Artificial reef
down to 18 m
Kewalo Pipe
- Open Water
- Turtles
Oahu
Diving in United States
16 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for whitetip reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays.
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Water
- 22–27 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Oahu in October
Best season- Sea
- 27 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 30 °C
- 21 °C at night
- Rain
- 50 mm
- average for the year
- Wind
- 10 km/h
- on average
The warmest water of the year.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Leeward/south shore diving runs year-round; May–October is the calm, best-visibility window. The North Shore (Pupukea: Shark's Cove, Three Tables) is effectively a summer-only shore-diving area: winter surf makes it extremely dangerous.
Dive sites in Oahu
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m2 sitesFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m13 sites
Haleiwa Trench
Shore dive off Haleiwa Beach Park into a reef-cut trench with ledged walls and small caves, bottoming near 30 m.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Turtles
Wreck
down to 40 m
Sea Tiger Wreck
A 190-foot cargo ship sitting upright in 100 feet of water a short boat ride from Waikiki, visited by turtles, eagle rays and reef sharks.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Wreck
down to 37 m
YO-257
A former Navy Yard Oiler that served in WWII and the Korean War, sunk off Waikiki in 1989 and visited by turtles, eagle rays and reef sharks.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Pinnacle
down to 24 m
Ewa Pinnacles
Volcanic pinnacles at 15-24 m with overhangs, whitetip reef sharks and occasional manta rays.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
Wreck
down to 27 m
LCU (Landing Craft Utility)
A landing craft wreck on a sandy bottom where divers often find whitetip reef sharks hiding underneath.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Wreck
down to 30 m
Mahi Wreck
A former naval minesweeper sunk off Waiʻanae, with schools of pufferfish, eagle rays, octopus and whitetip reef sharks.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Wreck
down to 20 m
Nashua (Navy Tug)
Oahu's most requested dive: a 109-foot Navy tug in 20 m outside Pearl Harbor where whitetip reef sharks settle inside.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
Wreck
down to 29 m
San Pedro Wreck
A smaller wreck sunk in 1996 for Atlantis Submarines' reef project, dived alongside the YO-257 off Waikiki and full of life.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Rock formations
down to 30 m
Kahuna Canyon
- Advanced
- Octopus
Cavern
down to 14 m
Makaha Caverns
West-side lava caverns, arches and swim-throughs where turtles are frequent visitors.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Reef
down to 30 m
Nautilus Reef
Lava-field reef just off Ala Moana Beach, shallow inshore and dropping to about 30 m on its south side.
- Advanced
- Turtles
Cavern
down to 20 m
Shark's Cove
- Advanced
- Nudibranchs
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m1 siteWreck
down to 35 m
Corsair
WWII Vought F4U Corsair fighter at about 33 m, Oahu's most famous true wreck.
- Experienced
- Galápagos sharks
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whalesSource: scubadiving.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Humpback whales: Dec–Apr
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Moray eels
- Manta rays
- Galápagos sharks
- Sandbar shark
- Dolphins
- Seals
- Frogfish
Where is Oahu?
Oahu: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Oahu?
- The best months to dive Oahu are May–Oct. Leeward/south shore diving runs year-round; May–October is the calm, best-visibility window. The North Shore (Pupukea: Shark's Cove, Three Tables) is effectively a summer-only shore-diving area: winter surf makes it extremely dangerous.
- Is Oahu good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 2 of the 16 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Kewalo Pipe and Turtle Canyon. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Oahu?
- The water is usually between 22 °C and 27 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Oahu?
- Divers regularly see whitetip reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays, nudibranchs, octopus and moray eels.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Hanauma Bay, Oahu, ErgoSum88, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Haleiwa Trench dive site, Oahu, Hawaii, Devilfish808, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash
