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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Kona Coast location page.
Overview
A shallow volcanic pinnacle off the north Kona coast where Hawaiian green sea turtles pause over cleaner-fish stations. The main action sits around 12-18 m: turtles hover over the reef while surgeonfish and wrasse pick algae and parasites from their shells, with morays, octopus and reef fish tucked into the lava ledges.
Briefing note
Stay at least several metres from resting or cleaning turtles and never chase them for photos. Morning two-tank boats usually offer the calmest surface conditions before the afternoon wind line builds along the Kona coast.
What you'll see
5 species curated- year-roundHawaiian green sea turtle
- year-roundHawaiian cleaner wrasse
- year-roundYellow tang
- year-roundWhitemouth moray
- rareReef manta ray
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceHawaiian green sea turtle
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 130 within 10 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24–25 °C | 18–35 m | mild |
| Feb | 24–25 °C | 18–35 m | mild |
| Mar | 24–25 °C | 18–35 m | mild |
| Apr | 24–26 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| May | 25–26 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Jun | 25–27 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Jul | 26–27 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Aug | 26–28 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Sep | 26–28 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Oct | 26–27 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Nov | 25–26 °C | 18–35 m | mild |
| Dec | 24–26 °C | 18–35 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- 3mm wetsuit — Kona water is warm but many divers chill during long, slow turtle-observation dives.
- Reef-safe camera discipline — The turtles are protected wildlife; stay neutral, avoid blocking their route, and let cleaning behavior continue undisturbed.
Next step
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Hotels, liveaboards, dive operators, gear recommendations, and travel logistics for the whole region.
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