Dive Sites of Lana'i

SITE	DEPTHS	HIGHLIGHTS
First Cathedral	50-65 feet	This is the most popular dive site on Lana'i and for a very good reason; it's absolutely beautiful! If you have ever been to a church with stained glass windows, then you noticed that when you first enter all the light shines in from the side through the glass. This dive site gets its name from a similar effect caused by the light shining in from the sides of a 100-foot underwater lava tube. This has been the site for numerous underwater weddings and proposals. Another fun feature to this dive site is the exit of the lava tube. It is fondly know as the "shotgun" because when you exit the overhead surface action will actually "shoot" you out as you surf the pressure wave. This site also has several other interesting lava formations off the main lava tube.

Second Cathedral	40-65 feet	Just because it called "Second Cathedral" doesn't mean it second rate. This lava tube is larger than First Cathedral and is best described as a huge lava formation in the shape of Swiss cheese. The main body of this lava tube is about 30 feet in diameter. It’s massive!!!! Inside the cavern you will find numerous nocturnal fish that you can usually only find at night. This lava tube has about 7 different ways for a diver to enter and exit, making it a divers swim through paradise. On the seaward side of the pinnacle there is a really spectacular drop, with a nice cleaning station to check out the smaller creatures. This site also has a lot of the elusive pyramid butterfly fish.

Wash Rock	40-70 feet	With 4 different lava pinnacles, 3 of them having lava tubes, this site is Dive Guide favorite. The mooring is shallow water making for an easy start to the dive but deeper depths are just a short swim away. Because there are 4 different lava pinnacles this site is impossible to see on a single tank. If everyone is good on air you will be able to reach Lobster Rock, which is best described as a ‘roller coaster of swim throughs’. Blue stripe snapper, sail fin tans and octopus are only a few of the creatures you will see on this dive.

No Name	45-65 feet	This site is another very unique dive location. Not only do you have the typical Lana‘i swim through, but, because of a natural break-wall protecting the cove, you have the opportunity to safely get an underwater view of those waves breaking overhead. Many divers say this was their favorite dive site on Lana‘i. Fish are much easier to view here because they leave the safety of the bottom to compete for the free floating algae the waves have dislodged from the break-wall. Because this site is in a protective cove it is typically calmer than other south shore sites, and there is seldom if ever a current.

Knob Hill	60 feet	Knob Hill has been described as a large jungle gym for divers. It has several smaller swim throughs a nice arch and the one of a kind “knob” from which this site gets its name. The knob is on top of the highest pinnacle (the Hill) and the knob is somehow balancing on several smaller rocks. When you see the formation for the first time you will think “how’s that possible”? This is a very large wide-open site with no real boundaries; every time we dive there we find something new. At this site look for snapper, lobsters, and an over abundance of butterfly fish.

Fish Rock	40-60 feet	As you can guess from the name, this site has lots of fish. Many of the fish in Hawai`i are endemic, which means they live nowhere else in the world, and this site is a must dive for all fish lovers. There are 2 pinnacles loaded with critters. The mooring is in only 10 feet of water making the beginning of this dive very effortless. As you swim around the seaward side of the rock there is a dramatic drop-off where larger animals sometime swim by. Also this dive site is in the swimming path of the resident spinner dolphins, and they will occasionally swim overhead while we are down. If you hear clicking, LOOK UP. There may be dolphins swimming over your head. Make sure you request this site while on Lana‘i.

Menpachi Caves	30-55 feet	In the 1970’s this location was used for TV episodes of Charlie’s Angles and Hart to Hart. This site is a little shallower than most sites, but why go deep if everything you need is in 40 feet. This site has more bang for the buck than any other site on Lana‘i. Menpachi is the local word for Squire Fish and the reason it’s called Menpachi Caves is because of all the menpachi in the long lava tube. The lava tube at this site is not as big in diameter as some of the others on Lana‘i, but it is a very long one! In the main cavern there is an opening that leads back to a smaller cave. Shine your light in there and you are likely to see almost every species of lobster we have in Hawai`i. Menpachi Caves has not only one of the longer tube, but lots of other swim throughs and a wealth marine life.

Monolith	45-100 feet	The Good Lord delivered us this dive site directly from the movie 2001. Alright, it is not exactly like the monolith from the movie, but once you dive this unique formation you will know why we call it the Monolith. It is a large rectangular lava pinnacle that starts in about 110 feet and comes all the way up to 45 feet. Since it is a sheer drop off along the sides of Monolith it is technically a wall dive. This site is not commonly dived so the reef is in pristine condition. Also, this is one of the few locations where you can still find black coral shallower than 150 feet. While checking out the black coral tree look for the long nose hawk fish. He has lived there for over 10 years now. This dive site is a little farther from shore so the visibility it typically better than other south shore sites.

Shark Fin	50-80 feet	SHARK!!!!! Just kidding. This dive site gets its name because the rock next to the site looks like a large shark fin. Shark Fin Rock is actually located at the south western tip of the island, and the western side typically has the best visibility of anywhere on Lana‘i. The underwater topography around the rock is a good dive but the drop off at the end of the rock is first-rate. Tons of fish are at the drop off and the superior visibility makes it feel like you can see forever. The under water beauty here is only surpassed by the spectacular sea cliffs on the western shore.

Light House	40-70 feet	Also located on the south western side of the island this site is nestled into a cove with 500 foot sea cliffs offering great protection. Typically this scuba site has flat calm conditions and crystal clear water. This is also one of the areas where we take our guest for our snorkel sails. When you get into the water the first thing you’ll notice is all the large boulders which is debris from the land slide that formed Lana’i’s massive western sea cliffs (or pali). Ask one of our local captains to tell you the history of this cove. It is actually an ancient Hawai`ian royal fishing ground and considered by many to very sacred. While diving you’ll see why the fishing here is so good. This is also the only spot where we can regularly find white tip reef sharks.

Sergeant Major	40-60 feet	Located on the south east tip of the island we rarely dive this site because it is usually crowded with Maui dive boats looking to cut off some of that long travel time back to Maui. This dive site has 3 lava formations in relatively shallow water. The lava formations are close together and you typically dive between the formations so it is like being in an underwater ravine. The site is known as Sergeant Major because of all the reef fish of that name that can be found in large numbers.

Emerald City	30-50 feet	This is my personal favorite dive site on Lana‘i. It is very to close shore so you can only dive it when there is no south swell. At this writing there still is no mooring at this dive site making it difficult to dive since we don’t drop our anchors and kill the reef. So, this dive must be conducted as a drift dive. But fortunately, there is seldom if ever a current. Because this site is rarely dived the reef is in great condition and the fish are not used to divers so they react naturally to you. This site has 3 large lava formations about 100 feet apart. While all of them have swim-throughs, the middle one has a distinctive formation of 3 swim-throughs side by side. So, as you exit the first you enter the next one and so on. The third pinnacle has a unique forked swim through that is very difficult to describe. You’ll just have to dive it to understand!

Barge Harbor	50-100 feet	Skin Diver Magazine listed this spot as one of the “Top 10 Unknown Dive Sites in Hawai`i”. There is only one word to describe this dive site: “fabulous”. Because it’s on the western shore the water is crystal clear. The dive itself is a wall dive that slopes down to well over 100 feet. Fish, fish!!! There is no other dive site on Lana`i that has a larger or a greater sheer volume of fish than Barge Harbor. This is a deeper location with no mooring. It’s also too deep for an anchor so it must be conducted as a drift dive. Located in the middle of the western shore on Lana`i, it is a pretty good boat ride to get here. Because of the long travel time we typically only do this dive on exclusive dive trips. It takes over an hour to get there on the catamaran but we can make it in our jet boat in about 30 minutes. It is well worth the ride.

3 Stone	60 feet	3 Stone or 3 sisters is one of the most scenic seascapes in Hawai`i. The dive site itself is also one of the most pristine in the world. Located even farther up the western shore than Barge Harbor, we typically only do this dive on exclusive dive trips. It will take well over an hour to get there on the catamaran, but we can make it in our jet boat in about 40 minutes. The only other boats you see this far up the western shore are fishing boats.

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