A shore dive at the north end of West Maui, inside the 45-acre Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District. PADI gives a maximum depth of 15 feet (4 m), with reef running out over a sandy bottom and green turtles, snapper, surgeonfish and triggerfish along it. Manta rays pass through seasonally.
Where it is and how deep
21.0140° N, 156.6382° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Everything goes in on your back. The coastline at this end of West Maui is rugged and the bay is reached by trail from a parking lot on the highway above, so the walk in decides how much gear you take, and the entry is off the small beach at the head of the bay. The bottom is reef broken up by sand, and the whole site is shallow — PADI puts the maximum depth at 15 feet (4 m) — which makes for a long, unhurried dive rather than a deep one.
Work the reef out from the entry and back. Common sightings are grouper, surgeonfish, trumpetfish and pipefish, triggerfish, butterflyfish, snapper and flying gurnard, with large green turtles over the reef and mantas spotted in certain seasons. In 4 m of water your gas lasts as long as your patience does, and the same shallows suit a snorkel as well as a tank.
The bay changes through the year. Winter swells push nutrients in and keep the reef healthy, but they also bring large waves into the bay, so the diving is best in the summer months. It all sits inside the 45-acre (18 ha) Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District, where any commercial activity without a permit from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is illegal.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Manta rays
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Diving is best in the summer months; the winter swells that feed the reef also make the bay rough and hard to get into.
Photos from Honolua Bay
Steve Ryan · CC BY-SA 2.0
SNORKELINGDIVES.COM · CC BY 2.0
SNORKELINGDIVES.COM · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Scuba Diving Honolua Bay on Maui | Hawaii | Aloha Divers | 4K · Aloha Divers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Honolua Bay?+
Shallow. PADI lists a maximum depth of 15 feet (4 m) across the site, so it is a long shallow dive over reef and sand and works just as well as a snorkel. PADI still lists Advanced Open Water as the recommended training here.
When is the best time to dive Honolua Bay?+
Summer. Winter swells create nutrient-rich conditions that support the reef but bring large waves into the bay, and PADI notes the diving here is best in the summer months.
Sources
- Honolua Bay Dive Site — PADI
- Honolua, Hawaii — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Aerial view of Honolua Bay's turquoise water, fringing reef and anchored catamaran by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Close-up of a goldring surgeonfish over coral with a parrotfish behind it by Steve Ryan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- School of striped convict tangs schooling over a coral bommie by SNORKELINGDIVES.COM, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Deep reef slope with scattered coral heads and small yellow butterflyfish by SNORKELINGDIVES.COM, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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