Oʻahu · United States · Wreck
Sea Tiger
Upright 58 m wreck, ten minutes off Waikiki
Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
A 58 m ship put down as an artificial reef in June 1999 and now the closest wreck to Waikiki, ten minutes from the dock. She sits upright on sand with 40 m under her keel, but the dive itself is normally run between 24 and 30 m, and turtles, eagle rays and whitetip reef sharks have taken the ship over.
Where it is and how deep
21.2817° N, 157.8637° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The ship stands upright on a sand bottom that lies at 40 m, and most of what divers come for sits well above that: the normal working range on the wreck is 24 to 30 m, along the deck and superstructure rather than down at the keel. That is the profile the shops plan, and it keeps a reasonable amount of no-decompression time on a wreck 58 m long.
Marine life has done the rest of the work since 1999. Green turtles use the structure, whitetip reef sharks patrol it, and eagle rays and large Hawaiian stingrays cross the sand around it; tiger sharks are an occasional sighting. Frogfish and moray eels are the small finds for anyone who slows down and searches the plating rather than swimming the length of the ship twice.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Sea Tiger
- Type
- Ship sunk as an artificial reef
- Length
- 58 m (190 ft)
- Sunk
- 1999
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk as an artificial reef on 24 June 1999 by Voyager Submarines
- Lies
- Upright on a sandy bottom off Waikiki, 40 m to the sand
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Frogfish
- Reef sharks
- Tiger sharks
| 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 sand alongside sits at 40 m, well below the 24-30 m working range, so it is easy to lose depth awareness off the edge of the wreck.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Sea Tiger?+
She rests upright with the sand at 40 m, but the dive is generally run between 24 and 30 m on the deck and superstructure, so an advanced or deep qualification is the sensible minimum.
How far is the Sea Tiger from Waikiki?+
About ten minutes by boat from Waikiki Beach, the closest wreck to dive from there, which is why it is a standard first stop on south-shore charters.
Sources
- Sea Tiger (Wreck) — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Oahu — Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Discover the Best Dive Sites in Honolulu — Rainbow Scuba Hawaii
More dive sites in Oʻahu
Reef
Protected since 1967, about 400 fish species
Reef
Double horseshoe reef, nothing below 12 m
Wreck
Dilapidated barge at 24-27 m, no penetration
Wreck
Navy tug alone on sand at 20 m, sharks inside
Wreck
Sunk beside the YO-257, decks at 20 and 21 m
Reef
Half a mile of ledge, 7-12 m down to 18-24 m
Wall
Lava caves down a drifted wall to 43 m
Wall
Ledges to 49 m, drifted, deep training only
Similar dives elsewhere
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