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YO-257 Shipwreck Scuba Diving Location,70-115ft.

Wreck Diving Hawaii

Going ship wreck diving Hawaii ? Dive Oahu and you will soon hear about the famous Yo-257. This shipwreck is perhaps Oahu's best shipwreck scuba dive. And certainly the busiest located right off of Diamondhead State Park Hawaii. This shipwreck dive is the perfect place for a Hawaii scuba diving adventure. So read on! Originally commissioned in the 40s, the Yo-257 was a Navy refueling vessel that proudly served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It was sunk in 1989 by the Atlantis Submarine Group in an effort to further improve their submarine tour. This had the unexpected benefit of opening up Oahu's south shore like nothing else!

YO-257

The Yo-257 was built in Puget Sounds Washington in the 1940s for the US Navy. She held approximately 200,000 gallons of fuel and was responsible for refueling battleship groups out at sea. Furthermore this old boat proudly served in the WW2, Korean and Vietnam War Theater. With a length of 165 feet and plenty of area to penetrate, the YO is full of surprises ! Do you think they would have ever thought this would be a Hawaii shipwreck and a popular dive in Oahu?  So here is a Hawaii wreck for you hardcore shipwreck scuba divers. The boat ride out to the Yo-257 shipwreck dive site takes around 15 minutes from the Kewalo Boat Basin. The ride itself can be a bit rough due to the location of where the yo-257 shipwreck lays at however most of the time it's fairly smooth sailing. Listen up- the yo-257 can be a tricky dive. Currents are extremely strong here at times so be on your best behavior. Once moored and ready to go, enter the water- then immediately surface swim to the mooring line. Like I said before the currents can be very strong. As a matter of fact scuba diving this shipwreck during a full-moon cycle will have you feeling like a flag on a flagpole! We skip those days and usually decide on the Mahi shipwreck or the Sea Tiger.


Do not attempt to free decent this scuba dive -current can be very strong and unpredictable. Penetrating the shipwreck is very easy, however there are a few precautions to be aware of. Be sure to have all your gauges, octopus / alternate-air source and other dive related equipment tucked into your BCD before entering the wreck. Pay close attention to the pieces of bent steel all around you. This wreck is very sharp! Even the barnacles are razor sharp! Having your hoses cut here is not a good thing. As far as marine life to be careful of I would honestly say eels, urchins and the occasional crown-of-thorns starfish. Some of the marine life that frequents the Yo-257 can be anything from eels to tiger sharks. I have personally seen mantas,tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, dolphins, barracuda, ono and plenty of Hawaiian green sea turtles. I have heard from reputable sources that even Hawaiian monk seals and the majestic humpback whales have been spotted here. So in short like I always so it’s like rolling the dice, you never know what you will encounter. Bottom times on the yo-257 can vary. The deepest parts of the Yo-257 is around 115 feet and the shallowest parts are around 65- 80 feet. A nice all-around 25 minute bottom time should cover you for the dive and leave you with enough nitrogen in your system to accomplish a second dive to 40-60 feet after doing a 30 minute surface interval. Watch your air. Get back on the mooring line around 1000 psi, this will leave you with enough air for the accent and safety stop for 3-5 minutes at 15 feet. Don't do the 500PSI "sprint-for-your-life" return. There is no room for mistakes here. In all, the YO-257 wreck is a great dive! This is definitely an advanced dive. Watch those gauges and enjoy!

One more thing. Atlantis Submarine cruises around this wreck all day long. Stay well clear of this submarine, it does have several props that could potentially suck you in. The submarine can not stop like a car so if you are in the path promptly swim out of the way , NOT UNDER (EXTREMELY HEAVY TRIM WEIGHT SLED) OR OVER (2 MID THRUSTERS COULD SUCK YOU IN OR SHOOT YOU TO THE SURFACE).

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