Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 2450h 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
Joe Foster
Mar 31, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
Dove here with my 2 boys on March 17th, 2008. I think this is great spot to limit a dive to 30 feet. We ended up going out deeper to 80 feet, but most of the life is at the surface. While we were down, a school of Spinner Dolphins came into the bay to play. Following our dive, my brother-in-law who is a quadriplegic and hadn't been in the ocean for 23 years looked like he was ready for the experience. I put a life jacket on him and lifted him into the water and when he felt comfortable put a mask on him, but he found the snorkel too hard to breath through, so I grabbed my tank and gave him my octopus. We just stayed on the surface and dragged him around, but that was the best 30 minutes of the entire trip. This site is the best I found for a family spot to allow for snorkeling while others dive.
Other Locations Nearby
