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 — 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
Giant Moray Eel
Green Sea Turtle
Whitetip Reef Shark
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting