Hanauma Bay is located on the island of Oahu on the south shore. Going from Waikiki (where most of you will be coming from), take H1 to Kalanianaole Hwy. Follow this past Aina Haina and all the other ridge and valley neighborhoods, past Hawaii Kai and the shopping, and up the hill leading to the south east tip of the island. Hanauma Bay is on the top of that hill. You’ll see it on your right. 

Most times on vacation people say get there early, well at Hanauma Bay listen to this advice, especially if you are driving. By about 11:00 am the Hanauma Bay parking lot is full and a few of the park volunteers are sitting outside the entrance directing confused tourists where they can park and walk. By 3:00 pm the traffic has subsided and the staff is gone, and reopened the lot again.

If you do go during peak hours and need to park elsewhere we suggest the park thats just before <a href=”http://www.honolulu.gov/parks/facility/hanaumabay/welcome.htm”>Hanauma Bay</a>. To get to the park turn left at the stop lights after the Foodland. Then make the first right followed by another right and follow that road all the way back to the park. Park your car and walk down the path located at the back of the parking lot. This will take you to Hanauma Bay. You can also park here if you want to save the $1 parking fee.

One more little tip is to make sure to call ahead of time before you plan on going. At certain times during the year, I think it has something to do with the moon, Box Jelly Fish come in and they close the bay. These guys can sting a little and I am told that Hanauma Bay just fills with them. So make sure to call 808-396-4229.

Once inside Hanauma Bay, if you haven’t been there before you will need to watch a very short informative video. It’s actually kind of neat. There is a cool song that goes along with it which is quite catchy. It helps to remember to not feed the fish or step on the coral. Please remember to not step on the coral.

Then after that its down the hill into the bay. If you need to order snorkel gear you can get it at one of the grass huts located to your right at the bottom of the hill. The gear is about $7. However if you plan on snorkeling more than just this one time, I suggest bringing or buying some. They sell it at ABC stores, Wal-Mart, the International Market Place, all over. Just look around and get some decent stuff. There’s a whole world under the surface so I would plan on going several times around the island.

Next it’s time to get in the water. There’s a whole beach so find some place where there aren’t too many people and plop your stuff down. Although at Hanauma Bay there doesn’t seem to be too much theft you never can be too sure so please try and leave your valuables in the car or at home. They have security guards roaming the parking lot so your car should be a safe place. They also offer lockers for a small fee so this too is an option. Once you’ve found your a place for your stuff head to the water.

There is aquatic life everywhere in the bay so just head towards the water. The bulk of the coral where most fish hang out is on the left most 2/3rds but like we said you can find fish everywhere.

Once you have your general region selected, sit on the sand just before the water and put on your fins. Then your mask and your ready to go.

Tip: One thing we have been told is that if you take some plane white toothpaste and put some on the inside glass of your mask, rub it around, let it dry a little, then wash and wipe it off, this will work as a anti-fogging solution to your snorkel gear fogging up. We’ve tried it and it works!

Now get in the water already!!! If you’ve never walked in fins before it can be difficult. When walking forward you must remember to pick up your feet or you will surely trip. One thing you can do is walk backwards, WARNING you must never turn your back on the ocean. So to get around this look over your shoulder to see not only where you are going, but whether or not there are freak waves that could knock you over and worse case pull you down. Although Hanauma Bay is usually pretty calm, you never know, plus you don’t want to get in the habbit.

Once in the water just lay on your belly and kick around. Be prepared to see a ton of fish all in one place. Hanauma Bay is filled with all sorts of colors and sizes. Look for eels sticking their heads out of coral holes, or large schools of fish darting back and forth. You may see a sea turtle out there as well, we tend to see them towards the left hand side everytime we go, but they can be anywhere.

We have been told by people who have snorkeled in Australia, the Florida Keys, and Mexico, that Hanauma Bay has the most diverse, most abundant, and most easily accessible fish population out of all of them. Although we haven’t been to all of these places, we believe the sources and just feel lucky to live 10 miles from such a place.

• Snorkeling
• Snorkeling at Shark’s Cove North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
• Snorkeling at Ko’Olina Lagoons, Oahu, Hawaii

               
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