Yo-257 Hawaii Shipwreck, Oahu shipwreck
| Type of Dive | Visibility | Max Depth | Average Depth | Bottom Time | Difficulty 1-10 |
| Shipwreck | 70-100ft. | 115ft. | 85ft. | 27 Minutes | 8.5 |
The Yo-257 or "YO" for short is on of Oahu's favorite most
requested shipwreck scuba dives we get. The Yo-257 shipwreck has its
origins from back in WW2 where she was responsible for refueling
Navy ships out at sea. Scuba diving in Hawaii
wouldn't be complete without scuba diving this shipwreck in Oahu.
Oahu's Yo-257 Shipwreck- Information on the YO-257 wreck in Hawaii
The ship spent many years at the docks until the Atlantis Submarine Tour group acquired the vessel through vigorous talks and environmental cleanup and preparations before getting the green light to lay her off the coast of Oahu making this a scuba dive Hawaii site like no other.
In 1989 the Atlantis Submarine Group finalized the plans then
properly laid the Yo-257 Hawaii shipwreck just slightly off of Diamond
Head
to the west making scuba diving in Hawaii that much
better. The Yo-257 was filled with gravel to help the ship from
listing to one side once sunk. The ship now rests in 115 feet of
water with the main decks at 85 feet. The smoke stack in the rear
stern area sticks up at about 65 feet. So this shipwreck scuba dive
is very accessible to most dives both novices and professionals alike. This Oahu shipwreck the Yo-257 has a mooring line attached to the stern area of the
ship. On busy days like the weekends some boats will have to
actually send a dive down to tie off at a different location. Once
moored up and ready to go pay attention to the fact that currents in
this particular area can be downright brutal.
Diving in
Hawaii must be taken seriously. We always use the
mooring line for a decent and assents just in case the current start
to pick up. Some interesting precautions about
this Honolulu scuba dive,
the Yo-257 shipwreck is a dirty old ship with lots of bent pieces of steel
and metal. We always stress to everyone diving this wreck to wear
gloves of use your hands with caution. Eels are also a nuisance.
Watch where you plant your hands, especially around the pipes.
Remember this shipwreck of Oahu was a fueling vessel so lots of
pipes for those hand biting eels to live in.
Another small note- well actually a large one
is the fact that the Atlantis Submarines cruise this area like a
bunch of curious tiger sharks so please look out for these 80 ton
whales.
Marine life around the Yo-257 and on it is amazing. Sharks, turtles galore and plenty of tropical reef fish - great for underwater pictures. Watch those gauges. Time moves fast at these depths. Times up so start your accent back up- using the same line we used to come down make sure you have the line within hands length. Currents again can start up. Back up to 15 feet of 5 meters and we're done.
Precautions on the Yo-257 Shipwreck Hawaii
- Make sure you understand deep diving
- Properly plan this advanced Oahu scuba dive (we always do)
- Use up-to-date gear, not your friends gear that you have never used
- Pay attention to the currents, can be dangerous at the Yo-257
- Watch your hands, feet and head when diving around the Yo-257 Shipwreck
- Watch those air gauges. 1000PSI is a great number to start back up.
- Safely stop at 15 feet for 3 minutes
Yo-257 shipwreck diving Hawaii located off of Oahu near Honolulu.