The Place of Refuge (also known as Two Steps) is a 'must-do' site. The drive to get there is wonderful, the entry is easy, and the diving is great. Turtles abound! The facilities are a little sparse. Take some water and a picnic lunch. There are porta-potties on the site.

Directions: From Kealakekua Bay, you can continue to travel South on Highway 160 for 3.2 miles to find the turn off. If this is your first destination of the day, you can take a faster route: from Kailua, drive south on Highway 11 for about 19 miles, well past Captain Cook. Take a right on Highway 160, Ke Ala o Keawe Road, (about mile mark 104) to Kealakekua Bay, and wind your way about 3.5 miles down to the ocean.

Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park)

If you are looking for a beautiful dive site that accommodates both snorkeling and diving, this is the spot.  There is a relatively shallow inside section that provides great animal encounters for snorkelers.  For the divers there is a beautiful slope of plate coral on the left side of the bay.  I would recommend looking under the plates for rare fishes.  If you want to go deep, you should give this site a try.

Mike at Hawaii's Dive Log

@mike_at_hawaii

1 dives