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Garden Eel Cove
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
88Good out of 100 for your dates
5 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 276, good
- Tue 387, good
- Wed 488, good
- Thu 588, good
- Fri 687, good
- Sat 788, good
- Sun 888, good
- Mon 988, good
- Tue 1091, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 9 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Wswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 76, good | 1.3 m | 4 kn | 14kn | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 87, good | 1.0 m | 3 kn | 12kn | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 88, good | 0.9 m | 2 kn | 11kn | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 88, good | 0.9 m | 4 kn | 12kn | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 87, good | 0.9 m | 3 kn | 16kn | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 88, good | 0.9 m | 2 kn | 6kn | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 88, good | 0.9 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 88, good | 0.9 m | 1 kn | 5kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 91, good | – | 3 kn | 17kn | 24°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:12 −0.1 mHigh 10:26 +0.3 mLow 17:44 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:01 +0.1 mLow 05:07 −0.1 mHigh 11:35 +0.3 mLow 18:24 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:54 +0.2 mLow 06:36 −0.1 mHigh 12:34 +0.2 mLow 18:58 −0.3 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Garden Eel Cove on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Garden Eel Cove
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More diving near here
5 places
- Aquarium 0.1 km away
- Manta Ray Night Dive Kona 0.3 km away
- Long Lava Tube 0.7 km away
- Turtle Pinnacle 7.2 km away
- Suck Em Up 9.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Garden Eel Cove
It goes down to 9 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces W: swell from the W reaches it, and wind from the E blows out to sea. 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 km away. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 28°C in October, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Kailua-Kona. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 3 dive sites, 1 kayak spot and 1 climbing area.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep Down to 9 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility over 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep and Nov (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,140–US$2,160 each
about US$1,140–US$2,160 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$1,140–US$2,160 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Kailua-Kona
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 45 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Kailua-Kona its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 12h
About 12h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → KOA on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Kailua-Kona · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Kailua-Kona · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Jack’s Diving Locker 6.4 km
Boss Frog's Dive & Surf 7.0 km
Kona Shore Divers 7.5 km
Kona Honu Divers 8.2 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Saddle wrasse Thalassoma duperrey
Seen in 46 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Seen in 45 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Spotted Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus strigosus
Seen in 44 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Lavender Tang Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Seen in 29 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Pycnochromis vanderbilti
Seen in 23 records, mostly Jun to Jul.
Bird wrasse Gomphosus varius
Seen in 19 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Chevron Tang Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis
Seen in 17 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Arc-eye Hawkfish Paracirrhites arcatus
Seen in 15 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Green wrasse Stethojulis balteata
Seen in 15 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Pebbled Butterfly Chaetodon multicinctus
Seen in 14 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Ornate Butterfly Chaetodon ornatissimus
Seen in 12 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Banded Goatfish Parupeneus multifasciatus
Seen in 12 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division, National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Stratified random surveys (StRS) of reef fish in the U.S. Pacific Islands. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.