Dive· Oahu· Hawaii

Spitting Caves and China Walls (Portlock)

21° 15.7′ N · 157° 42.6′ W · approximate

The sheer lava cliffs at Portlock Point on the Koko Head shore, where swell booms out of sea caves above and drift divers below meet whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, big eels and turtles.

Practical

Approx position from OpenStreetMap (Spitting Caves). Island Divers Hawaii: a drift dive along China Walls (Portlock Point) with whitetips, eagle rays, large eels, frogfish and turtles, monk seals possible, and in winter humpback song and sometimes whales; nearby reef-wall sites include Sea Cave (cave mouth at 55 ft, about 150 ft deep inside), Baboon Nose, Palea Point, Skimmin's Ledge (35-70 ft, good conditions only) and Lanai Lookout. Boat dive only from Hawaii Kai: exposed to south swell and the strong west-setting current Coast Pilot reports off Koko Head.

Best for

Drift diving the Koko Head walls

Season

Calm trade-wind days with small south swell

Nearby