Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 9944h ago)
Max Depth
70ft
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park)
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.
Access
shore
View
Nearby Shops
Tide Report
5
4
3
2
1
(101)
Currently viewing a specific review. View all reviews
Bill Stohler
Sep 7, 2002, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is a great site that I dive just about every time I go to the Big Island. It's perhaps a little too popular. Straight off the entry, the reef continues to 70+ feet; to the right, it extends to nearly 100 feet. There are lots of green sea turtles, occasional spinner dolphins, spotted eagle rays, the black phase of the long nose butterfly fish, pyramid butterfly fish, a really large fine scale triggerfish, moray eels (lot of varieties), and of course, an amazing reef. Boats do race by overhead on their way to the adjacent boat ramp, so watch surfacing anywhere but right at the rocks. Very worthwhile, but overall, I prefer Puako.
Other Locations Nearby
