.jpg){kind=link}
Puako Reef
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
88Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 189, good
- Mon 286, good
- Tue 388, good
- Wed 488, good
- Thu 588, good
- Fri 688, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 889, good
- Mon 989, good
- Tue 1090, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Advancedand 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 89, good | 0.5 m | 3 kn | 5kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 86, good | 0.6 m | 2 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 88, good | 0.5 m | 2 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 88, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 88, good | 0.5 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 88, good | 0.4 m | 6 kn | 17kn | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 5 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 90, good | 0.4 m | 1 kn | 9kn | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:13 −0.2 mHigh 09:10 +0.4 mLow 16:58 −0.2 mHigh 22:41 −0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:59 −0.1 mHigh 10:20 +0.3 mLow 17:41 −0.2 mHigh 23:55 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:52 −0.1 mHigh 11:25 +0.3 mLow 18:17 −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
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Puako Reef 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 Puako Reef
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Puako Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Advanced 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. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 8.3 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). The town to stay in is Puako. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 dive site.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 8.3 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 Mar, Apr, Jul and Sep (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$1,190–US$2,240 each
about US$1,190–US$2,240 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$74–US$127 |
| 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$1,190–US$2,240 |
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: Puako
3 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Puako 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 → KOA, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → KOA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Puako · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Puako · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Kohala Divers 8.3 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 13 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens
Seen in 13 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Bullethead Parrotfish Chlorurus spilurus
Seen in 10 records, mostly Jul.
Lavender Tang Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Seen in 9 records.
Clown Tang Naso lituratus
Seen in 9 records.
Spotted Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus strigosus
Seen in 8 records.
Scarlet wrasse Pseudocheilinus evanidus
Seen in 6 records.
Arc-eye Hawkfish Paracirrhites arcatus
Seen in 5 records.
Parupeneus pleurostigma
Seen in 5 records.
Green wrasse Stethojulis balteata
Seen in 5 records.
Boomerang triggerfish Sufflamen bursa
Seen in 5 records.
Bird wrasse Gomphosus varius
Seen in 4 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; Bishop Museum Fish Specimens. Credits
This week: visibility over 30 m, about usual for the month (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.