YS-11 plane wreck in Oahu when SCUBA diving in Hawaii.

YS-11 Plane Wreck SCUBA Location

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The YS-11 plane wreck is one of those dives that no other dive company really knows about. A great alternative to the YO-257 or Sea tiger due to its location on the south shore area.

The wreck itself was put down by the Atlantis Submarine company back in 1994 after feverish negotiations with various state and local officials. The origins of this plane comes from the days when Mid-Pacific Air a low-cost regional airline serving Hawaii. Routes connected the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island).

The airline folded, the planes were parked and somehow ($$$) Atlantis Submarine Company here in Oahu got a hold of two planes and sunk them. Since there is 2 planes down there or sections of planes I should say I will only discuss the one plane that is the easiest to get to.

To make this Oahu dive you need to get out just west of Diamond in the vicinity of the YO-257 shipwreck location. There is no mooring line attached to this plane , Atlantis Submarines forbids any line to be attached due to the submarine’s route. Not to mention a direct line to this plane is not structurally possible to secure a mooring line to the fuselage.

So we hook up to the YO-257. This is a deep dive which bottoms out at around120 feet, therefore managing your air is a must. Complacency on this dive is dangerous. I am very surprised at the amount of divers who actually don’t monitor their gauges. This dive in particular should only be done by advanced good-on-air divers or big tippers. Ohh come on it was a joke ! Seriously though. 

Boat Dive Vis 70-100 feet Temp 75-81 F Max depth 120 Average depth 95

Use the mooring line at the yo-257 for this dive, like I always say the currents can be pretty bad here in Oahu. If the currents are bad, do not head over to YS-11 plane wreck; just dive the YO-257. Once down around the steel buoy ball drop down to the main deck using a thick chain from the large white buoy to the deck which is located in the stern area of the YO-257. Forget the turtles for now, you can get them on the return. Look out and down around 110 feet from the stern of the yo-257. You will see cinder blocks spaced at 15-20 foot intervals. Follow these blocks for about 3-5 minutes.

Now, it is actually better to start your swim from the YO-257's stern from just under the steel buoy at 60-70 feet ( that way you won’t burn up all your air at 115 feet where the blocks are located). Keep swimming over, soon enough you will see the starboard wing protruding out like a canon guarding a fortress. Usually the visibility is very well out in this area. Once there enjoy your dive, check under the wing for white tip reef sharks- monitor your air !

***Make your return back to the YO-257 at around 1200 P.S.I. DON’T WAIT UNTIL 500 P.S.I. !!!! YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT BACK.***

 ***The Atlantis Submarine uses this area for the tour so be on the look out for white submarines cruising around, if you see a black submarine I suggest you get the hell out of that area, you obviously took a wrong turn and may be in Pearl Harbor***

Don't stay too long in the area, this dive will chew your air up really fast. Don't forget to take some cool pictures, I always signal for our scuba customers to look out there window- great shot. Well, 8 minutes later it is time for the return back to the Yo-257 shipwreck. I usually start making the return back at around 1200 PSI. Remember, now you are at 115 so think about the amount of air you will need for this return plus extra for some fun on the yo-257. From the very end of the wing ( the one pointing in the direction of where you came from which will be southeast) make an assent to 80 feet and  backtrack those cinder blocks I was explaining about you earlier.  

For some reason returning to the YO-257 seems a bit easier, so once back on the Yo-257 get that turtle picture and few shipwreck photos. Very soon time will be up so start working yourself back up the mooring line to the steel ball allowing that air out of your BCD jacket as you ascend. Look above when making your assent, that steel ball will knock you silly especially if a current is present or a strong surge. Don’t forget the safety stop at 15 feet for 3 minutes. Have a great dive!

FACT-Funny how people call this a DC-10,737 and so on. Hawaiian Airlines flew three leased YS-11s during their 1967 season while awaiting the arrival of DC-9-30s. The YS-11 returned to Hawaii skies in 1981 when Mid Pacific Airlines took wing. By 1984 Mid Pac owned 22 of these turboprops. Somewhere down the line Atlantis acquired 2 of these abandoned planes.

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