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Coral heads and sergeant damselfish over a shallow reef in clear blue water — Oʻahu

Oʻahu · United States · Reef · Wall

Skimin’s Reef

Half a mile of ledge, 7-12 m down to 18-24 m

Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0

A long ledge that drops from 7-12 m down to 18-24 m and runs for at least half a mile, with arches cut through it along the way. The top of the reef carries dense coral and fish, the wall face holds the schooling fish, and the blue off the edge is where anything larger shows up.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Skimin’s Reef: typical dive 7–24 m (23–80 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit7 m24 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

21.2796° N, 157.6752° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The feature is a single long ledge that drops from 7 to 12 m at the top down to 18 to 24 m at the base and runs at least half a mile, so no one dive covers it and the plan is simply which stretch to swim. Arches are cut through the reef along its length and give the route its landmarks and a reason to work the face rather than the top.

The top of the reef carries dense coral and reef fish, the wall itself holds schooling fish along its length, and pufferfish sit back in the darker holes. The blue off the edge of the ledge is worth a look every few minutes — larger animals pass along this drop, and the ledge is the line they follow.

Background

The reef is named for Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Skimin, who died in a US Coast Guard training accident off Diamond Head in 2008; the site was found and named for him shortly afterwards. The ledge itself runs at least half a mile, with arches cut through it along its length.

Marine life and season

  • Reef fish swarms
Month-by-month season rating for Skimin’s Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGood

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.

Sources

  1. Skimin’s Reef — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide

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