Prince Kuhio Park

Prince Kuhio Park

Koloa, Kauai, HI
map
Entry Map
directions
Directions
photos
Photos
Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 101323h ago)
Max Depth
25ft

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Prince Kuhio Park

Prince Kuhio is a small park, but 'big' diving awaits you!. The entry is a little rocky, but easy, and you may find a turtle or two in the shallow protected area. Shallow beginning through advanced snorkeling. A little shallow for scuba. Rocky entry, but very protected bay. Turtles are the highlight. 3-21 feet. Directly across from the Prince Kuhio Park. Directions: From Lihu'i heading West on Highway 50, turn left on Highway 520 (Maluhia Road) at mile mark 6.8. After about 3 miles, you'll hit a T in the road at Koloa. Jog right and then an immediate left onto Po'ipu Road, and head South to Po'ipu. At about mile 4.8, take the RIGHT fork and head West. After about a quarter of a mile, you will arrive!
Access
shore
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(11)
Zentacle
Zentacle
Sep 21, 2021, 1:06 AM
scuba
The entry will be at the small sandy beach at the far end. On a calm day, you may want to work your way down the lava channel to the left in the photo.
Anonymous
Anonymous
Sep 5, 2012, 12:00 AM
scuba
Things have changed based on what I saw summarized for this site... No beach at all. VERY rough entry with terrible footing and the water that is just deep enough that you can't see what you are stepping into, but not deep enough to swim in. Bad surf, pretty strong current once I got outside the bay. Looks like a much easier entry just one beach west of here. Be careful!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Bobby
Bobby
Jul 19, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
Not a beginner site. Regardless of what others have said, do not dive this site unless you're comfortable with a rocky entry with large surf. Entry/exit was the most difficult part of the dive. Definitely follow advice of others who recommended skins or wetsuits to prevent abrasions during entry/exit (wore shorty & received many). Turtles were awesome. Some other life. Worthwhile dive except for entry/exit. Dove with my 12-year old daughter: she did great during the dive, but we were beaten entering/exiting. Stay away from the wall in front of the condos: if the surf is high, it can push you into the wall. Koloa is a better all-around dive (except for the turtles).
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Ronald Zahm
Ronald Zahm
May 6, 2009, 12:00 AM
scuba
04/05/2009 - This was my second time snorkeling Prince Kuhio Park. There are not many fish nor is there much coral. There is very little beach, and the entry can be a little difficult with the rocks. However, the main attraction (turtles) makes it all worth while. The water clarity is very good and there are usually several turtles to view. If you want some great turtle pictures, this is the place. You'll pretty much have the turtles to yourself, too, as this beach gets little attention.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Kim Fuchs
Kim Fuchs
Nov 24, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
We live on Kauai and get in the water here, Lawai Beach or Koloa, almost every Saturday. Just out of the water….with a great snorkel today out by the reef, but no time for a dive today. Probably 15 to 20 Green Sea Turtles by the reef, plenty of trumpet fish, eels and one big surprise: a rather large gray reef or sandbar shark tooling around by the turtles. This is the first time at this site for me to see a large predator. Didn't hang around too long when he caught me by surprise. Not too rough today and a great time with the large marine life.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Eric Olson
Eric Olson
Mar 27, 2007, 12:00 AM
scuba
This was a wonderful dive. We found a lots of turtles at a cleaning station. As said before, this dive is shallow for diving and a little deep for snorkeling. However, being shallow means more time with the turtles if you're diving! We saw fish of all sorts including scorpion fish, eels, and even a large Spotted Eagle Ray. Visibility was around 100 feet and the entry can be a little tricky, so look for the break in the rocks on the beach. It's a good warm-up dive, and I would go again in a heartbeat.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Gary Harmon
Gary Harmon
May 13, 2005, 12:00 AM
scuba
Saw some great fish and lots of turtles here. The reef is a long swim from shore. Love to snorkel, Gary
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Mike at Lakewood
Mike at Lakewood
Oct 6, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
Fun, easy dive no deeper than 25 feet. Lots to see. We saw turtles. I saw a lion fish. Great fun dive!
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Pete Hackett
Pete Hackett
Jan 1, 2003, 12:00 AM
scuba
A good warm up dive. Two shore dives at this site. One a nite dive. Lots of turtles and few fish. The turtles really are a kick. Fun to watch and curious.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Fred
Fred
Dec 27, 2001, 12:00 AM
scuba
We stayed right at the condo in the picture. Saw lots of turtles and they were very photo friendly, sometimes as many as 6 turtles at a time. Not much for fish, and no other swimmers or divers usually. This is very close to Sheraton Caves and I wish we would have made the swim out to that spot too. You could tell where the caves were by where the dive boats anchored. Best snorkeling at Kuhio was to the right after you entered the water. Best place we were at for the turtles. Did a night snorkel but only saw 1 fish and no turtles. BTW - the condo was nice, clean, reasonable, quiet, fully furnished. Get a ground floor on the ocean side....nice.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
Chuck Knauf
Chuck Knauf
Nov 9, 2001, 12:00 AM
scuba
I dove Prince Kuhio Park several times in October 2001 with my son-in-law and dive buddy Mike Laird. This was a particularly handy site for warm water tune-ups and diving as we were staying in the condos right next door (to the left in the aerial photo). Snorkelers may be more comfortable entering the water and exploring at the sandy beach (just off the left side of the aerial photo) to the west of the condos. Parking is more than adequate for the number of people that use the park. It appears that the park is used primarily for sunbathing by the people from the nearby condos. We only saw one tour bus there engaged in some kind of nature tour. There are no facilities at the beach. Entry and exit are fairly easy but caution should be used especially when the waves are up a bit. We would suggest at least a .5mm suit or skins as a precaution against the lava rocks and coral at the entry point. This is a very good dive spot for beginners. The best touring is to the right of the entrance point around to the front of the condos. Depths are not much deeper than 25 ft. Watch for surfers and body borders when surfacing especially if you do so away from the entry point. There are many Honu (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles) to observe. We also saw Puhi-oniÆo (White Mouth Moray Eels), large Nunu (Trumpet fish), Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-puaÆa (Picasso Triggerfish), and many other Hawaiian reef fish. A diver can rent tanks at Seasport Divers that is just a short drive up the road. The dive shop staff is friendly, informative and helpful. They even repaired my octopus for next to nothing! For a bit deeper diving near-by, we would suggest Koloa Landing.
Originally posted on shorediving.com
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