Oʻahu · United States · Wreck
Kahala Barge
Dilapidated barge at 24-27 m, no penetration
Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
A barge lying in 24 to 27 m on a large sandy area off Kahala, graded as an advanced dive because currents can hit the wreck hard. The structure is very dilapidated and is not safe to enter, so the diving is done outside it, over plating that schooling reef fish have taken as their own.
Where it is and how deep
21.2502° N, 157.7511° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The barge sits at 24 to 27 m in the middle of a large sandy area, which makes it easy to find and easy to leave — the structure is the only relief for some distance. It is graded as an advanced dive mainly for the current, which can come onto the wreck hard, and for the depth: there is not a lot of no-decompression time at 27 m once the descent is done.
The wreck itself is very dilapidated and is not safe to penetrate, so the dive is worked around the outside of it. Schools of butterflyfish, surgeonfish, triggerfish and wrasse hold on the plating, and the surrounding sand is open enough that rays and sharks are a possibility away from the structure.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Kahala Barge
- Type
- Barge
- Cause
- Unrecorded — no published account of how or when the barge came to be on the bottom
- Lies
- On a large sandy area at 24-27 m, very dilapidated and unsafe to enter
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Oʻahu: South-shore boat diving runs all year; the North Shore reefs at Pupukea are only calm from about May to October and are dangerous in winter.
Know before you go
- The barge is very dilapidated and is not safe to penetrate; the dive is planned around the outside of the structure.
- Current can hit the wreck strongly, so the descent and the return to the line have to be planned for it.
Sources
- Kahala Barge — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
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