Five Caves (Mākena)
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
Five Caves is Maui's worst-kept local secret: a lava point off Mākena whose caverns and archways hold a reliable population of dozing whitetip reef sharks (often several stacked like firewood in one recess) plus green turtles that treat the ledges as furniture. The caverns are short, daylight affairs, but surge turns them into pistons, so the site is a calm-day call. Between the caves, the reef produces octopus, morays, and the occasional monk seal cameo that ends all other conversation. Local etiquette is firm: lights low around sleeping sharks, no blocking exits, and the graveyard by the entry treated with quiet respect.
The moment you come for: Sleeping whitetips in the caverns; turtles at cleaning ledges; a shore dive with real architecture.
Topography: Lava point riddled with arches, caverns, and collapsed tubes over sand and coral
Entry: Shore entry near the old Mākena graveyard (hence the grim nickname) or an easy boat hop; only dived when south swell sleeps.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Surge in the caverns on any south swell; shallow overhead environments; entry rocks are slick at low tide.
Conservation: Do not crowd or light-blast resting sharks and turtles: harassment is both harmful and illegal in Hawaiʻi.
Who you'll meet
Common Reef (Day) Octopus
Green Sea Turtle
Whitetip Reef Shark
Giant Moray Eel
Humpback Whale
Nudibranchs
Leaf Scorpionfish
Frogfish
Also recorded nearby
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)