Jake Nelson's Dive Log

We were looking to dive Sharks cove but the surf was up 2-4 feet and Sharks cove looked a little dicey with the rocks. We drove over to Waimea Bay to see how it looked at the beach. The left side of the beach is recommended for diving on this web site but there was a good sized shore break there which we decided to avoid. The right side of the beach had a standard break and was manageable with the surf. The lifeguard told us there was a reef on the right side of the bay about two thirds the distance out. The reef starts out flat at about 30 feet and continues out to the mouth of the bay where you hit the wall which drops down to about 55 feet. Nothing outstanding about this section of the wall. Saw a few fish but the best part were the 5 turtles we saw. The turtles were swimming around the flat reef at 30 feet. Did not see any at the wall. I don't recommend going all the way out to the wall on the right side of the bay due to the long swim. Overall it was a fun dive. Entry/Exit were pretty easy even with the surf up. Vis was still good. Nice beginner-intermediate dive depending on how far you swim. By the way, we went during a week in May and the crowds were not bad. Many locals did warn us not to leave any valuables in the car (we heard this from multiple sources).

Did not dive here the first day because the surf was up 2-4 feet. The entry is rocky and would be dangerous with that level of surf. The local recommendations we heard said not to try with surf greater than 1-2 feet. The phone number for a local surf report is 596-SURF. Day two the surf was 1-2 feet and the entry required caution but was not difficult. The lava formations were impressive. Saw a respectable number of fish and 1 turtle. Overall this was a great dive. Under the right conditions the entry is reasonable. The swim required was short with a great payoff. Max depth was 35 feet so bottom time was long. Vis was pretty good even though the surf had been up the day before. I will be going back!