In our last blog we looked at the first part of the many access points along Puako Drive. This time we’re going to start at the south end of this road and work back to where we left off. Turtles are the name of the game all along here, and both diving and snorkeling anywhere here will give you an excellent opportunity to see them.
The old road basically ends where it turns right to become a parking area near house Number 160. (There’s a gate further down the road that limits access after that point.) You’ll find a ramp-like bay that makes for an easy entry/exit point, and it’s only a short snorkel out to the diving area. If you keep to the right you’ll follow a canyon that descends fairly rapidly as it winds out to sea. There’s a small room-like structure at about 40 feet before the reef shelves off into sand and then rapidly deepens. This is a good spot to look for helmet shells in the sand at the edge of the reef between 80 and 90 feet of water. This spot is popular with locals and a good place to bring kids to snorkel as long as there are no after effects from winter storms.
An eighth of a mile back up the road there’s an access point between house Numbers 138 and 140, and another even further on between back between house Numbers 116 and 118. These are worth exploring, but the entry/exit points are over lava.
There’s another entry/exit point between Numbers 100 and 102, and it’s a wide access area where you can easily park. Walk left about 40 feet, and you’ll find an easy spot to enter the water between the lava and over the sand and fine rubble found there. You’ll walk in waist- to chest-deep water out about 100 feet, and then start your dive. There’s a reef structure usually exposed on your left that visually helps mark the spot for your return. At low tide I’ve seen up to 10 turtles sunning themselves there, it’s quite a sight. You can dive to the left or right once you clear the exposed lava structure and find interesting critters to photograph or watch.
The next entry is my number one favorite places to dive along the road. The entry is through a narrow overgrown path between house Numbers 86 and 88. Walk out to the end of the lava flow to the right of the path and there’s a step-like entry/exit point into about 4 feet of water. It’s a short snorkel straight out to sea where you come to the 30 foot lava cliff drop off. There’s a bay-like bend in the flow there that has a cave on its left. That cave is full of critters and can be accessed from a hole in the back portion, or from under a ledge in front. Depending on the current you can work either to the left or right and find many crevasses and small holes in the lava wall that often are inhabited by turtles. I usually find lots of shrimp in these holes and, if you have a good eye, an occasional well camouflaged frog fish.
The next access is back across from the church where we left off in the last blog. Remember, all of these points are clearly marked by a white sign noting public shore access. There are other areas where you can sneak into the water, but the ones I’ve listed are official, and they allow you pretty much free reign to dive anywhere along the road. One of my favorite dive plans is to do a one way trip between adjoining access points. It’s usually easy as long as you make sure the current is on your tail. Also, the shore can look confusingly different when viewed from the sea, so make sure you mark or are familiar with the exit area.
- Turn off the lights!!
Diving along this road is turtle heaven. You’re almost always going to find them sunning themselves on top of lava outcroppings, sleeping in holes or lava tubes, or gnawing on algae in shallow water. If you want to dive or snorkel with turtles, I strongly recommend a trip to Puako Drive.