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HANAUMA BAY

We had heard that, to get a good spot in the parking lot and avoid the huge crowds, we had to arrive early at Hanauma Bay, so we made sure to be up early the day we planned to go. We had also heard that the number of visitors is restricted, which was another good reason to get an early start to ensure that we could get in and have some time to snorkel before the crowds got too large.

We arrived by 8:30 AM to snorkel at this popular spot which used to be a living reef. It seems the throngs of tourists, bringing all sorts of food for the fish, had taken their toll on this area and eventually caused the restriction of the number of visitors that could be there at any one time. Even though the reef is mostly dead now, there are still lots of colorful fish to see while snorkeling at this ancient crater.

Looking around the crater, the west side (left pic) was the most picturesque with the waves crashing up around the rocks at the base of the cliffs. On the right, the reef and beach as seen from the overlook.

We followed the line of people down the long steep ramp/stairs to the beach. When we arrived, there were lots of people but nothing compared to just one hour later. This place gets crowded! The water is not deep close to the beach so kids just wade out and look down into the water to see the fish. We snorkeled farther out but bumping into other snorklers is not uncommon, although the sides were less crowded than the central area.

The sun went in and out for the 2 1/2 hours we were there so visibility wasn't always the best. My husband said I snorkeled right over an eel peeking up at me from it's hole but I never saw it, my mask was a little foggy and the water was murky in most places. That murkiness prevented my getting very clear pictures of all the bright fish which were everywhere around us, but at least you can see some of the fish, with yellow and black stripes, right there, see?

We had a nice time at Hanauma Bay but it certainly was not the colorful reef I was expecting. It's a great place to see fish and relax on a nice beach though, and I'm glad we went.