Midway's normal diving season extends from May through September, although shore dives may be done under the piers throughout the year.  The best diving conditions occur during July through September.  Sites are 5 to 30 minutes away from the harbor, using our fast and comfortable Pro48 Sea Angel. Typical reefs are expanses of rugged limestone with numerous ledges, tunnels, and canyons. Most sites have mooring buoys and dives are generally conducted while at-anchor. Drift dives are not regularly conducted since Midway lacks well-defined walls or drop-offs of typical atolls.  Night diving is not allowed since large predators are aggressive after sunset.

Visibility outside the lagoon is normally 60 to 120 feet and changes rapidly, for better or worse, during tidal shifts. Water temperatures are cool, 65 to 72 degrees from November until May, rising gradually to a high near 78 to 80 degrees in late summer. A full-length wetsuit is recommended year-round, since stinging jellyfish, hydroids, sharp coral, sea urchins, and cold water upwellings are frequently encountered.

The big draw to diving at Midway is the fish.  Midway has a high percentage of fish endemic to the Hawaiian Archipeligo, and several species that are either absent from the main Hawaiian Islands or too deep to be seen by divers (e.g. Masked & Japanese Angelfish, Schlegel's Grouper, Knifejaws, etc.).  Since the inshore fishing is almost completely on a catch-and-release basis, divers get to see an intact fish community...one that hasn't had all the predatory fish removed.  So, divers get to see large jacks, snappers, groupers, and sharks on a regular basis.

Midway is also the only place that recreational divers can dive in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.   This area contains ~70% of the coral reef under US jurisdiction.  (The Florida Keys contain ~1%.)  Midway is also contained within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, which is the largest nature preserve in the USA.

For a change of pace, and history buffs, Midway has two WWII-era wrecks that divers can explore, and the divers at Midway have recently found two new sites with airplane wreckage.

Midway offers a chance to see what the diving is like on an atoll at 28*N.  If divers are primed to compare Midway with Palau, or the GBR, or Belize, they are going to be disappointed.   If divers are primed to enjoy a unique, nearly pristine ecosystem, then Midway is wonderful.

Quick Facts:
Best Diving Season: June thru September (Season open May thru October)
Distance from Honolulu, HI: 1,350 miles
Typical Trip Lengths: 3, 4 or 7 days
Airline Service to Midway: Saturdays & selected Wednesdays via 737 jet

If you have questions about Midway or would like to make reservations, please call us toll free at 1-888-BIG-ULUA or email us at destpacific@sportfishhawaii.com and we will be happy to help.