Dive· Hawaii (Big Island)· Hawaii
Garden Eel Cove and Keahole Dive Moorings
19° 44.2′ N · 156° 3.2′ W
A sand slope just north of Keahole Point where garden eels sway out of their burrows, surrounded by lava ridges and chutes; a group of day-use moorings here (Garden Eels Central, East and North, Keahole Point, Keahole Sand Chute/Tako City, Wash Rock, Hoover's Towers, Pipe Dreams) makes it one of the most-used dive areas on the coast.
Practical
Coordinate is the Garden Eels Central mooring from the Malama Kai Foundation day-use mooring layer (Garden Eels North 19.73717, -156.05400; Keahole Sand Chute/Tako City 19.73258, -156.05778; Pipe Dreams 19.72912, -156.06225). Day-use moorings exist to keep anchors off the reef: pick one up rather than anchoring, and do not stay overnight. Do not anchor within 1 mile of shore near Keahole Point (submerged pipelines, per Coast Pilot). Expect the north-setting current and afternoon trade rips; dive early. Busy with charter dive boats from Honokohau, about 4 nm south.
Best for
Garden eels and lava-ridge diving a short hop from Honokohau
Nearby
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA)0.5 NM away
- Keahole Point0.7 NM away
- North Kona Reef Dive Moorings (Kaloko to Touch of Grey)2 NM away
- Mahai'ula Beach (Kekaha Kai State Park)2.9 NM away
- Mahai'ula to Makalawena Coastal Walk3.1 NM away
- Kekaha Kai State Park (Makalawena)3.5 NM away
- Costco Kona3.7 NM away
- Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park3.9 NM away