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Unrated
Viz (last reported 17866h ago)
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Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Kahe Point Beach Park
Kahe Point Beach Park (also known as Electric Beach) offers diving for all skill levels. The entry is very easy, you'll find a covered shelter, and all the facilities to make for a pleasant dive.
On the South West corner of the Farrington Highway on the West Shore.
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shore
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(38)
Zentacle
Sep 21, 2021, 1:05 AM
scuba
Parking can be a little tight, but you shouldn't have a problem. Here, a dive class is underway.
The entry is off a sandy beach area, North of the shelter, and South of cooling water outlet of the electric plant.
Take your pick of dive spots!
4
Pascal
Apr 21, 2017, 12:00 AM
scuba
Excellent diving site, easy entry and navigation. There's also a rescue team onsite that patrol. Dive flag or SMB might be a good idea since the rescue water scooter patrol around. Lot of turtles... On the same dive you can easily visit the pipe that blows warm water from the electric central and on the way back, turn right when you see the barrels (left from the entry point). Max depth: 30'
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Scott Zaehler
Mar 9, 2017, 12:00 AM
scuba
With the number of divers here, I'm surprised there aren't more reviews, so here's mine (for what it's worth). Electric beach is possibly the most popular shore dive during the winter here. Entry/exit can be challenging, but once past the short break, it's easy going. Plenty to see here- the warm water from the pipe attracts lots of fish, some turtles, and the occasional Eagle Ray and further out, some dolphins. I've seen and used this site for training for OW up to rescue divers. If you're good on air, head NNW to a site I've heard called Sharks Cave. No actual caves, but some nice formations and some white-tips. It's right in front of 'Tracks' beach (the next beach up the road) - you may see some snorkeling boats there.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Peter
Dec 23, 2012, 12:00 AM
scuba
Dove Electric Beach AKA Kahe Point Beach Park on 12-20-2012 twice before morning. The pavilion and bathrooms were under repair when we were there. Weather temp was 77 and the water 75. Both dives didn't exceed 30FSW. There was lots of parking. When you get out to the water outlets from the power plant, the water temp goes up about five degrees. There of course is a huge up current and if you get caught in it, your going to the surface fast, stay as close to the bottom as possible when swimming by. Wander up on top of the box covering the outlets, lot of fish up there. We saw Antler and Acropora coral and a short list of the fish follows: Hawaiian White Spotter Toby, Yellowtail Coris, Hawaiian Dascyllus, Bigeye Emperor, Reticulated Butterfly, Barred Filefish, Blue Stripe Snapper, Convict Tang, Rock Dam Teardrop Butterflyfish,, Thompson's Butterfly, Whitley's Boxfish, Pennant Butterfly, Raccoon Butterfly, Spotted Porcupinefish and a whole bunch of others. On the second dive we were told to go out to the second set of inspection openings and take a 310 degree bearing and just keep on swimming until you know you're so far away that you should turn back. At this point you'll come across a shelf and there will be White Tip Reef Sharks hanging out. Never found the shelf or the sharks but did run into a Green Sea Turtle feeding. On the swim out for the second dive a pod of about 10 Spinner Dolphins were cruising by. Don't touch the turtle, they're protected both by the State and Feds. $10,000.00 fine if you get caught messing with them.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Kai
Dec 28, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
Did a couple of dives. First one was around 2pm, 50 min. Went out along the pipes until the end, great fish scenery and fun just to sit and watch, either above the pipes or below, hovering above the sand w/ one hand holding on. Afterwards, headed perpendicular to the left of the pipe (guess around 150 degrees) until we hit shallow water, lots of small caves, turtles and followed the shoreline to the exit. Great visibility, easy and very fun dive. 2nd dive was to the coves on the right at around 4pm, 50min. Headed 300 degrees from 2nd pair of service shafts and kicked pretty hard for about 10 min. Absolutely amazing site, great coves/caves (better than the first dive!). Abundance of fish, turtles, no white tips however (but def. possible (at night) since the caves are more extended and deeper). We found at least one small tunnel system below the coral reef, but there might be more. Seems to be a big place to explore, watch turnaround time/air. Overall, definitely a 4/5 for winter Oahu.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Barry W. Stieglitz
Nov 24, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
November 21, 2009. The parking lot at Kahe Point Beach Park was full by 8 AM. Surf was 2-3' faces - the best option anywhere on O'ahu that day - but by timing the wave sets, entry was easy. First dive to the end of the discharge pipes yielded 2 whitemouth morays, many blue dragon nudibranchs, 2 Hawaiian humpback cowries, schools of goatfish, several cushion stars, a peacock (?) flounder, a freckled (?) snake eel, and the resident population of spinner dolphins which circled us several times. The dolphins also put on a show topside during the surface interval. On a second dive we saw a half-dozen honu in the shark cave area and another flounder, in addition to the usual suspects. Viz was about 40' on both dives, except when we hit the training class of newbies on the sand bottom (underwater sand storm!). :)
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Anonymous
Aug 28, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
I really regret going during the winter times... It's rough, the waves can get huge and when I went there that time they weren't that big. It's difficult to navigate through with the waves. I would recommend swimming out past the waves and then putting your gear on. It was fairly decent when you get down.. vis was not that great due to the strong current... Big variety of sea life... Saw three green sea turtles, one white tip, and a pod of dolphins! Man, that was really cool... I have swam with dolphins before but the ones there are so playful! Me and my buddy were trying to go back towards shore when we had half tanks, and the dolphins were following us and bumping up against us! It was pretty cute though.. I would definitely go again sometime.. But my overall favorite dive site would be shark's cove. Crowded but nice.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Robbie T
Apr 28, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
I have been diving here 3 times and the last was the best. If you go out to the first marker and head directly 360 you will come to a reef that is 42 feet. We saw 2 turtles and lots of fish and eels. Same day we talked to someone and they said that if you go to the first marker and swim 180 you will come to a opening that is only about 13 feet deep that they have seen whitetips in but we tried it and didn't see them but will look again when I go back.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Mike at San Antonio
Sep 21, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
Great dive site, but not worth the risk. The locals work together to make money off the visiting tourists and residents by breaking into your car and taking everything of value. Unless you are willing to pay one of the homeless for their time, don't go. The local authorities know about the break-ins but they seem to allow locals to make money any way they can. Hawaii is an expensive place to live... It's sad....
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Randy Johnson
Aug 15, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
Nice easy dive, surge was nice, not much effort to fin around and get to places, water warm, dove in a t-shirt and shorts - put in two dives over 40min and used very little air (shallow depth/warm water). Coral beds are not what I had expected, pretty beat up, way too many urchin chewing up everything, fish abundant, the discharge pipe is worth hanging around, lots of visitors, vis was perfect, like diving in a fish bowl, shore entry is easy (was easy that day). Had a great time, would do again due to vis, temp., and overall water conditions - this is a very low stress dive - t-shirt and shorts!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Aqua Dan
May 25, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
Found: White gold wedding band. Leave me a message with ShoreDiving.com of a description and I will contact you to return. This is the second ring I've found here. Must have been free divers/snorkelers. Big waves at the entry from the South swell wrap. Vis cleared up outside. Monk seal on the right, 2 baby turtles playing in the flooms.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
J Gilmore
Feb 10, 2008, 12:00 AM
scuba
A good place to dive and see several different types of sea life. Most of the sea life hangs around the aqua ducts. My buddy always use this spot to test new gear. A lot of divers use this area, and we have never had our vehicles broken into nor seen it.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Alik Widge
Nov 15, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
Stopped here for a quick snorkel/dip in the ocean. Car was broken into by a group of locals (who then stuck around to taunt us) within 15 minutes. Wish I'd been to this page before and learned that you can bribe the guys not to break into your car -- would have saved us the loss of $1000 worth of gear.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Aqua Dan
Jun 13, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
Attention: I found a key ring. It has a car, house, & locker key. The ring had Royal Card, but Times didn't have you in their database yet. Please contact Aiea Times to claim.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
A. Austin
Apr 30, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
Surf reports said Makaha was 0-2, so Electric Beach was the destination of choice. The beach park is a bit disreputable, and, while it has facilities, they were pretty poor quality so I wouldn't count on anything other than the freshwater shower as serviceable. Again, heed the warnings regarding break-ins. I wouldn't bring a nice car (we had a beat looking geo tracker with a soft-top) and I wouldn't leave anything of value in it (or you can have someone to watch if you can't follow either of the above.) Entry was easy-- the waves were up a bit more than expected from the surf reports, but even with faces of 3-4 we had no trouble getting into the water through the surf (on air--which makes it almost too easy.) A quick surface swim to about 50' east (shoreward) of the outflow, and you are in the "main attraction" as far as the pipe. Marine life on the site was pretty extensive (for Hawaii) and visibility was excellent. Spotted a large green moray eel, a spotted dragon eel, two turtles--one large and one small, as well as numerous smaller reef fish. The outflow of the pipe was probably the star of the dive; however, it shouldn't be attempted by anyone without a high level of comfort in the water, as both buoyancy and attitude control are lost. It would also behoove any potential "riders" to check the surface prior to ensure that no boats have arrived since you began your dive. Overall, an excellent dive, and a site that I would highly recommend for anyone new to diving.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Alistair
Feb 27, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
I came to this website before heading to Oahu for a week around New Years 2007. I rented a scooter from Waikiki and drove out to this beach-- it was well worth it! I snorkeled almost every day I was there and this was the best snorkeling I encountered. The visibility was phenomenal! I saw an octopus, loads of typical colourful reef fish and two turtles. If you are going to snorkel at this site, you must swim all the way out to the end of the water pipes. And let me tell you, the water out there is SO warm. It's like a hot tub for the fish! The amount of sea life out there makes the long swim well worth it.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Patrick Mohan
Dec 29, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Electric Beach is a great dive. I took two teenagers with me, 14 and 15, on the last two dives. Both are fairly new to diving with little experience and they had no problems getting in or out. Swim out just past the inner reef and follow the wall out until you get to the warm water outlet for the power plant. The pipes end in about 30ft of water, and do create a powerful water flow if you get to close, so be careful. We saw a huge school of Yellow Jacks, two leather back sea turtles, a green spotted moray eel, two huge needle nose, and a pod of dolphins came out to play with us. It was one incredible dive.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Kwzook
Dec 12, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Had a great dive here. Decent facilities, no problems with transients. All the info from other divers made this a great dive and easy to do. Saw lots of fish, nice reef, and 2 turtles. Mild surf, some surge, which was mostly fun. Highly recommend this dive!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Geoff M. Stiles
Nov 19, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Definitely an easy and unique site. Just seeing the hot water coming out of those huge pipes is worth the trip. HOWEVER: Be aware that this site is VERY prone to break-ins. While surveying the site I noticed a HI state car parked there. I walked up and talked to the lady who says she eats her lunch there all the time. I asked her about the problems with break-in's and she said she would never leave her car there. Soon after I saw two divers walking back to their car after diving the site. One was a local instructor and I asked her about the crime problem. She agreed and said she would never leave her car here alone. I looked at her kinda funny, since she just got out of the water and no one was in her car. She smiled and pointed to a beat up red (I think) car and said his name (sorry, I forget it now) and told us to go pay him $8 bucks and he will watch your car while you dive. We did and my rental was fine when we got back. BTW, several locals told me to be wary about leaving your car while beach diving ANYWHERE on Oahu due to the crime. I did, however, leave mine at other spots and was fine, FWIW.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Chris Groll
Aug 23, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
This was the first place I ever dove in Hawaii. I was really impressed by the reef area. I went straight out from the beach entry point about 200 yds and then headed North along the reef. There is a nice horseshoe reef where I spotted several White Tip Reef sharks. Lots of turtles were hanging out around the old Crows nest to the south west of the reef. I would definitely do it again. Beware, though, of leaving any valuables in your vehicles as there are a few transients that hang out in the area, and vehicle break-ins are common.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
ScubaFella43
Aug 18, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
I did the entry just to the North of this also, called Tracks Beach, straight across from the power plant itself. I like the spots out near the cave mentioned earlier; I spooked a white tip sleeping under an overhang near there. Also saw the red eggs of the Spanish Dancer that look like a rose (very cool), a pair Pencil Eels and other varieties of Morays. And yeah, turtles everywhere.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Jared
Apr 25, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
Great site. I've snorkeled and dove it often. I haven't seen any dolphins, but I have run across some turtles and an abundance of eels and triggerfish. Good reef system but most of the fish habit the end of the discharge tubes from the power plant. The site is hit or miss during the winter because of the surf, but during the summer it's usually pretty flat. Watch out for locals spear fishing and keep an eye out for the Ko'Olina Kat, which will stop directly above the tubes.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Justin Gordon
Mar 26, 2005, 12:00 AM
scuba
I was introduced to this site by my friend who is a dive instructor on the island. I must say it wasn't much to look at from the surface. However, once under I realized why this place is so good. Marine life is everywhere thanks to the electric plant water discharge. I have yet to navigate the cave mentioned, but I look forward to finding it. I've been surrounded by spinner dolphins while under, shot a 3 foot barracuda, and been blasted by discharge. It was all great. Fun, easy site.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Seth Bareiss
Jul 17, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
Facilities are great-- short walk from parking, benches, shade, stinky bathroom, and shower. Maybe no phone. Many homeless camp there, and break-ins DO happen, so bring a land-lubber to watch the car & enjoy the sun. The beach is made of big rocks and medium-size stones. Chest-high waves assault you & wreck viz at the entry, so inflate vest to half-full, wade out in pairs to chest-height, THEN don fins & swim out on your back with regulator in place. Excellent place for a night dive, if you stick near the artificial reef/ pipes. Lots of humpback cowries live in the pipes, and many empty shell-fragments can be found in front of the pipes...along with morays. Advanced divers may enjoy tumble-gliding in the pipe exhaust, but don't try it if equalizing & buddy separation freak you. Lots of flat sandy patches amid corals, for Open-Water SCUBA skills. No depths over 25'~30'. Good viz (30'-ish) year-round.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Don
Jul 12, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
Hard swim against surf out to the reef. Well worth the effort as warm water from the electric plant make for good reefs and fish. Lots of spinner dolphins. Better by boat.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Sarah
Jul 11, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
Another one of the great sites to take students and intros. Again I have many dives here and can dive the site with my eyes closed- almost. You can see dolphins, turtles, and with a little luck a shark or two. Easy beach entry makes it perfect for those who have trouble lugging gear around. There's a couple of nice swim throughs. Mainly a shallow reef and an artificial reef grown atop the hot water exhaust pipe from the power plant. Good dive.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Divebum
Jul 9, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
The cave mentioned above is a collapsed lava tube. You can reach it by navigating 300 degrees from the old pier pylon that everyone ties their flag to. The cave is just a small part of a very nice reef with lots of structure. Turtles and occasionally white tip reef sharks can be found here. I've also encountered spinner dolphin on the surface in this area during the spring. You can reach this from the next beach down; Farrington also, but it's about the same swim either way.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Matthew T Byrne
Jun 16, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is definitely one of my favorite west coast Oahu dive sites.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
EyeDive
Apr 12, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
Just an update on this site. The parking lot conditions have improved a lot. Not nearly as many homeless folks hanging around. The guy who will "watch your car" is no longer there, but there doesn't seem to be as much need for it. The place has really been "cleaned up" recently. This is almost always a good dive. In the winter it's one of the few diveable spots on the island and always has an abundance of sea life to see. Last week I saw a monk seal and almost always see multiple turtles. Often there are eagle rays and moray eels. It's shallow (30 feet tops), so it's easy to do an hour bottom time. Weekends you'll find many classes doing their first open water dive, but there's plenty of great underwater scenery to go around. It's a great dive to get you by until the north shore calms down.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Wesley
Mar 20, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
This was my first dive site. I am still going out there, vis is great, there is a lot of life here. Out at the pipes, you have to see. the warm water coming out is nice too. turtles are every where here, and lots of fish.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Rodeo
Jun 10, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is where I did my first open water dives ever. We saw two sea turtles. One of whom was so friendly one my classmates almost accidentally sat on him as she was descending! The surf was pretty difficult to get through though (3-4 foot waves), but it was worth the effort!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Buckwana
Mar 9, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
This was my first dive spot. With that in mind, I rate this spot very high. However, previous evals are correct. The locals in this area are either trying to sell you crap or scoping out your vehicle for easy hits. It would seem that this area is THE hang out for Leeward Low-lifes.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Bill Stohler
Jul 28, 2002, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is a popular training site on the weekends in the wintertime. It makes a great night dive, but NEVER leave your vehicle unattended at night. I've done three night dives here, and the first two times was lucky. The third time, we had 4 cars broken into, and there was glass everywhere! There are two tubes (concrete, ~8 feet in diameter) just offshore from the entry point. You can tell about where they are by watching for turbulent water on the surface. They discharge warm cooling water from the power plant across the street, and attract a large variety of life. Just don't go directly in front of the discharge point, or you will find yourself a couple hundred feet away and on the surface in a matter of seconds (EXHALE)! Great way to warm up. To the right, there's a nice ledge with (usually) some white tip reef sharks, and a fairly extensive reef. The reef fronting the park is shallow, but filled with pukas (holes) that contain a lot of marine life. Once, I saw the rare and endangered Hawaiian monk seal sunning itself on the beach here.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Michael Quinn
Jul 14, 2002, 12:00 AM
scuba
Electric Beach, this is the only name I've ever know for this spot. First, I want to say that I've know people whose cars have been broken into at this site. At this particular site there is a large homeless (but well off) man named Jacob that resides here, and he will "watch" your vehicle for you while you dive, for a price...ie..Big Mac, Whopper or equivalent. This is a great beginners dive though, especially in the summer months. The man made reef which is the exhaust vents of the electric plant is teeming with life. Corals and a plethora of sea life encompasses this site. Turtles are a common site here, I have also HEARD Spinner Dolphins here on occasion in the early morning hours. Don't get directly in front of the vents however, you will go for a ride to say the least. Spear fishing is always a popular activity here as well.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Robert Lower
Jul 5, 2001, 12:00 AM
scuba
An abundance of fish and other organisms. Usually a white tipped reef shark can be found in a cave about 700-1000psi to the right of the pipe that releases all of the warm water. The cave, though hard to find, is the best part of the dive and is home to a giant school of menpachi (squirrel fish), several large Roy (spotted grouper), 2 turtles, a 4 1/2 foot long white tipped reef shark, and when the shark is not home large ulua (amber jack) swim into the cave to hunt the menpachi. If you are a underwater hunter, or enjoy a large diverse population of fish, this is the place to go. Occasionally dragon morays have been spotted out here, too. Night dives are only enjoyable if a diver possesses thorough knowledge of the site and monitors the tides. My best advice is do it during the day when there is more to see.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Scubadude
May 12, 2001, 12:00 AM
scuba
A popular site for class dives, the parking lot fills up early on the weekends. There is a bit of a hike to the beach from the gearing up area, and there are some large rocks in the entrance area. Get in at least waist deep before donning fins. Normally there is some surf, so watch where you are going. Good stuff to see for beginning divers, but experienced divers might get a bit bored. Max depth around 25 feet (at high tide), so expect a long dive. WATCH OUT for the water coming out of the pipes. It has a lot of force.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
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