Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 2107h 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
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Tom Mellor
May 28, 2001, 12:00 AM
scuba
This site had the healthiest reef of the several I visited. One reviewer said it was like being inside an aquarium...that's true, though I don't like the metaphor (Hawaii is experiencing a significant problem with aquarium fish collection.) We actually snorkeled this area because the abundance of life is within 25 meters of the shore, including numerous turtles. The site is very popular and crowds can be a problem in the water and with parking, as parking is limited at the site. Yellow tangs are so plentiful here, that you have to appreciate that the area is a protected marine sanctuary free of collectors. I can only imagine that a night dive here would be phenomenal. Dive charters also frequent the area. I didn't see any larger animals.
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