Big Island Snorkeling Guide
Kailua Bay
This is the closest Big Island Snorkeling that you will find to Kailua-Kona. Kailua Bay is, as you probably guessed, the bay the fronts the popular downtown walkway in Kailua-Kona. It is not the greatest snorkeling on the island, but if you are staying in Kona, maybe at the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, then this is an easy no-driving way to get in and see some underwater sights.
Site Snorkeling Details - Kailua Bay
Big Island Snorkeling
We get in the water at the north end of Ali'i Drive. There is a big public dock/pier that many cruise boats use to ferry their passengers into Kona. Many other boat tours take off from this pier. It is located in front of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. Just to the left of this pier is a sandy beach entrance used by snorkelers and swimmers alike. And if you follow the road and breakwater wall south, you can see another sandy entrance with a small breakwater that kids are sometimes playing within.
We snorkel a short distance off the wall, making sure to stay out of the no-swimming zone that is clearly marked. But we don't get too close to the wall so that we don't get tossed against it by a wave. Even when it is calm the wake from boats and ships can sometimes roll in pretty big here with no warning. There is a decent bit of coral and fish off this wall. You can keep swimming past the other sandy entrance and breakwater heading south a good ways, and the underwater topography only gets more interesting the further you go.
The visibility here is not great, probably because of the boating activity. But it does get a bit better the further south you go.
One of the perks of snorkeling Kailua is that we can get out, dry off, and a lunch joint is always close at hand.
Driving Directions - Kailua Bay
Big Island Snorkeling
Kailua Bay is the water that fronts most all of downtown Kona along Alii Drive. There is a large free parking lot accessed off Kuakini Hwy along Likana Ln that is useful if you are having trouble finding parking. It is a short walk to the waterfront.
Go to the next snorkel spot - La'aloa (White Sands)
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