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Revision 4/18/2014 11:54 AM by LatitudeAdjustment
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San Pedro and the YO-257 - Honolulu HI


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This is a great site! There are two ships close enough to each other that you see both in one dive. The YO 257 and the San Pedro are two of the best wreck dives in the Hawaiian Islands. Both ships are about 170 long laying side by side, 75 ft apart at a maximum depth of 100ft. Both wrecks have been there over 25 years and have attracted a lot of marine life. The visibility was good enough to see one ship from the other. There is tons of coral and fish, many big green sea turtles and I saw three white tip sharks that are all supposedly permanent residents. I dove with Dive Oahu.

The YO-257 was a Navy yard oiler built in the 1940’s. It was bought by Atlantis Submarines Hawaii and sunk as an artificial reef off Waikiki in 1989. The ship rests upright in 100 feet of water with the main deck about 85 feet. It has been prepared for diving with many large access holes cut through the structure. It is the home of many colorful fish. Moray eels may be found around the wreck. Wave to the Atlantis submarine as it passes by on its tour. Visibility is normally 100+ feet. There is sometimes a strong current at the surface, which eases as you approach the wreck. A decent line is always rigged to mooring buoys on the wreck. The typical dive profile is 90 feet for 20 minutes. The YO-257 is one of the south shores more popular boat dives. In 1996, a new ship, the San Pedro, was sunk within 50 yards of the YO-257 as an additional dive attraction.

San Pedro: Max depth is 85 feet The San Pedro lies beside the YO. This wreck is 111 feet long. She was built in Japan and operated by a Korea fishing company. In 1975 the ship was carrying bait, food, and other cargo to a fishing fleet when she caught fire off South Point. Although it was badly damaged the ship was towed to Keehi Lagoon, where it remained anchored for nearly two decades before sinking in the harbor. Atlantis submarines again saved the day and sank the vessel for us to enjoy in 1996. This dive site is where we have our best chances of seeing white tip reef sharks. If we are running behind schedule the Atlantis submarine will give us a buzz while we are under.