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Hanauma Bay
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea 0.7 m, Visibility over 30 m, Water 27 °C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 23kn
- Air
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 18 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 18 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 18 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 25°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 363, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1076, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 8 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SEswell from there reaches it
- Best in Sep7 good days in 7
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 | 45, fair | 1.1 m | 20 kn | 27kn | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 63, good | 0.9 m | 17 kn | 23kn | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 0.9 m | 18 kn | 24kn | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 1.0 m | 17 kn | 24kn | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 0.9 m | 18 kn | 24kn | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.7 m | 16 kn | 22kn | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 0.7 m | 17 kn | 22kn | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 0.9 m | 18 kn | 24kn | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 76, good | – | 15 kn | 24kn | 26°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 02:29 −0.1 mHigh 10:04 +0.3 mLow 17:30 −0.2 mHigh 23:39 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.1 mHigh 11:06 +0.3 mLow 18:02 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:31 +0.1 mLow 05:58 −0.1 mHigh 11:58 +0.2 mLow 18:30 −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.
Best time to go
best in Sep
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Hanauma Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Hanauma Bay
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More diving near here
3 places
- China Walls 2 km away
- Half Point 2.9 km away
- Full Point 3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hanauma Bay
A reef dive. It goes down to 8 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.4 km away. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 27°C in July, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). For Advanced divers the best month is usually September, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimanalo. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 8 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.4 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, Apr, May, Jun and Jul (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$1,180–US$2,220 each
about US$1,180–US$2,220 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 HNL, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$985 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$100 |
| 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$1,180–US$2,220 |
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: Waimanalo
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Waimanalo 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 20m
About 12h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → HNL on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Waimanalo · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Waimanalo · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Reef Pirates Diving 1.6 km
Hanauma Bay Dive Tours 15 km
Ocean Therapy Scuba 18 km
Trident Adventures 18 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.
Spotted Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus strigosus
Seen in 10 records, mostly Aug.
Lemon butterfly Chaetodon miliaris
Seen in 8 records.
Saddle wrasse Thalassoma duperrey
Seen in 8 records.
Potter's Angel Centropyge potteri
Seen in 6 records.
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Seen in 6 records.
Abudefduf abdominalis
Seen in 5 records.
Indo-Pacific sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis
Seen in 5 records.
White-spotted Puffer Canthigaster jactator
Seen in 5 records.
Chromis verater
Seen in 5 records.
Kuntee Soldierfish Myripristis kuntee
Seen in 5 records.
Banded Goatfish Parupeneus multifasciatus
Seen in 5 records.
Pycnochromis hanui
Seen in 5 records.
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; A photographically-vouchered global citizen science dataset of sea slugs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) from the SEASLUG.WORLD platform since 2015. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.