Waianae, Hawaii, United States

Mahi Wreck

The Mahi is a 50-metre former United States Navy minelayer (originally USS Hoist, ARS-40) that served from 1945 in salvage and rescue duties before being decommissioned, refitted as a research vessel and finally cleaned and sunk as an artificial reef on 17 April 1982 about a mile off the leeward Waianae coast of Oahu. She landed perfectly upright on a sand bottom at 27 metres with the main deck at 24 metres and the bridge at around 18 metres. Decades of growth have covered the hull with hard and soft corals, sponges and crinoids. The wreck is a regular stop for spotted eagle rays in pairs and small flights of devil rays in the warmer months, and resident species include green sea turtles, white tip reef sharks resting under the bow, scrawled filefish, large helmet shells in the surrounding sand and schools of Hawaiian sergeants and goatfish. Visibility on the lee side of Oahu is reliably excellent. Currents are usually moderate and the sheltered orientation makes the Mahi divable year-round.