Diver Reviews:    (Please share your own experiences by clicking here!)

09/03/2006 ScubaFella43 (Avg: 2.84 Review) - Ok, unless you really, really dig long walks with your scuba equipment and equally long surface swims STAY AWAY. I bet this place is a great snorkel because there sure was nothing spectacular about this dive site. I lost my dive knife here too, but thankfully it was a cheapo $15.00 knife.

08/08/2004 Seth Bareiss (Avg: 2.30 Review) - I'm baffled that no-one has mentioned the Winter season waves here. They are spectacular to look at (some of the world's largest, measuring 30'/10m on some days) but of course make Winter diving here an impossibility excepting miracles. The "jumping rock" pictured at left in the photos does, indeed have a Y-shaped short tunnel under its point, but nothing to brag about. It's about 12' long, and it's not worth the risk of being struck by falling jumpers. I've jumped off the rock, which is as exhilarating as a bungee jump, but foolhardy at low tide or if you mis-time and jump into a wave-trough. The water around Jumping Rock is quite shallow. // In other respects, when Waimea is diveable, it's like grandparents: pleasant, well-equipped for guests, but ultimately a bit boring. The shower and bathroom are excellent. Parking fills quickly, even extending far up the road to the cliff overlook. Down the street a very short walk are Hawaii's first mission church, Backpackers' youth hostel, Three Tables dive site, and Sharks Cove dive site (named for its shape, not its contents. No sharks here, folks). // Waimea has occasional small lobsters and 7-11 crabs (so called because they have 7 spots when viewed from the front, 4 more when viewed from the back). Other life is not very plentiful here. If you visit, be sure to see the BIG banyan tree(s) in the parking lot of Waimea Park (free to visit the parking lot, $25-ish to get into the park) across the street.

12/14/2003 Anonymous (Avg: 3.12 Review) - Nice, and good for the kids. Safe protected area.

08/09/2003 Jensen (Avg: 3.83 Review) - My husband and daughters are kind of crazy swimmers and divers, but they wouldn't consider not jumping off JUMP ROCK. They learned from the locals up there. They also learned of a cave under Jump Rock you can hold your breath and swim from one side of the rock to the other.

05/24/2003 Jake Nelson (Avg: 3.07 Review) - 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).

05/31/2002 Anonymous (Avg: 3.60 Review) - First night dive site for the wife and I, great entry and exit (even with knee-high waves). Excellent orientation lighting, especially if the bell tower at the church is lit (and a well-placed traffic light). Turtles, lobster, octopus, long lava trenches to sneak along. Plenty of archways to explore and minimal current if there's no appreciable swell.

01/23/2002 Frank DeCarvalho (Avg: 3.31 Review) - Despite the long surface swim from the entry point, this is an excellent site worth exploring. The many raised "islands" along the shore provide an abundance of sea life to view and photograph. Look carefully within the small rock openings for the elusive Hawaiian Humpback Cowry. Once you make your way down the wall, the shore opens up into a small bay surrounded by rock outcroppings and ledges. The area has many caves and small overhangs. I have seen numerous lobsters hiding within the shadows and several large passing pelagic fish on many occasions. On calm days, the swim out is very relaxing and enjoyable. I love the scenery and beauty of the surrounding hills. Wear your booties when walking over the hot sand to and from the entry point. This is also a very good night diving spot. Showers are available to wash your gear, making this a great place to spend the day. Also look at diving along the opposite side of the bay (Northern side near the church). The point is simply spectacular with depths averaging 50 feet or more. You can thank me later.

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Diver Averages for  Waimea Bay (wall)  (1=worst, 5=best)