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

Oʻahu · United States · Wall · Drift

Split Rock

Ledges to 49 m, drifted, deep training only

Area photo: mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0

The deepest dive on the Oʻahu list and an expert one: a wall running from about 34 m to 40 m before dropping again to 49 m, dived as a drift. The site takes its name from a split in a large boulder at the point of one of its ledges, and large jacks and slipper lobsters are the standing residents.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Split Rock: typical dive 34–40 m (112–130 ft), deepest point 49 m (161 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit34 m40 m49 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 60 m (197 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

21.2544° N, 157.7201° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

This is an expert site and it is planned as one. The wall runs from about 34 m to 40 m, then drops again from roughly 40 m to 49 m, and the whole thing is dived as a drift rather than swum against. Deep training and equipment suited to it are the stated requirement, and the depth means bottom time is decided before you get in the water.

The name comes from a split in a large boulder found at the point of one of the ledges — the landmark the site was named for. Parrotfish and large jacks, the ulua of the local name, work the wall, and the ledges hold yellow hairy-legged hermit crabs in outsized shells, sponge crabs and slipper lobsters for anyone with the gas budget to stop and look.

Marine life and season

  • Trevally & jacks
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Split Rock
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.

Know before you go

  • An expert-graded deep dive: the profile bottoms out at 49 m and the site is only suitable for divers with deep training and specialised equipment.
  • The site is drifted rather than moored, so the group has to stay together and be picked up downstream.

Sources

  1. Split Rock — Scubago — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide

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