Honolua Bay
Honolua Bay
This is a special treat as a boat dive. I have done this as a beach dive
many times and really love every minute of it, except the snorkeling out to the
dive site. The bay has a fresh water stream that feeds into it during the rainy
season. This has caused the reef that is close to shore to be smoothered by slit
and fresh water debris. Once off shore about 300 yards the reef begins to recover.
There is wonderful reef on both sides of the bay, just pick the clearest side.
I actually don't have a favorite side here. The reef probably begins a little
sooner on the north side of the bay because that fresh water stream feeds in on
the south side. The north side has turtles and is a favorite place for snorkel
boats to come to. The bay is protected from the winds that some times kick up
during the day. There is a massive amount of coral here. There is a jeep in shallow
water, that must have gone off the cliffs years ago. Last time I was there, there
wasn't much left of it. A sad site to see on this side of the bay is snorklers
standing on the reef. If you look, a major portion of the shallow reef is dead
because snorkelers feel the need to stand up and walk around in the shallows.
The fish are friendly on this side due to the number of snorkel boats who allow
fish feeding. On second thought, maybe I do have a favorite side. The south side
of bay is a little further out. Because of that it doesn't draw the snorkelers
to it. Divers doing this as a beach dive also have a longer surface swim. I do
not recommend dropping in on this site until you find the reef. There is nothing
in the center of the bay except sand and silt and getting disorientated is a definite
possibility. The south side has a turtle population that seems to like to sleep,
tucked in the niches in the sloping sides of the coral. I begin this dive in about
20 feet of water keeping the increasingly steep coral rises on my left and following
the contor around until my group reaches 1500 psi. There is some wonderful areas
to exlpore and there is a canyon area that usually marks my turnaround point.
It almost looks like a valley with stairs towards the back. I usually run the
dive in a triangle shape bringing the divers back over the top of the coral and
swimming thru some of the cracks and crevices. Keep your eyes open for those dolphin
that I talked about before and anything else that might be crusing in deeper water.
Usually a 45 foot dive with unlimited bottom time.
All photos and intellectual property © Erik Stein
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