Hello travel colleagues.

Can you give some advice about the top 5 snorkeling beaches in Oahu and Big Island? I'm planning to visit the island and snorkeling is on the top 3 of things I want to do while there. Any suggestions?

By the way: I've never done scuba diving. Do you know any place that gives you a short introduction, and then takes you to the open sea to dive? Or do you strictly need to be a certified diver?

Do you know any place that gives you a short introduction, and then takes you to the open sea to dive?

It's often referred to as a discovery dive and almost every dive operator offers this.

On the Big Island, DH likes Kealakekua Bay (put in at Manini Beach in Napoopoo), Honaunau Bay by Place of Refuge in south Kona, and the area off shore of Ke'ei village at the south end of Kealakekua Bay--lots of fish and great coral in all three areas. He also like the Wai'opae Tide Pools in Vacationland in Puna--fabulous coral, he says (go a high tide).

On the Big Island, the best snorkeling is probably up by the Mauna Lani resort. Makaiwa Bay and Honokaope Bay are superb. There is also good snorkeling at Kikua Point (near the Four Seasons). The bay next to Place of Refuge is good as is Kealakekua Bay but I am not sure if you can still kayak there. I know kayaking into the bay was banned for a while. Might have to take a snorkel boat tour there. There is also night snorkeling with the Manta Rays which is a super cool, bucket list, only on the Big Island type of adventure.

I would avoid the tidepools at Vacationland in Puna. There is a massive sewage problem there and in addition to the fact that swimming in someone else's feces (or even your own) is just yuck! it is also unsafe for your health. Stick to the South Kohala areas and the others in Kona.

You do not need to kayak into Kealakekua
Bay to go snorkeling there. There are a couple of places in the village of Napoopoo --Manini Beach being one--that gives you easy access to the bay.

This link is to an article in West Hawaii Today that outlines the permitting process if one wants to kayak in the bay. http://westhawaiitoday.com/sections/...94-limits.html

From a tripadvisor post of november 2-12:

"Good news! The Monitoring & Analysis Section Supervisor of the Clean Water Branch in the state Department of Health emailed me: the water is safe for recreation.

The Department of Health has 4 monitoring stations in the Kapoho area. They monitor for Clostridium perfringens and Enterococci - both must test high to indicate human fecal contamination. E. Coli (the student paper linked to above) is approved testing in fresh water only. E. Coli is naturally occurring in salt water (decaying vegetation, seabirds, monk seals, and so on).

Further, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act dictates that coastal waters be tested for Enterococci. The DOH sent me the weekly test results from July - Oct 2012. The results indicate it's safe to swim!

Water advisories are posted here: http://emdweb.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/wqd/viewer/"

BTW, Mauna Kea beach also has wonderful snorkeling;public parking is limited, so arrive early. Start on the south (left) side and head out along the rocks/reef.

I live on Oahu and IMO the best snorkeling beaches on the island would be Hanauma Bay and Pupukea (Shark's Cove/Three Tables, but in summer only).

Generally the snorkeling/diving on the Big Island is better than on Oahu.

Most dive operators offer discovery dives, but as a certified diver I really don't recommend doing it. Many times I've been diving and encountered tourists doing discovery dives and some of what I've seen is kind of scary, safety wise. Obviously many tourists safely complete such dives, but it is not that uncommon to also hear of accidents, some of them fatal.

The shallow reefs that you would be taken to on a discovery dive are not that great anyway - a lot of the coral dead from being trampled on by unknowing tourists on these discovery dives. Plus they tend to churn up the sand with their fins so the visibility is almost non existent.

Wow!!! Thank you guys for all your advices. Thanks Chepar for the diving tips. I think I won't take this discovery divings for now.

Thank you taitai for your advice, and: YES!!! I'm planning to take this night trip to snorkel with matas. That's one of the top 5 things to do

BTW, I'm staying at the Prince Resort in Hapuna. I've red that snorkeling in here is also good. Any comments?

The manta excursion is very cool. I did it while diving, but the people who snorkeled also said that they had a great experience. They shine the lights up towards the surface, and the mantas swoop through various points of the water column, so you hopefully get a closer look at them. Also, hopefully a good number of mantas will show up on the night of your trip.

Sorry, no experience at the Hapuna Prince.

I strongly second the Hanauma Bay recommendation