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
Advanced≤30 m
YO-257
Dive site in Oahu, United States
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.
- Usual dive
- 26 m
- Deepest point
- 37 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Entry
- By boat
- Current
- Moderate
The story
The YO-257 was a Navy fueling vessel built in 1943 and decommissioned in 1982. In 1989 it was sunk off the coast of Waikiki.
Source: blog.padi.com
The dive
A wreck and artificial reef dive from a boat. Known for whitetip reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: hawaiiecodivers.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck, Artificial reef
- Current
- Moderate
- Estimated
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Trevally
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
Why divers come
- History
Best time to dive
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: May–Sep.
Where is Oahu?
The point shows the Oahu area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Oahu
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 35 m
Corsair
WWII Vought F4U Corsair fighter at about 33 m, Oahu's most famous true wreck.
- Experienced
- Galápagos 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
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Haleiwa Trench dive site, Oahu, Hawaii, Devilfish808, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
