hawaii snorkeling rule of thumb: south mo bettah than north

i'm a snorkel hound who's been to all the popular HI spots: kealakekua bay, honaunau bay, puna tidepools, molokini, la perouse (aquarium and fish bowl), black rock, honolua bay, hanauma bay, shark's cove, lawai, poipu, tunnels, ke'e and many more (several on multiple occassions).

and my all-time favorites were kealakekua bay (capt cook monument) and honaunau bay on the BI because of the plentiful, colorful corals, which require clearer and warmer waters that the kona coast provides.

being the youngest island with no rivers along the western side of the BI, there's no runoffs along the kona coast - which leads to crystal clear waters. and being the furthest south of the HI islands, its waters are slightly warmer - just enough for decent coral formation.

even though there could be tons of fish or the always welcome sight of honu (turtle) elsewhere, i'm not generally thrilled with a site if the u/w topography is dull.

i think i'm being objective here since kauai, the least interesting snorkel-wise, is my favorite island. yet i'll still eagerly pack my snorkel gear for my upcoming trip there.

Of the islands I've been to (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii) over the years, I'd definitely put the Captain Cook Monument area as #1. I remember the first time we went there in the early 70s... it's just as wonderful today!

Carole

Shark's Cove (all kinds of fish) on Oahu during summer months and Kahalu'u (turtles and fish) near Kona on Big Island. We just returned from BI and also did a giant manta ray night snorkel at Kona that was awesome!

luvtravl: Do tell us more about your manta ray night dive. Who did you go with & what all did you see? We did a night dive in May , but the mantas didn't show that night. What date were you there?

We went on the Sea Paradise night manta snorkel trip a week ago on Saturday, August 18 (already seems like a looooooooong time ago!). Met at the pier around 6 p.m. Departed about 6:45 p.m. Only a 5 minute boat ride where we anchored a few hundred yards offshore from the Sheraton and waited until it was totally dark. There were about 20 or so snorkelers. Sea Paradise provided the gear and snacks on the way back. We had about an hour of snorkel time. We saw 2 smaller manta first (about 6 - 7 feet across) and later a couple of very large mantas (about 12 feet across) graced us with their presence. We had an extra treat during our snorkel - the owner of the country club was celebrating a birthday so we got to see an amazingly HUGE fireworks display that lasted about 15 minutes while we were in the water. It was difficult deciding whether to look up or look down! The price with tax was around $90. Great experience!!!

Shark's Cove & Hanauma Bay early before the crowds come. Both on Oahu.

Thanks luvtravl, I'm so glad it worked for you! We had a great time, just no mantas. I appreciate the details you shared.

dmlove,

"added plus it is close." I THINK the poster is referring to the Cayman Islands, and how great it is there to snorkel/scuba dive. I would guess she lives on the east coast, as do I, and it is closer than Hawaii. Like 10 flying hours! I think that is what I am understanding.

that's a good number of reponses considering the OP didn't mention "Hawaii" anywhere in his post and the only relevent word "hanauma" is hidden mid-paragraph.

Strange. On another post, OP talks about visiting Oahu August 10-17. You would think she would have figured out the snorkeling issues by now.

Reply to Ag#s, apparently jenbertoni is "hooked" from the Oahu experience and initially states above: "I'm not planning a trip right now, so time of year or other island activities doesnt matter. I just want to know about the snorkeling. Thanks guys!"

We loved snorkeling on Maui at the Black Rock on Kaanapali Beach & Honolua Bay.