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Hawaii's "Place of Refuge"
Honaunau Bay is a peaceful, calm section of the Pacific Ocean on the South Kona Coast that is filled with clear water, colorful fish, dolphins and friendly turtles. Few places are better for communing with nature, your inner spirit, your mate, your God. And compared to the resorts to the north, Honaunau gets relatively few visitors affording a chance for solitude.
There are three very attractive features to this area: the Bay, one of the finest for snorkeling and diving in all the Hawaiian Islands; Pu’uhonua O Honaunau, the National Historic Park immediately adjacent to the main diving area; and the slopes just above the bay, home to an excellent array of B & Bs, farms, and plantations.
Most visitors to this area are savvy travelers wanting to get away from the crowds to the north. Rental cars are readily available in Kona, and you can either visit from your Kona resort or make the very short drive from one of the many excellent B & Bs on the slopes above the bay.
For diving, head for the boat launch ramp just to the right of the historic park. There is a small parking area opposite the rocky beach. Just across the street on the bay is an old lava flow platform that drops directly into the calm waters of the bay. Getting in and out of the water is easy with step-like ledges, but watch out for spiny urchins and rough volcanic rock.
Slipping into the water you’ll immediately be struck by two things: it’s colder than you might have imagined for this tropical isle, and just beneath the surface the water seems to shimmer almost in an oil-and-water-like way. Both of these are natural effects of the same phenomenon. Fresh water percolates down through porous volcanic rock on the slopes above the bay and enters the ocean here. Having been underground, it is colder and because it is fresh water, it is less dense, floating on the surface temporarily, and does not mix as readily with the saltwater. The effect dissipates only a few yards from shore.
The next thing you’ll notice is the fish—they are everywhere and of fantastic colors and varieties. Yellow is the predominant color, standing out starkly against the turquoise blue water. Yellow tangs are horrendously abundant, running in schools, scouring the nearshore reef for a lunch of algae. Mixed in are a variety of butterflyfishes, including milletseed butterflyfish, raccoon butterflyfish, and bluestrip butterflyfish, a species found only in Hawaii. Isolated by hundreds of miles of ocean, Hawaii is well known for its endemic species, both above and below the waters.
A shallow shelf 10 to 20 feet deep extends about 50 yards out, up and down the coast. Coral covers all the rocks forming a labyrinth of pockets and hiding places for many animals. Cream, yellow, blue, red — the coral here comes in a variety of colors, making for an excellent backdrop for the colorful fish.
In the holes you will find whitemouth moray eels, pufferfish, and slate pencil urchins. Unlike other urchins with needle sharp spines, slate pencil urchins have spines the size of pencils with which they use to wedge themselves in the reef in retreat from their predators. Their color is a striking deep red adding pleasing splashes to an already delightful reef.
Finding a moray eel makes for interesting marine life observation. These critters have a formidable appearance with sharp teeth but are relatively harmless. They have a strong sense of smell but terrible eye sight. Just keep yourself away from the mouths of these forever hungry beasts and you’ll be fine.
But what makes this a truly special underwater site is the green sea turtles; odds are you will see at least one on every snorkeling or diving excursion. They are a graceful creature, peaceful in its countenance. You can’t help but to be at ease in their presence. They move through the water with graceful wings, never seeming to be in a hurry.
Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the annual SCUBA Show expo held each June in Long Beach, CA, and co-author of the book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.
Return to Cover Page/Contents for March 2003 issue