Puako House 40

House 40 Reef, named for the entry and reef behind house number 40 in the Puako residential area.

 Dive Site Maps:

Site Briefing: 

• Accessibility:  Follow Hwy 19 North until you see the turn for Puako. Pass the Puako General Store, and next to a sign highlighting public shoreline access you will see the address for House number 40 (on the mailbox). When parking, please do not block the driveway or the mailbox. Gear up here, and then begin the short flat walk of about 30 yards down the path from the road to the beach.

• Nearby Facilities:  The Puako General Store, for food and drinks, and the Hot Malasadas Truck at turnoff for Puako on Hwy 19. Best place to get Malasadas on the island. If you don't know what a malasada is, think sugar covered donut - absolutely delicious.

• Features:  Swim-through lava tube chimney that leads into a beautiful arch cave.  Turtle cleaning station if you head South, plus in front of the cleaning station there is a large cave.  If you head straight out from the entry area, you come across the mooring ball for the site. From here, head North and follow the drop-off ledge.  Head in towards shore and you will come across finger canyons (about 7 from the entry area).  Go in and out of canyons and you will come across beautiful arches, caves and lava-tubes. This site has the most Turtles, Giant Porcupinefish, Black Lauwiliwilis (Longnose Butterflyfish), and Flame Angels you will find on the island.

• Entry/Exit:  Follow the pathway to a small bay, enter to the right of the path where you’ll see a small semi-sand area.  This bay is super shallow, so try and time your entry to higher tides. Surface swim straight out, line-up the yellow house and descend just before the drop-off. You should see the chimney lava tube. When exiting, use caution and follow contours of the reef, avoid hitting the coral.
  

• Depths: 0-70’ This site starts with a shallow shelf, then has a small drop-off with canyons and caves.

• Special Concerns:

• North and West swells:  This site is exposed to occasional large north and north west swells (typically in the winter months).  Due to the shallow swim from the entry/exit area, it doesn't take much swell to make getting to the site difficult.

• Strong Winds:  As with much of the Northern Kona and Kohala Coast (Waikaloa to Hawi), strong winds tend to prevail later in the day, which can create lots of surface chop.

• Tides: Low tide can be tricky and is NOT recommended, the bay is too shallow.

Site Photos:

General Info:

• Check the weather, surf, and tide reports:  Plan ahead for safety

• Know your limits: Diving and snorkeling from shore means you have minimal help if something goes wrong.  Know your limits, and consider taking a snorkel lesson, a scuba refresher, or book a guided trip to increase you experience before considering diving and snorkeling from shore.

• Use a Dive Flag:  These are required by law for both scuba and snorkeling and we have them available for rent.

• Rent gear:  We have a full line of rental snorkel and scuba gear, and air and nitrox tank fills.
  

• Check Your Gear and Bring Spares:  Whether you rent or own your own gear, inspect it thoroughly before heading to the dive site.  Many are in remote locations, so save yourself the long trip if you forget something.  Jack's Diving Locker is the best dive shop on the island to help restock your save-a-dive kit with spare o-rings, mouthpieces, and tools.

• Use the Buddy System:  Dive and Snorkel with someone capable of assisting you in an emergency

• Be Reef Friendly:  Please use reef safe sunscreens, don't stand on the reef, don't touch marine life, and don't feed the fish.

• Be Respectful of Our Community:  Act with aloha, pick up litter if you find it, and be helpful to others.