Street parking is available along Kalakaua Avenue. City buses also serve the area. A reef flat extends out from the Waikiki Aquarium seawall a distance of about 35 yards to a dredged channel, then continues on the other side of the channel. The channel itself is about 8 feet deep, and depths above the reef flat are generally less than 3 to 4 feet. The reef flat throughout the MLCD consists mostly of rubble and coralline algae with some small patches of live coral.
Sediment covers the bottom, so visibility is best when there is little or no wave action.
Most of the reef flat has little bottom relief, and fish are more concentrated in areas where relief increases somewhat. At the outer edge of the reef the bottom drops off sharply to about 15 to 20 feet. Numerous arches, crevices and other features are found here, along with an abundance of fish. Safety considerations Summer swells frequently bring high surf to the southern shoreline. Waves are particularly dangerous at the outer edge of the reef, where parts of the reef are exposed.