By Paula
Has anyone recently snorkeled in Hawaii? We are thinking of returning there after a five year hiatus. We have snorkeled on Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, and Molokai. Clearly things have changed in our absence. Does anyone have any great recent snorkeling experiences on any of the islands? We are thinking of going in the summer or fall of 2025. Thank you.
I was on the Big Island on the Kohala Coast in May-June 2024. I had an older guidebook and a lot had changed.
Kahalu’u Beach was my favorite, although it gets crowded (one side is for surfers). They close for coral spawning (May this year). Be sure to read the signs and speak with the Reef Guardians. Be prepared to see terrible behavior from the tourists later in the day (it’s depressing). Best is to go when they open. I got amazing pictures there.
Kua Bay was my second favorite. Beautiful beach, snorkeling on both sides of the bay. The left side tends to be less crowded; I saw an octopus there. Turtles come in on the right side and eat there. Go early in the morning as it gets busy with swimmers.
Ho’okena Beach had the best snorkeling close to shore. It drops off rapidly and is really deep. Go early in the morning and watch the spinner dolphins. This is a black sand beach and best pictures will be when it’s sunny out.
Kauna’oa Beach at the Mauna Kea Resort was awful…. almost all dead coral and no fish. Depressing and a waste of time. Go to the hotel for sunset cocktails and watch the manta rays at night. I saw one eel and no fish.
Kealakekua Bay was a waste of money – other beaches are much better. Our catamaran made two stops. The first was in very deep water to see the lava terrain. My friend got vertigo and had to go back to the boat. The second stop was at the Captain Cook statue. Super-crowded with boats and not as good as the public beaches.
Kikaua Cove, Waialea Beach, Hapuna Beach were all just OK. Mahukona Beach is only good when the water is calm. A Bay was our local beach and the water is cloudy so pictures were not that great. But it has lots of visiting turtles and great fish and eels. I actually saw a seahorse.