YO-257 and Wrecks on Oahu

[TinyBubbles]

Being a relative new certified diver with only 7 dives (all ocean, 2.5 hours, with one to about 17 Meters) in my logbook, I am about to vacation on Oahu, Hawaii for a week. While investigating possible dive sites, the YO-257 was suggested as a good site by one of the local dive operators. Looking at the various internet descriptions, they describe the dive as an intermediate to advance dive. The operator tells me that the DM will accompany the group of no more than 6 people and that it should be just fine.

Are there other previous "newbies" out there that have taken this dive at this point of their deveopment ? I am an eager, but cautious diver and don't want to get "over my head" by signing up for something that I will not enjoy.

By the way, does anyone really know the actual depth of this dive as it ranges from 65 - 110 feet in the various descriptions.

 

[trymixdiver]

I dove that wreck in oct of 92, i just looked in my log book.

My max depth was 104' but i would guess that u can hit 115' at the deepest point. The depth alone makes it an advanced dive. The wreck has large holes cut into the hull for diver access, my recolection would be 8' by 8'. I dove it with my friend and a DM was our tour guide. If my memory serves me well the cost was $150 USD for a Half day. We dove the Yo-257 and then went shallow to a reef to dive with the turtles. I found the wreck to be ok, i was more impressed with the visability and marine life. IF you have the money to burn, do it. If not i think you can get just as much fun diving from shore if u know where to go.

I only wore a shorty 3 mill and i didnt even notice going thru any thermocline on our dive to 104'. This is what i would call bath tub conditions, warm as a bath and no surface chop, it was flat as glass. Vis was running about.... hmmmm who cares i could see the boat on the surface from the bottom at the wreck, thats 10 times better than i ever get

Andy

 

[Welshman]

This is a deep dive and outside your certification. Suggest you do your AOW either before (preferably) or as part of this dive. You need to understand the potential impact of Nitrogen Narcosis. Until you fully understand that it would not IMO be safe for you to do this dive unless you are supervised by an Instructor.

 

[TheDivingBear]

If you want to swim around wrecks in Oahu, call Captain Bruce's. I've not dove with them before (ear infections SUCK when you are on vacation), but they came highly recommened.

 

[simonk999]

Well, some might say "stupid", but the fact of the matter is that I did YO-257 shortly after certification, back in '99, and it included penetration of the wreck too!

It's actually a pretty easy dive in good conditions, which, fortunately, I guess, I had, though I modestly add that I felt really comfortable on scuba from the beginning of the course, and aced the exam and skill tests, such as they are. The dive was with a group of 4, and I was paired with the DM/guide. I think we hit 100' at the deepest.

As a previous poster mentioned, the fish life around the wrecks is actually quite spectacular, and if your dive is timed right, you can wave to the tourists in the submarine.

So from my experience, I'd say that it's doable for a confident beginner, provided the group is not too big, and conditions are optimal. It is deeper than your certification, so there's definitely an increased risk though.

[As an aside, I wasn't too impressed with Captain Bruce. Competent, but that's about it. YMMV. Let us know what your experience is with the dive operator, whoever you choose.]

-Simon

 

[Uncle Pug]

Personally, I wouldn't miss it...
Stay outside and on top...
Enjoy the warm water & excellent viz...
Be sure to let the DM know your status...

And don't get paired up with:
Mr. MachoNavySEALwannabe...
Ms. I'mnotinthewateryetandalreadyI'mfreakingout...
Mr. Happygoluckywhatisthisdialthingfor...
Ms. JuststayawayfrommeandmyNikonos...
Mr. Newbie...
Oh...wait... you're Mr. Newbie...

Well stay away from anyone who looks like a Mr. Newbie too...
No matter how strong the herding instinct becomes...

Ask to be paired with an experienced diver....

 

[onyx]

I've done one diving trip to Oahu, and I dove the Mahi (I think?).

I had a great time there. I'm away from my logbook right now, so I don't exactly remember the details, but I think it's about 100 feet at the bottom. I saw spotted eagle rays, moreys, and some freaky trasparent thing that I have no idea what it was. (looked like one of the aliens' ships from the abyss). Water was warm, and the vis was outta control (like at least 90', but then I'm from california, and I get REALLY excited when the vis is above 15) .

 

[Scubalnks]

I've been diving on the YO 7 times and can tell you that it is an easier dive when the Molakini Express (current) is not running but when it is you should be very comfortable diving in heavy current before you jump in. Other then the fact you might get swept away on a heavy current day if you don't hold on tight it is a very very nice dive. Fortunately even on the heavy current days this dive is deep enough that you don't really notice the current once your on the wreck but just make sure to hold on tight to the buoy line on the way down and up. No free ascent or decent here. If you have not done a heavy current dive or a deep dive I would highly suggest you have a DM from the boat as your dive buddy or an experienced friend that will be patient and cautious. I would not depend on doing this dive with Joe Shmoo that you just met on the boat on the way out though.

 

[TinyBubbles]

Thanks everyone for your comments on this Dive. I just returned from my holiday on Oahu and wanted to let you know that I chose to dive the Mahi Wreck and Makaha Caverns instead of the YO-257 on this trip. I went with Captain Bruce as they seemed to have the best facilities and specialized on the western side of the island.

For those newbies that want a good wreck dive that is not too difficult, I would recommend the Mahi. On my particular dive, I was rather lucky to be on the 42' jet boat with only 6 other divers and the DM and we were the only boat at the site. The trip to the boat dock is about 90 minutes from Waikiki so there is time to meet everyone before hand.

Visibility was over 100' and you could see the wreck as you decended. Going down via a decent line on the bow, there was a mild current on that day. It was more noticeable near the top of the wreck and I would recommend staying close to the wreck as I used up a lot of air following the DM to visit the eel a few yards away and having to fight the current back to the wreck. This swim back severely reduced my bottom time and I didn't get to do any detail exploring of the wreck - just a quick swim by from the stern back to the bow and the bouy line for a trip back up. The wreck itself was encrusted with marine growth and sits on a sand bottom at about 85', but on that day there weren't too many fish around. It was for me, a good introduction to going deeper than normal and diving a wreck on Oahu.

I enjoyed Makaha Caverns much more as the formations were much more interesting with swim throughs and more marine life. The dive site is more shallow, but this allowed more time to explore this beautiful site.

Overall, a very enjoyable day of diving and my recommendations for anyone who happens to have the opportunity to be visiting Oahu in the future.

 

[onyx]

when I went, we were supposed to do Makaha, but it was really crowded with divers, so we went on to some reef. It was an allright dive, but not as cool as Makaha, from what I've been told.