Best Snorkeling in Hawaii
Choosing the best snorkeling in Hawaii is a small challenge because there is just so much that is great. But we made the choices and here are the locations we think are the best for each island and why we think so.
Best Snorkeling in Hawaii - Oahu Our top pick on Oahu is Kahe Point Beach Park (Electric Beach, Tracks). This recommendation comes with some cautions. The snorkeling here really is great! We just want to be sure you take caution with your entry or take the boat trip. We have not done the boat trip and cannot seem to find reviews on TripAdvisor for them, so ask for recommendations when you get there. The boat trips will leave from Ko'Olina marina. Kahe Point is great snorkeling because there are numerous fish and corals in a large area to explore. Make sure to read our detailed page for this location.
The other recommendation on Oahu is Shark's Cove. This one also comes with a caution: the entrance can be tricky, so take care. Shark's Cove is on the north shore, so winter time will change your experience here. We name this the best snorkeling in Hawaii because it is like an aquarium. You are in this mostly protected cove, with rock formations throughout and LOTS of fish! Here is our location page.
Our favorite spot on the Big Island (and high on the list anywhere) is Two Steps (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, Place Of Refuge). You can drive right up to the entrance into the water. The snorkeling here is world class! You get interesting formations of corals to swim around, you get lots of great fish and other creatures (we've seen seahorses and octopus here), and you will always see a turtle if not a number of the family that calls this home. It is a fairly protected bay, so the conditions are often good. Check out more information about Two Steps here. 
Slightly difficult to get to but worth the effort is Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. It is a coral wall next to shore where there is a monument to Captain Cook. There are a large variety of coral species here and some interesting fish, but the water clarity makes it some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii. On our Captain Cook page you will notice you have options to get there. Each one is an adventure, but choose which one you are up for.
Best Snorkeling in Hawaii - Maui We love the south end of Po'olenalena Beach (to Chang's Beach) on Maui. It is one of our favorite spots because the corals are abundant, forming interesting areas of topography, the turtles are many, and the diversity is great for fish and creatures. We don't want to get out of the water when we go here. Check out our page about this location and make sure to look at the extra pictures pages too. Ali'i Kahekili Beach Park is just north of the Ka'anapali resort area and is our other Maui pick. The beach is long and gorgeous and the coral runs along it providing a home for many fish and other creatures including turtles. It is shallow enough for great snorkeling and you can see a lot really close to shore. See more on our Kahekili page.
Snorkeling Koloa Landing on the south shore is a great experience. It was a boat launch in the past, so the entrance is easy but the depth drops off fairly quickly which means that the interesting stuff is along the coral walls on both sides. Many fish, turtles and lots of coral make this a favorite. We wrote more about Koloa Landing here. Kauai snorkeling can be a little wild and so is our last pick: Tunnels (Makua Beach). It is on the north shore which may mean it's a summer only location, and it also can have some strong currents, so be careful. But there exists here the rare chance to see large live coral heads on Kauai and some fish too. See where the best snorkeling is on our Tunnels page.
So, these are our picks for the best snorkeling in Hawaii. We recognize that some people will disagree, but "best" is a personal perception right? Here is another list of the best snorkeling in Hawaii. We review most of these locations in our guide too, so check those out. We hope you find this helpful for your planning and feel free to tell us all where you think the best snorkeling is!
Return to our Snorkeling Hawaii Guide
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Best Snorkeling in Hawaii - Kauai