Anchorage· Hawaii (Big Island)· Hawaii

Okoe Bay Anchorage

19° 9.0′ N · 155° 54.7′ W

Noodle's favorite anchorage on the Kona coast: a remote black-sand cove 19 miles northwest of South Point where a resident school of spinner dolphins plays around the boat at dawn, the snorkeling is outstanding, and an abandoned ancient village with coral stepping-stone paths, stone house platforms and a rock slide lines the shore.

Practical

Noodle's Notes GPS 19-09.01N 155-54.71W: depth 20-40 ft, hard pan with crevasses and some sand patches, not a regulated area, summer months with no north swell. Lava ledges and coral cover much of the bottom: look for sand in about 25 ft, and buoy any nylon rode to keep it off the rock. The best swell protection is at the north end, but sand is hardest to find there; an acre-sized sand patch off the green house mid-bay gives secure holding with less protection. Someone has cemented a chain mooring into the rock in the northeast corner (no surface buoy); inspect it by snorkel before using it. Coast Pilot (October 2026): anchorage in 7 to 15 fathoms; larger vessels can anchor in 20 fathoms by entering from due west and dropping with Milolii Point Light bearing 022 degrees. No services or public road access: the 4WD track ashore is gated private land, and the few beach houses are rarely used. Brackish rock-lined wells survive near the south-end house ruins. Tsunami debris from 2011 is visible at the high-water mark. All anchorages from Okoe to Honokohau lie in the lee of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and are sheltered from the trades. Stay 50 yards from the spinner dolphins (federal rule).

Best for

Remote dolphin anchorage and the first stop after a passage from the west

Season

Summer months when no north swell is present

Nearby