Which island for snorkeling and recommendations please

[flagger]

Our current sailing to Hawaii next October looks like this (and it has changed once already):

Hilo 8AM 8PM

Lahaina 7AM 11PM *TENDERED

Honolulu 7AM

Honolulu DEPART 5:30PM

Kona 7AM 5PM *TENDERED

We are looking for snorkeling ideas and it looks like it will have to be while at Honolulu as we are scheduled for a Luau at Lahania and we want to rent a car and drive to the summit of Haleakala in the morning. We are sickened to have had a day on Maui removed from our itin.

 

Anyway can anyone recommend the best port of snorkeling and advise or recommend an operator. It will be my wife and I and our then five year old.

[CC Help Michell]

Our current sailing to Hawaii next October looks like this (and it has changed once already):

We are looking for snorkeling ideas and it looks like it will have to be while at Honolulu as we are scheduled for a Luau at Lahania and we want to rent a car and drive to the summit of Haleakala in the morning. We are sickened to have had a day on Maui removed from our itin.

 

Anyway can anyone recommend the best port of snorkeling and advise or recommend an operator. It will be my wife and I and our then five year old.

 

Man.... I feel for you with that itinerary -- only one day in Maui and no stop in Kauai at all?! :eek:

 

Hanauma Bay on Oahu is very famous for snorkeling, so you could consider that option. But what are your plans for Kona -- could you snorkel there? Water activities are kind of Kona's "thing" and there are a lot of really good snorkeling options there. If you check out posts here (do an advanced search for them) and look for "Kona snorkel" you will see info on Kahulu'u, Captain Zodiac, Fair Wind II, Place of Refuge, etc. Of those the one we chose was Fair Wind II, which was a great choice for families -- people of every age had a great time on that excursion.

[byucougs]

I agree with MichellP, Kona is really known for its snorkeling/diving. Captain Zodiac or Fairwinds are two good operators for this.

[flagger]

If you check out posts here (do an advanced search for them) and look for "Kona snorkel" you will see info on Kahulu'u, Captain Zodiac, Fair Wind II, Place of Refuge, etc. Of those the one we chose was Fair Wind II, which was a great choice for families -- people of every age had a great time on that excursion.

How many were on the boat with you? Did they give you mask, snorkel and fins as part of the fee?

[zqvol]

If you are adventurous and want a great tour with only about 15 people choose Captian Zodiac, if you are less adventurous and don't mind being with 200 of your closest friends choose FairWinds. (Kona - but be aware if the surf conditions are bad this stop might be missed.)

 

An even better choice might be to take your own snorkel gear and go find a beach on your own. Place of Refuge is wonderful though it is about an hour drive from Kona, but you can stop at the coffee plantations and a few other spots on the way down or back.

 

On Oahu Haunama Bay may be the best choice but go early.

 

At Lahiana you can go up near Black Rock, nice beach and the rock is large enough to attract some nice fish but it is a relatively long swim.

 

In Hawaii almost any beach that has reef will have good snorkeling.

 

Good Luck and have fun.

[flagger]

Thanks for the advice. We took our four year old out in St. Thomas and the first thing she said was "Mommy I wanna do that again". She took to the water like a...well you know.

 

A smaller sized operation might be better for us as well.

[flagger]

ETA: With a 7AM arrival time and no idea how long before the tenders start running, I think Fair Wind might work better for us with Captain Zodiac leaving at 8AM. We are also fairly fluffy sized folks and would worry about getting our fluffy butts out of the water into a zodiac.

[ssaphyre]

I'm happy flagger brought up about "fluffy-sized" folks and snorkeling. My girlfriend and I are also larger or fluffy sized and getting into and out of boats when snorkeling is a concern. I have seen some boats with steps into and out of the water - does anyone know if these steps extend below the water line for easy entry/exit from the water? Thanks for your help - the last thing I want to do is worry about something like this :)

 

jo-anne

[zqvol]

I'm happy flagger brought up about "fluffy-sized" folks and snorkeling. My girlfriend and I are also larger or fluffy sized and getting into and out of boats when snorkeling is a concern. I have seen some boats with steps into and out of the water - does anyone know if these steps extend below the water line for easy entry/exit from the water? Thanks for your help - the last thing I want to do is worry about something like this :)

 

jo-anne

 

I am not a small man by any stretch of the imagination. On either excursion you have to climb out of the water and back into the boat. The climb on FairWind is further though a bit easier as the step are slopped as I recall, On Captain Zodiac, you are so close to the water that it is only three steps and two of them (maybe all three) are underwater.I would not worry about getting back into the raft. A side note if it matters, no facilities on Capitan Zodiac, FairWind has full restrooms.

 

Here is the Captian Zodiac link: http://www.captainzodiac.com/

 

FairWinds: http://www.fair-wind.com/

 

This will give you an idea of the various craft that you are dealing with.

[flagger]

A side note if it matters, no facilities on Capitan Zodiac, FairWind has full restrooms.

 

Here is the Captian Zodiac link: http://www.captainzodiac.com/

 

FairWinds: http://www.fair-wind.com/

 

This will give you an idea of the various craft that you are dealing with.

Thanks. I am going to send them an email now. My main concern with Captain Zodiac is his current times listed and the time we get to Kona. With it being tendered and RCCL always getting their excursions off first, we might miss it at its current time.

[CC Help Michell]

I'm happy flagger brought up about "fluffy-sized" folks and snorkeling. My girlfriend and I are also larger or fluffy sized and getting into and out of boats when snorkeling is a concern. I have seen some boats with steps into and out of the water - does anyone know if these steps extend below the water line for easy entry/exit from the water? Thanks for your help - the last thing I want to do is worry about something like this :)

 

jo-anne

 

Arthritis and "fluffiness" played into our decision to select the Fair Wind catamaran (we had a full sailing, 103 people including about ten crew, and there was plenty of room) instead of Captain Zodiac. We also wanted the option of shade, and the indoor plumbing, included hot barbequed lunch, and available cash bar didn't hurt either! ;)

 

I'm attaching thumbnails of the zodiacs on site at Kealakekua Bay and the back of the Fair Wind (showing the steps that DO go down into the water, as well as the flotation devices they offer for all ages) It's not real clear from this particular photo, but the zodiacs use a ladder over the side that does reach down into the water and has arm/hand grips on top to help you get back into the raft. Hope that helps!

 

PS oh, and to the OP, yes snorkeling gear was included in the excursion price -- we have our own but saw how they carefully helped each person select a mask (with advice for mustaches, etc).

[flagger]

Are their taxis at the pier in Kona or should I arrange to hire someone in advance?

[CC Help Michell]

Are their taxis at the pier in Kona or should I arrange to hire someone in advance?

 

There were ample taxis at the pier in Kona, and they knew where to go when we said "Fair Wind." We were also able to arrange with our driver to pick us up after the snorkel trip (they're familiar with the schedule, and he was right on time).

[Parsp]

Just want to put my 2 cents in for Fairwinds II. It was one of our favorite excursions of the week and would be perfect for a 5 year old. Water slide and high dive were very popular with the kids, big and small, and we fluffy ones thoroughly enjoyed the snorkeling and just floating around with the inner tubes provided after a great lunch. Crew is great. Can't say enough good things!

[Lainy67]

Just back from POH and did several snorkel trips. Went to Haunauma Bay on Sunday. It was nice, but of the three trips we did was the worst. A lot of the areas were very tight fits for fluffy people (over the coral reefs).

 

The second trip we did was in Maui. We did the Molokini crater and Turtle arches tour. We thought it was really great. it was fairly easy, and you got to see sea turtles at the turtle arches. We say whales, we saw spinner dolphins. It was relaly cool. The biggest problem with Molokini was the wave action was pushing you against the crater. So if you wanted to get really close to it to see the cool stuff, you had to be careful. It was easy in easy out though on the boat. However, if you get seasick be careful. WE had three people losing their breakfast on that tour.

 

The third trip was the most amazing. It was Captain Zodiac. The ride was bouncy, but not bad. Getting into the water was easy. Getting out, not quite as easy, but they were able to help my husband and I pretty well and we are definitely fluffy. My husband is also 6'2" and fluffy. This was the BEST trip of all. We stopped and saw what they said was the first humpbacks they had seen this season. A mom and her young one and the escort first. Then we went farther and saw more... finally making it to the snorkel sight. We snorkeled for about 45 minutes. The amount of sea life was amazing, it was calm water, and you could basically just float it and see tons. We saw two eels, and an octopus at the sight. WOW. On the way back, we thought we saw another whale. It ended up being an older one. We stayed to watch for a while. When the whale seemed to be done (we were about 100 yards from it at the last time it did something). The driver started to turn the boat slowly and we hear WHOOSH. We all turn around and not 30 - 40 yards from the zodiac the full grown male whale is in full breach. EVeryone in the boat including the driver and the snorkel assistant were like OMG - did you see that. Both of them were like we have NEVER seen anything like it. Other Zodiac drivers were coming up and like OMG- - we can't believe you were right there. On the way back we saw three more whales, and a set of dolphins. It was an amazing trip.

 

That being said. when we go back we will definitely pick Kona if we have to pick one place to snorkel. We would also do a Captain Zodiac again. The other ones, couldn't maneuver to the sites as quickly and we think we saw more whales than even the whale watching tours did.

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

Just wanted to add my two cents real quick. I had a hard time on the islands finding places to take the kids snorkling off the beach. We used the guide books and still had a hard time. We thought that Maui would be ideal and when we got to the recommended beach on West Maui it had signs that said no swimming due to possible contaminated water. Yicks! who wants to swim in contaminated water. We kept driving past West Maui thinking we would find a beach eventually but ended up on the worst road of my life!!! No, it wasn't the road to Hana but it was the worst road I have ever been on. The waters South Maui seems to rough to snorkle but the kids did like playing in the waves.

 

Kona was the only place that we found a beach that was recommended by the guidebook that had good snorkling. The rocks will tear up your feet though so be prepared to wear swim shoes. The fish were plentiful and it was exactly the kind of snorkling we wanted to do. Unfortunately, my daughter saw an eel of somesort with teeth that scared her flippers off so she was done. Same with my son, he saw a puffer fish and said he was done! I'll have to get back with you on which beach it was.

[beachchick]

Just wanted to add my two cents real quick. I had a hard time on the islands finding places to take the kids snorkling off the beach. We used the guide books and still had a hard time. We thought that Maui would be ideal and when we got to the recommended beach on West Maui it had signs that said no swimming due to possible contaminated water. Yicks! who wants to swim in contaminated water. We kept driving past West Maui thinking we would find a beach eventually but ended up on the worst road of my life!!! No, it wasn't the road to Hana but it was the worst road I have ever been on. The waters South Maui seems to rough to snorkle but the kids did like playing in the waves.

 

Kona was the only place that we found a beach that was recommended by the guidebook that had good snorkling. The rocks will tear up your feet though so be prepared to wear swim shoes. The fish were plentiful and it was exactly the kind of snorkling we wanted to do. Unfortunately, my daughter saw an eel of somesort with teeth that scared her flippers off so she was done. Same with my son, he saw a puffer fish and said he was done! I'll have to get back with you on which beach it was.

 

Wow. I'm surprised you had such trouble with the beaches off west Maui. As a quick FYI, the contaminated water issue is not typical, so something strange must have happened. The beaches that are good for snorkeling/swimming/playing I can think of off the top of my head are Black Rock at Ka'anapali to snorkel (in front of the Sheraton) and all of Ka'anapali to play; Airport Beach (also called Kahekili and just north of Ka'anapali); and Kapalua (south side for beginners and kids). For the more adventurous, Honolua Marine Preserve. Particularly the southern of the two coves, called Slaughterhouse Beach for less experienced snorkelers. The beach is "seasonal" as far as how much beach is actually there, but the snorkeling can be good any time of the year depending on conditions.

 

The road you ended up on is sometimes referred to as the "forbidden road" because sections of it are more than challenging and can be dangerous for many drivers. (There have been several threads about why people should and should not try the north route around Maui.) It's definitely not a road to get "stuck" driving if you're not expecting it. But the Revealed books do describe it in detail, so hopefully it wasn't a complete surprise. That part of the road starts past Honolua.

 

The beaches in south-west Maui do tend to be rougher (water wise) in the winter, but we've found several to typically be very good. There are a couple I usually highly recommend for kids for both swimming and snorkeling. Mornings are, of course, much better because the afternoon winds usually come around the south and really chop up the water/waves and make beaching more challenging.

 

I hope you have better luck on your next visit. Maui's west and southwest (Wailea and Makena area for us) beaches are some of our favorites overall.

 

Kahalu'u beach in Kona is definitely a good choice, and I'm glad you had good luck there. I always try to get the word out that it's rocky so swim/reef shoes/sandals are a must. It's usually great for kids and very protected.

 

beachchick

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

Well, I'm glad there is a name for that road that matches it's characteristics. I really was surprised by it because I knew about the road to Hana and I knew that was on the bigger part of the island I figured we weren't on it. Good thing for the GPS because without it I would have freaked. I already got out of the car as soon as I saw the school bus on the top of the road and said I was done driving. By the way those smoothies that bus sells is outstanding! Only in Hawaii will I eat shrimp from a truck and drink smoothies from an old school bus! :D

[RSWBADGER]

Just wanted to add my two cents real quick. I had a hard time on the islands finding places to take the kids snorkling off the beach. We used the guide books and still had a hard time. We thought that Maui would be ideal and when we got to the recommended beach on West Maui it had signs that said no swimming due to possible contaminated water. Yicks! who wants to swim in contaminated water. We kept driving past West Maui thinking we would find a beach eventually but ended up on the worst road of my life!!! No, it wasn't the road to Hana but it was the worst road I have ever been on. The waters South Maui seems to rough to snorkle but the kids did like playing in the waves.

 

Kona was the only place that we found a beach that was recommended by the guidebook that had good snorkling. The rocks will tear up your feet though so be prepared to wear swim shoes. The fish were plentiful and it was exactly the kind of snorkling we wanted to do. Unfortunately, my daughter saw an eel of somesort with teeth that scared her flippers off so she was done. Same with my son, he saw a puffer fish and said he was done! I'll have to get back with you on which beach it was.

 

West Maui Beaches, which beach was contaminated? Did you make it to Kaanapali Beach? Click to enlarge

 

]

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

West Maui Beaches, which beach was contaminated? Did you make it to Kaanapali Beach? "]]

 

Yes, this was the beach. That is the one straight out of the Maui Revealed book that I thought would be perfect for the kids to swim and snorkle. When I am able to find the picture I will download it. They said it rained so much the week prior that that was probably the reason for the signs. I'm not sure I know what could have been in there from the rains and run off to say it was contaminated.

[maui07]

There was a huge oil spill during our storm 2 weeks ago on the west side, as per the contaminated water signs...

[Budget Queen]

I always have excellent snorkling at Place of Refuge outside of Kona, easy to get to with a rental car. It is LOADED with coral and fish and just superb for beach snorkling. Access, can be via the lava and tricky, but you can also enter with a little detour via the boat ramp or beach, maybe taking 5 minutes more.

[beachchick]

I always have excellent snorkling at Place of Refuge outside of Kona, easy to get to with a rental car. It is LOADED with coral and fish and just superb for beach snorkling. Access, can be via the lava and tricky, but you can also enter with a little detour via the boat ramp or beach, maybe taking 5 minutes more.

 

We also love Honaunau Bay, but I wouldn't recommend it for a 5 year old. Not even the boat ramp/beach entries, which are easier than the lava shelf entries we like. It's just not as protected or easy for young swimmers (or non-strong adult swimmers). (Just as a quick clarification that Place of Refuge itself is not where you snorkel. You snorkel next to Place of Refuge at Honaunau Bay.)

 

As always, JMO.

 

beachchick