Sea Turtles – IBDivingMon

Knob Hill Scuba Diving Lanai

Knob Hill is an interesting and very nice dive site. It is fairly shallow about 55 to 60 feet (16 to 18 meters) and teeming with life.

However, it is often not possible to dive on this site due to strong currents . Knob Hill is just off the coast of Lanai by the Four Seasons Hotel. Knob Hill’s name comes from a large rock formation near the surface that is supported by four columns. This is a large dive site on the south side of Lanai that is quite exposed. While, I have been diving around Lanai for 12+ years I have only been on this site three or four times.

Rating = 3.86 out of 5

Visibility – moderate to very good
Access – Moderate; boat only and 45 to 50 minutes from Lahaina Harbor
Current – moderate strong most of time
Depth to 60 ft / 18 m
Reef health Hard / Soft Corals – Very Good
Marine species variety – Very Good
Pelagics / Mammals / Turtles / Rays – moderate to good, typical at least 1 to 3 sightings up close, sometimes many more

The only reason Knob Hill is not rated higher, is the current makes it a very difficult dive site to dive 80% of the time. Correspondingly, if the current is mild this is an awesome site.

Knob Hill Overview

Knob Hill Reef, Steven W Smeltzer, Lanai — Knob Hill Reef

Knob Hill has a number of swim-throughs and volcanic structures, such as the “table” above that make the site quite interesting. The marine life on the site is varied and abundant. As a matter of fact, you will almost always find large schools fish. These schools typically consist of Pennant Butterflyfishes, Dascyllus, Yellow Tangs, Sea Turtles, White-tip Reef Sharks, various eels and much more. Once the boat is on the mooring at Knob Hill, the dive master make take you on several different routes around this expansive dive site. Due to the current and infrequent visits by divers, the hard coral here is quite healthy. In addition, there is a nice swim through / cave where you can frequently find White-tip Reef Sharks. Furthermore, you can also see quite a few nudibranchs on this site and rare species such as the endemic Yellow-striped Coris and Reticulated Butterflyfish.

Knob Hill, White-tip Reef Shark, Steven W Smeltzer, — White-tip Reef Shark, Profile, Triaenodon obesus, (Rüppell, 1837), mano lalakea, Lanai, Hawaii

In addition, Knob Hill has a nice swim through on the site where you can many times find White-tip Reef Sharks. In fact, this shark, in particular, was quite curious and swam with me through the swim through. He even gave me a nice profile. 🙂

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Diving Turtle Reef Maui, Hawaii

We began a two week look at Maui, Lanai and Molokai reefs with a visit to Turtle Reef on Maui. Turtle Reef is located outside and to the south of the harbor in Lahaina.
Furthermore, the name of this reef actually refers to a general area of reef on the western side of Maui. The site runs from just past the harbor in Lahaina to Ukumehama Beach State Park (also know as Thousand Peaks). In fact, this large area of reef has many dive spots and is relatively shallow with most of the dive under 35 to 40 feet. This is a great spot for chilling and the reef is in very good conditions in most areas. In addition, this site is popular for refresher dives and for completing the basic dives required for scuba certification.

The site can be a bit cloudy if the seas are choppy or you have a large swell, but for the most part visibility is reasonable. It is also a good place to see a wide variety of Hawaiian marine life. This site can be accessed from boat or shore. The trip fro the harbor is just about 10 minutes so an easy ride and a great way to spend an afternoon.

Sea Turtles of Hawaii

Five of the world’s seven species of sea turtles make their home in Hawaii. These include the Green Sea Turtle (honu), Hawksbill (honu‘ea), Leatherback, loggerhead, and Olive Ridley. However, the green sea turtle is by far the most commonly encountered sea turtle on Hawaiian reefs. The next most common is theHawksbill. Olive ridley, Leatherback, and Loggerhead sea turtles are typically found in deeper, offshore waters. Consequently they are rarely seen by the average ocean-goer. On Maui, sea turtles are a favorite discovery of snorkelers and divers on the island’s South and West coastlines.

Up later in the week are dives on Molokini Crater, Lanai, other areas of Maui and Molokai (looking for those Hammerheads).

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Top Hawaiian Dive Sites

If you are heading Hawaii and looking for places to dive, consider these top Hawaiian dive sites. There are many great dives sites to visit. However, for me, the top Hawaiian Dive Sites are on Lanai, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii.

However, advanced /experienced divers must head for Molokai and Fish Rain. This is the place for Hammerheads. Fish Rain is a beautiful pinnacle that literally “rains” fish as you look for the elusive Hammerhead sharks.

Furthermore, on Maui, there are several good places. Two of my favorites are Molokini Crater and Mala Pier. You can dive Mala Pier as either a boat dive or a shore dive. However, it is really a great night dive. In fact, it is one of my favorite spots in Hawaii. Easy entry (off the boat ramp) and usually great visibility. The site almost always has sharks and turtles. Also, it has great ambient light for photography.

On the Big Island, you have to do the Manta Dive. Check out the phases of the moon (seriously) before you go. It seems that the Mantas can be seen more in the waxing and waning phases of the moon. Furthermore, you can also check on daily sightings and help determine when it is your best chance at seeing the most Manta Rays.

For information on other dive sites go to my Hawaii Dive Sites page.. and visit my website for images of fish from around the world and reviews of other great dive sites.

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Scuba Diving Maui – Molokini Crater

Overall Rating = 3.75 out of 5

Molokini Crater is one of the best dives if not the best dive on Maui. This scuba diving site is only accessible via boat and is at the remnants of an extinct volcano. The crescent of the volcano “cone” rises above the sea some 165 feet. The small island lies in the Alalakeiki Channel between the islands of Kahoolawe and Maui. The opening side of the crater faces the northwest and only a short boat ride from the Wailea side of Maui. If you are interested in some of the history around Molokini Crater there is a short article written by Edward L Caum, Geology of Molokini and published in 1930. There are a couple of “plate” photographs included in the article and it is interesting to compare to the crater today. Molokini Crater has been a Marine Preserve(MLCD) since the summer of 1977 and features one of the most pristine hard coral reefs in Hawaii.

The ride from the Lahina side of the island takes about 45 minutes and if you tend to get sea sick, I would recommend driving about 45 minutes or an hour to the Wailea area where you can take a very easy boat ride to the crater.

I prefer scuba diving with Lahina Divers but you must take about a 45 minute boat ride to the Molokini crater. If you want you can use a scuba diving operator that leaves from the Wailea side of Maui. If you are staying in Wailea I would certainly recommend this, although the boats tend to be smaller and there is one operator on that side that I simply refer to as the “Scuba Nazi”. So be careful of the operator that you choose. Make sure you check out the reviews and the equipment used by each of the dive operators. The v-hull boats that leave the Wailea area can be quite cramped if the number of divers is more than 10 on the boat and on many of these there is little if any room to move around.

The Dive

Access – Moderate to Moderately Difficult to reach the site; boat only (You should not take a boat from Lahaina if you get seasick – 45 minute boat ride); Much easier ride from Wailea side.
Depth to 125+ft
Visibility – good to excellent
Current – mild to extremely strong at the edges of the crater
Marine Species variety – good; normally White-tip Reef Sharks at about 110 feet on the far eastern edge of the crescent
Reef health – good to very good

Scuba Diving Molokini Crater is certainly the best boat dive on the island of Maui. You have to go to Lanai or Molokai to find better deep water scuba diving sites. The clarity of the water is usually quite good at Molokini and there are a several dive sites on the volcano on the outside of the crescent shape crater and on the inside of the crater.

Enenue – Inside eastern tip of the crescent
Middle Reef – Inside just to the east of the middle of the crescent and closer to the cone
Tako Flats – Inside on the western side of the crescent
Reef’s End – Far western end of the crescent
The Back Side – Outside or on the back of the crescent

For inside the crater I like the Eastern edge – Enenue. At about 120 feet there is a series of overhangs that tend to house several White-tip Reef Sharks. As you are swimming down and back up after visiting the “condos” there is a good variety of marine species. You will find typical butterflyfishes, wrasses, damselfishes, eels, and crustaceans all around the crater. You will also find sea turtles on a regular basis and on a very rare occasion humpback whales have been seen by scuba divers at Molokini crater.

The current can be quite strong on the outside edges of the crater, so do not go outside the crater for any reason if your group is scuba diving the “inside”. The current at the edges can take a diver quite a distance in a very short period of time. For this reason you must take a safety sausage with you on this dive and know how to use it. If you are scuba diving the inside of the crater you will rarely have much if any current and even if the seas are choppy the cone of the volcano protects the inner dive sites quite well.

In the sand flats of the crater you will often find Freckled Snake Eels, so take your time on this dive and also make sure you “look” into the distance often as you can see various types of sharks and on especially amazing dives you may even see a Humpback Whale. If you are diving in whale season (December to April/May) make sure you listen for the whale song. In February to early April I have heard literally dozens of whales singing to each other. It certainly makes the dive a lot more interesting.

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