Makua Beach

You'll find an easy sandy beach entry next to the lava at the end of the beach. You can stay close to shore, or venture out and explore the lava flow.

Went freediving here a couple times last week and saw dolphins both times. Absolutely incredible!

Pray for Sets Beach (waves), renamed Pray for Sex Beach, aka, Yokohama Bay...a visually stunning white sand beach with a dramatic mountainous backdrop... Below, there is some interesting reef structure, but about 95 percent of the reef is dead and covered with algae. There are a few bright spots, including a school of pennantfish, bicolor anthias, and a few other species. There are few to no large game fish, and even the spinner dolphins appear to have abandoned the site. I went left, to the second ridge, ending in about 60 feet. Maybe the arch to the right would have been better? I had to endure a boat above trying to water ski with a surf board, and exited the water amidst four ATVs tearing up the beach without mufflers. Not exactly tranquil. Overall, not a great dive in my book....I'm happier with Kahe Point! Doubt I'll go back.

Just to let you know- my husband and I love snorkeling at Makua beach. We visited in 8/2003 and loved it. We were there last week 8-14-05 and our backpack was stolen off the beach- no big deal, only had swimsuits and sunscreen in it. Today, 8-20-05, a man and woman with a young boy and a baby set up near us and "befriended" us, but rifled through our bag while we were snorkeling, my 9yr old son was there with them. They stole our camera and car keys. They threw the keys down when they saw us coming, but drove off in their car before we could get the license number. Makua is not safe anymore. I am still very upset mostly because I believe it was more of a hate crime than for money. I have never experienced such animosity from Hawaiians before. There was another family sitting next to our vehicle. As I stood by our car searching frantically for my purse and crying they chided me, "you not gonna call the police are you?...no the car wasn't black, I think it was maroon…what do you call this place?..." There was another man camping there whom we helped carry rocks for his campfire. I ran to ask him if he saw the license plate numbers. He said no. Gave very insincere apologies as he felt me up under the guise of comforting. I am only very thankful that they dropped our keys. My cell phone did not work out there. We did nothing to incur this. We helped them, we do not fish there. We do not chase the fish or the dolphins. We do not walk on, take, or even touch the coral. Or anything else for that matter. We tried to understand and be a part of things. The only things we ever took from there are our own towels, etc, and other pieces of trash that others have left. I am afraid that if someone doesn't do something the thieves will become bolder. I really wish this had not happened, and hope it does not happen to others.

Makua has also been called Twin Pinnacles or Amphitheatre by local divers, back before someone spray painted Pray for Sex on a rock near the beach. Make sure you have good booties as there are lots of urchin on the shelf. If you giant stride off the lava rock shelf, swim straight out 270 degrees and you'll see what's left of what we used to call Twin Pinnacles. Heavy winter surf has taken its toll. You can tie off a flag there. Descend and head 270 again and you'll enter 2 consecutive collapsed lava tubes. The farther is referred to as the Amphitheatre. I've often seen Hawaiian turkey fish at this location. The nearest park facilities are at Yokohama Beach farther down Farrington Hwy.

Makua has also been called Twin Pinnacles or Amphitheatre by local divers, back before someone spray painted Pray for Sex on a rock near the beach. Make sure you have good booties as there are lots of urchin on the shelf. If you giant stride off the lava rock shelf, swim straight out 270 degrees and you'll see what's left of what we used to call Twin Pinnacles. Heavy winter surf has taken its toll. You can tie off a flag there. Descend and head 270 again and you'll enter 2 consecutive collapsed lava tubes. The farther is referred to as the Amphitheatre. I've often seen Hawaiian turkey fish at this location. The nearest park facilities are at Yokohama Beach farther down Farrington Hwy.

It seems that each time I visit Makua (which has been 3 times in the last month: all night dives), it just gets better and better. This is one of those dives that must be explored like a one would do when moving into a new neighborhood. The first time you come here you will find that the entrance is a very easy, sandy, beach entry. Make sure to enter on the left hand side of the beach so that you can reach the interesting ledges that are about 50-100 yards off shore easily. A surface swim is advised to conserve air. Once reached, you will descend about 35-50ft. and work your way along a ledge abundant in fish and invertebrates. I have seen dolphins in this area, which should be snorkeled if you want to see them, barracuda schools, lots of white goat fish, moorish idol schools, giant parrot fish, large yellow tang schools, and did I mention the famous and highly sought after Hawaiian checker cowries?! Yup, saw two on my last dive there. One more fact worthy of noting; the water temperature here is usually 2-3 degrees warmer than everywhere else on the island, with the exception of electric beach. Enjoy!

Makua Beach, also known as Pray for Sex Beach by local divers, is off the beaten path. The drive out to the site is pretty long, but well worth your time. You can either enter by the sandy strip of beach or by performing a giant stride from a triangular shaped outcropping located to the left of the beach. The surrounding reef is punctuated with several large trenches, all leading into deeper water. The area is also marked with many small caves and overhangs, all great hiding spots for eels, turtles, lobsters, crabs, and small reef fishes. During the winter months and when surf conditions permit, you may hear the sound of Humpback Whales communicating in the distance. The sound at times becomes so clear you get the feeling that the whales are right next to you. The best time to dive is during high tide and preferably during the morning hours when wind is usually calmer. Water visibility is normally greater than 75 feet. Leave a shore watch to protect your valuables.