Hawaii's coral reefs

Hawaii's coral reefs and nearshore waters are home to more than 7,000 forms of marine life, a quarter of them found nowhere else on Earth. Hawaii’s reefs contribute more than $360 million annually to the state’s economy – that’s $1 million a day.

These reefs are truly a global ocean treasure. Hawai'i has...
More unique marine species than any place of its size in the tropics
One of the last large-scale marine wilderness areas on the planet

Over 300,000 acres of nearshore coral reef
The Nature Conservancy launched its Hawai‘i Marine Program in 2002 to help preserve the Islands’ remarkable marine diversity. The Conservancy’s efforts are focused on restoring the health of our magnificent coral reefs and the unique species that depend on them for their survival.

A Resource at Risk
Despite their biological, economic, and cultural importance, Hawaii’s marine ecosystems continue to be severely degraded by human activity. With a resident population of 1.3 million and 7 million visitors arriving annually – the majority of whom engage in ocean-related activities – Hawaii’s reefs are strained beyond capacity.

The reality is that our ocean faces serious threats, most caused by humans, that have upset the delicate balance of life beneath the waves. Overfishing, the use of indiscriminate fishing practices such as lay gill nets, pollution, runoff, inappropriate recreational use, and the introduction and spread of invasive alien species all jeopardize the health of our reefs.

The good news is that reefs are resilient – if we act in time, we can restore them.

What The Conservancy Is Doing
We are working in collaboration with others to rescue Hawaii's coral reefs – our rainforests of the ocean – from further degradation. Major ongoing efforts include:

Community-based partnerships and programs
Invasive species removal

Reef Fund
Fair Catch responsible fishing campaign



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Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii, with it's many islands and well developed tourist infrastructure, has numerous diving opportunities.The best places to dive on Oahu are near the famous landmark of Diamond Head. Other popular areas are along the Waianae Coast (outstanding during summer months), the North Shore (not accessible during winter months because of high surf), and Makapuu's offshore Rabbit Island.

Maui offers a host of good to outstanding diving areas all around its shoreline. The best area on the Big Island of Hawaii is along the Kona Coast where there are excellent places to dive to view beautiful reefs, shallow to deep, with coral, shells, large fish, turtles, lobsters, black coral, and fascinating topography resulting from lava flows.Lanai lies Cathedral Reef, 30 to 100ft deep, with colorful coral, shells and big fish such as the 50lb ulua (Crevalle Jack) and lobsters. Molokai's east and west ends are considered by some divers to be unmatched anywhere in the world.

The diving in Kauai is very similar to what you might experience in Maui. On any given day in the summer, you can get great visibility and have access of up to 26 dive sites, many from shore. However, in winter, the seas on the north side of the island are very rough, and those sites are not divable, limiting your choices to only a few on the south (Poipu) side of the island.


Operators

Kauai
Bubbles Below
Sea Sport Divers
Dive Kauai

Maui
Kapalua DiveTropical Divers
Maui Dive Shop

Oahu
Reef Trekkers

Lanai & Molokini
Extended Horizons
Lahaina Divers

Liveaboards
Kona Aggressor

Weather on all of the Hawaiian Islands is very consistent, with only moderate changes in temperature throughout the year. This is possible due to the year-round warm sea surface temperatures, which keeps the overlying atmosphere warm as well. In practical terms there are only 2 seasons here: the summer months (called Kau in Hawaiian) that extend from May to October and the winter months (Ho'oilo) that run from November to April. The average day-time summer temperature at sea level is 85°F (29.4°C) while the average day-time winter temperature is 78°F (25.6°C). Night-time temperatures are approximately 10°F lower.



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