DH and I would like to snorkel on the Big Island without going on a "snorkeling" tour. Suggestions on places would be appreciated. Going in September 2015 for 5 days staying at the Hapuna Beach Hotel.... thanks for any help

Waialea (aka Beach 69) is right next door and has good snorkeling. Makaiwa and Honoka'ope Bays, both in the Mauna Lani Resort property, are very good. I've not been but have heard/read that Kauna'oa at Mauna Kea Resort is pretty decent too. Farther afield, Honaunau Bay, next to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park is one of the favorite spots on the island. Entry and exit might be difficult there if you're a novice snorkeler.

You'll have some decent snorkeling right off the coast of your hotel, even better just north of there near the Mauna Kea Hotel. Also, if you can get to Kealakekua Bay at or just after dawn, it's the best snorkeling the island has to offer. You may find yourself swimming with wild dolphins.

thanks for the tips. Wrote them all down....

Other than turtles, I never found Hapuna Prince or Mauna Kea that great for snorkeling. But like Faceincrowd said, Beach 69 is very close to the Hapuna and the snorkeling is good

A couple of notes on the Hapuna, they normally dont upgrade you on arrival like many other properties . However I found, if there is space(and in September there should be) they will sell you an upgrade at a very reasonable cost...a fraction of prebooking if you want a suite or Oceanfront

> Other than turtles, I never found Hapuna Prince or Mauna Kea that great for snorkeling. But like Faceincrowd said, Beach 69 is very close to the Hapuna and the snorkeling is good

Visibility at Beach 69 can range from fair to awful. Usually better water clarity at Mauna Kea, and on the north end of the beach you'll find almost as many varieties of fish and coral. But these spots aren't far from each other, so I'd recommend trying your luck at both.

BTW Puako/Beach 69 is great for scuba divers, mainly due to a large colony of eels which reside at the bottom there. If you can get down to about 80 feet the experience is a real mind-blower.

Some people loves these guides; some people hate them. We found them helpful for our first trip to HI. You maybe able to borrow from library and takes notes.


http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/stories/big-island/

‘Anaeho‘omalu Bay (“A” Bay) We didn't snorkel here, but love walking along the shore;there were always turtles snoozing and lots of them . Worth checking out.

I find the south side of Mauna Kea (rocks) much better than the south side, and water less turbulent.

You might rethink taking a snorkeling tour; several include Kealakekua and "Place of Refuge" (called that in the brochure: Two-Step/Honaunau Bay)in one trip (go for the a.m.); it makes entry/exit much easier for the novice or less-ardent snorkeler, and there are lots of coupons/price matches, etc., so not that expensive.

I second Sylvia's suggestion to rethink taking a tour. We went on a three-stop excursion on the Big Island and it was my favorite vacation day ever (and I've taken many a nice vacation). It was positively amazing.

we have done several snorkel cruises but thought we would try it on our own but if we should change our minds, can you recommend any. The last time we were on the Big Island we took a cruise with ????Glove (can't remember the first part) not enough snorkel time but we did see whales very close in fact right beside our boat.

Fair wind, captain zodiac are ends of the spectrum for size, but both fun. There are probably too many to list!
Sea quest does the two sites in the a.m., and has a web price of $81 pp. I enjoyed that one the most (seaquesthawaii.com) for small number of people, ride , and atmosphere.
You also might want to check and see who leaves from what harbor; lots to choose from!

Not your normal snorkel cruise, but when we were there a couple months ago, we did an outrigger paddle tour with Uncle Gary - http://maunalaniseaadventures.com/be...r-rentals.html. One of the highlights of our trip. It starts in Makaiwa Bay (a great snorkeling spot) and if you tell him you want to snorkel, you'll probably paddle a mile to Honoka'ope Bay, snorkel there, then back, where you can snorkel some more if you want.

Another thought.... There are still a few outfits licensed to land kayaks near the Captain Cook monument in Kealakekua Bay. That's probably the best snorkel tour we've ever done, but the guy we went with no longer runs tours. So check Kona Boys: http://www.konaboys.com/kayak/kayak-tours/.

For 300ish you can get your boat if you 4 or more people. We do it even if it's just the two of us. That way our snorkel doubles as a fishing trip

The Mauna Lani has a nice little protected cove, with facilities and a snack stand.

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