Oahu Snorkeling Guide
Makaha Beach Park
We loved this Oahu snorkeling spot. It offers a huge beach, friendly lifeguards, and some great opportunities to checkout Green Sea Turtles.
This is a very popular surfing beach. So as you can probably guess from that, you need to snorkel here more in the summertime, and definitely only when it is calm.
Site Snorkeling Details - Makaha Beach Park
Oahu Snorkeling
When it is calm, this partly protected bay offers some interesting snorkeling. This u-shaped bay has shallow coral shelves on the north and south sides, with a deeper sandy bottom channel right in the middle. The currents flow inward to the center of the beach, and then the water moves back out this channel.
Starting well towards the center of the beach from the lifeguard station, look for a floating white buoy a decent ways off shore. You want to swim out to that buoy, following the edge of the reef out the channel. It is a decent little swim, particularly if you have to come back against a current! Once you are out to the buoy explore the different coral in the area, and out a bit further. This is also the area where the turtles like to hang out. This is not a shallow snorkeling spot. It is fairly deep.
Here are a couple of videos of the turtles. The first one shows him taking some air and then diving. If you watch you can see a second turtle in the background at one point.
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And in this video the turtle is munching on corals while I get moved around by the waves.
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The water clarity gets much better the further away from shore you get.
This park has restrooms, water, picnic tables, showers and a limited amount of shade. There is also a lifeguard station.
Don't forget to share your snorkeling experience at Makaha
here.
Driving Directions - Makaha Beach Park
Oahu Snorkeling
Driving Directions to Makaha Beach Park from Waikiki
Getting on H-1 from Waikiki can be challenging! Here's a good way to get on heading west towards the middle of the island. Get on Kalakaua Ave (the one way beachfront main drag). You will be heading southeast. Turn left on Kapahulu Ave and keep on it and you will go under H-1. Veer to the left on Waialae Ave and shortly on the right you will see an on ramp for H-1 West. You will follow H-1 as far as it goes to the west. On it, you may take the shortcut on 201 if you desire. You will pass through Pearl City and Waipahu and Kapolei just before the highway changes to Hwy 93 (Farrington Hwy). Follow Hwy 93 through the towns of Waianae and Makaha and just past Kili Dr on your right, the beach park is on the left.
Explore the next snorkel spot - Papaoneone Beach
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