphins occasionally pass while you are on the reef.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Dolphins
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Kona: Manta rays and reef diving are consistent year-round; Dec-Apr adds migrating humpback whales, while winter swell can occasionally limit access to exposed sites.
Dive videos
2015-05-13 - Kona - Dive 1 - Turtle Pinnacle · dreymers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Turtle Pinnacle?+
The maximum depth is 18 metres. The turtles are on the reef at the base of the pinnacle, so most of the dive is spent in the deeper half of that range.
Sources
- Favorite Boat Dive Sites — Jack's Diving Locker
- Hawaii Diving - Kona Island — Dive The World
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with sea turtlesBig animals · 15 min read
More dive sites in Kona
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Cave & cavern
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Sanctuary reef under the cliff where Cook was killed
Pelagic & blue water
Tethered in open ocean at night as deep-water animals rise to the surface
Night
Divers kneel on the sand at 10 m with lights aimed straight up
Two lava steps into turtle canyons at the Place of Refuge
Similar dives elsewhere
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