Here are the top 5 spots for snorkeling on the Island of Hawaii (Big Island), in our humble opinion. Plus we share where you can swim with Spinner Dolphins, Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles, and Manta Rays.
This is where you need to snorkel on the Big Island! Need to know how to fit these snorkel spots into your Big Island vacation itinerary? With one download, your Hawaii vacation planning is done!
Learn more about these 5 Big Island snorkel spots here:
Erica and I love to snorkel. After combing all the famous and not-so-famous #BigIsland snorkel beaches, we whittled down the list to our top 5.
Stay till the end as we share our favorite family-friendly snorkel spot and the places to go snorkeling with Manta Rays on Hawaii.
Check out our 6-day Island of #Hawaii (Big Island) itinerary to finish your planning! It is really good.
Our favorite Big Island snorkel tour operators:
Kealakekua Bay at the Captain Cook Monument Kayak Tour:
Self-guided kayak:
Manta Ray Night Snorkeling at Manta Village (Kona Outrigger):
Kealakekua Bay Power Raft Snorkeling Tour:
Our bi-weekly email newsletter for traveling to Hawaii:
Great deals on car rentals and no pre-payment required:
Where to Snorkel on the Big Island, Hawaii:
00:00 Intro
02:32 #5 Waialea Bay at Hapuna Recreation Area
04:41 #4 Richardson Ocean Park, Hilo
05:40 #3 Kahalu’u Beach, Kailua-Kona
06:37 #2 Honaunau Bay
08:02 #1 Captain Cook Monument on Kealakekua Bay
Recommendation on Snorkel Gear:
Before you rush out to buy snorkel gear, we recommend renting when on the islands. Save on luggage space by renting. There are a lot of great, local renting shops on all the islands. Prices range from $1.50 a day to $6 day. One can get discounted rates by renting for the week. With a local shop, you can make sure you get quality snorkel gear and they can fit the mask properly. Many resorts also provide snorkel gear!
If you are still eager to purchase, here are our favorite snorkel gear sets that are travel-ready and fit very well! They are well-priced for the quality.
Mahalo for watching our Hawaii family travel vlog.
Click Subscribe for more of our adventures and tips on traveling to Hawaii (plus subscribing helps us out!).
Disclaimer. Your use of the information provided in our Content, Itineraries, Site and Services is for your informational purposes only and is subject to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Your use of the information described in, your participation in activities presented in, and/or your engagement of any Travel Service Providers presented in our Content, Itineraries, Site and/or Services may carry the risk of illness, bodily injury, disability, death, or property damage. You voluntarily and freely assume all risks and dangers that may occur pursuant to your access, use, purchase or participation in any information, activity, good or service described in our Content, Itineraries, Site and Services or provided by any Travel Service Providers.
Terms of Service:
Privacy Policy:
Credits:
Google Earth
——————————————————
Music is from the fabulous Epidemic Sound. Sign up here for licensed music for YouTube, Instagram, or any content creation your heart creates:
——————————————————
Follow us on Instagram for behind the scenes content: @thehawaiivacationguide
——————————————————
Sign up for our Hawaii Opens Update email here –
——————————————————
OUR CAMERA GEAR (keep it simple for your vacation!):
Underwater camera: GoPro HERO 8
Use your smartphone for video but keep it smooth with a gimbal: OSMO DJI
Don’t lose your GoPro, invest in a floaty
Floaty stick:
Floaty cover:
Vlogging camera (but use your phone for a family holiday):
——————————————————
POPULAR VIDEOS
The Best Hawaiian Island for First-Timers video –
Which Hawaiian Island Should You Visit –
The Best Time to Visit Hawaii –
[Music] Let the countdown begin here are the Best five spots for snorkeling on the Big island According to us we’re going to show you The best spots to see And swim with wine grease sea turtles Where to swim with spinner dolphins And the best spots for mentoring night Snorkeling which was So amazing oh so good the big island has It all for snorkeling As long as you’re staying safe and Paying attention to ocean conditions and Currents right Right hi i’m jordan and i’m erica and This is the hawaii vacation guy And i am the captain of safety today [Music] Okay so where does snorkel on the big Island we had our time we broke it down Though to our five spots i just say we Had our time because it’s hard to choose There’s so many especially on the kona Coast We have a little bit for everybody no Matter where you’re staying we got the South kohala coast Down to kona we even have one over in Hilo plus A bonus at the end is my favorite Overlooked snorkeling spot one big thing To know about the big island is the best Snorkeling is on the leeward side or the
West side of the island that’s around Kailua kona area When you’re on the east side or the Windward side like around hilo You get stronger currents and larger Waves you have to be careful And on the big island the winter is not The best time to snorkel You get strong currents on either side So you just have to be extra careful There Always respect the lifeguard flags all Right jordan so what did we base this Off of Aside from personal preference so we Have a few criteria on how we rated These for you Our first one is always ease of access How easy Is it to get into the water and then Once you’re in the water how safe is it There Another big one is visibility especially On the big island When you get those stronger currents we Want to make sure that you can see Really well because that’s important you Want to see that vibrant coral Another one we looked at especially for Families is restroom facilities and Showers How good is that also parking is there Parking there is there enough parking To make it convenient to go especially
If it’s a long drive and then of course Great snorkeling you gotta have that Good snorkeling there what are you gonna See is it gonna be something unique Are you gonna see anything well make Sure you have a great time and that’s Pretty easy on the big island this was a Heated discussion there were More than five wonderful snorkel spots On the big island We didn’t agree about all of them not Even close But you can get them all plus figuring Out how to fit All of these wonderful snorkel spots Into your day when you’re on the big Island By grabbing our itinerary at the hawaii Vacationguy.com Big island check it out okay are you Ready Let’s do it number five why Beach or also called beach 69 located on The south kahala coast about 45 minute Drive from kailua kona for only about 10 To 15 minutes from the kahala resorts It is a small sand beach located in epic Cove you just drive past hapuna beach Which is the famous white sand beach Drive right passes about another like Two to five minutes the road looks a Little Rough believe me it’s a great beach down There you’ll find a nice parking lot
Paved it does fill up fast but there’s Some gravel parking there too so you’ll Probably find a spot Yeah five dollars for parking now why we Love this place Because it is great for snorkeling it is Just literally like a 25 yard walk from the parking lot to the Cove Really nice cove you got you have a Golden sand beach at that cove but it’s Mostly Rocky but that’s what makes a visibility So good So nice it’s so nice and clear there you Just see such amazing marine life Other pros for this place it has very Clean restrooms It has really nice shower facilities a Lot of friendly locals like to go there Some of the drawbacks is there’s no Lifeguard on duty there It can be a little rocky or hard to get In you could walk down to the beach There’s about 50 yards down that’ll Probably be easier to get in for it The cove is protected but not super Protected from those waves so watch out During the winter always check the Current conditions make sure it’s safe To go out i will say the first time we Showed up here and i looked at the water I was like Oh my god is this place real it is
Stunning and for a lot of people who are Coming to snorkel In hawaii it might be your first time And so we have a quick psa You should do more reading on this and Make sure you are fully prepared but a Few things you want to do is always Snorkel with a buddy Make sure you stay out of murky water Pay attention to lifeguard flags because Those are really important to help keep You safe Don’t step on the coral right some of It’s been there for a thousand years so Don’t do that use a floaty if you need It yeah like a noodle or something like That keep your feet up Wear a mineral-based non-nano sunscreen Or our favorite is to wear A sun shirt to keep us protected from The sun and keep dangerous chemicals out Of the water And when in doubt don’t go out we have Lots more tips in our itineraries For full snorkel guide safety so if You’re in hilo you’re looking for some Snorkeling Richardson ocean park is the place to Come 15 minutes south of hilo Parking is easy it’s got bathrooms has Shower facilities It’s even got some picnic tables and They’re covered behind me But you can see why it’s a nice snorkel
Spot right there because it’s nice and Calm it’s a big tide pool It’s pretty shallow out there you just Get down there and explore We’re going to go out today but 77 Degrees and cloudy i’m sorry i’ve been Hawaii too long now That’s cold for me it’s a little bit Chilly too so we decided not to go out Snorkeling today But i can see why this is rated the best Place to go snorkeling in hilo So this side the left side of the park Is the best side you can’t see where the Entrance is For snorkeling just go out there and Explore the rocks This is also a great place to see sea Turtles And that’s our pro tip for this place Grab some lunch like a kfa101 the Original locomoco spot Or pukapuka for a bento box and then you Can head there have nice picnic and do Some great snorkeling All right just south of kailua kona town The Center of town this spot can get Pretty crowded but there’s a reason for That everyone knows it is Stellar for snorkeling so you snorkel Right off the beach You can often see sea turtles actually On the beach so they have plenty of
Signs warning you You also have lifeguards you have a Pretty good sized parking lot And they even give you reef safe Sunscreen plus i love that they have Signs Telling you what all the fish and sea Life you Are about to be are so it’s not really a Beach to hang out on there’s not as you Can see like beautiful white sand here But it’s a great place to go snorkeling See some sea life very shallow and again You really don’t go far offshore Before you start seeing some amazing Fish here’s a little tip for you Get super hot on this lava rock so leave Your slippers upside down Don’t be cooking when you get back Number two is this guy’s favorite honau Now bay also known as Two steps it’s one of my favorites Because it is easy to access because There’s two steps built into the lava Rock so you literally just like step Right in and then boom you’re off I love it for the great visibility There’s no sand here None at all so it’s not a beach but it’s Got nice flat lava rock to sunbathe on And to get all your equipment on and you Can go right into the water Near the shore the depth is only 10 feet Which is really nice so you can stay by
The shore If you get farther out in the bay drops Off to 100 feet and that’s where you’ll Find resting spinner dolphins or spinner Dolphins playing The rural spinnered office is a hundred Feet away let them come to you If they’re wrestling just leave them Alone my favorite spot is to go Left because it’s shallower and it’s got Beautiful coral There and sometimes sea turtles in that Area too so head left it’s only about 10 To 15 feet deep And that’s where you’re going to see a Lot of the tour companies drop people Off because yeah this place is so Popular You’ll see a lot of tour companies Bringing people here it’s easy to drive To it’s about 45 minutes south of kailua Kona Cons there is no beach there is free Parking but it’s limited to about 20 Spots there is a parking lot there that Charge about five dollars managed by a Local guy And there are port-a-potties on site but There’s no lifeguard the best time to go Is in the morning because you get good Visibility there and also you kind of Can avoid the crowds like we said This bay is popular for spinner dolphins But not as popular as our number one
Spot Here we go our number one Our number one spot is snorkeling at the Captain cook monument at one of the most Famous bays on the big island This place is amazing because it is an Adventure to go out on i wouldn’t say It’s easy to get to Because you either have to do a guided Tour or rent some kayaks and go out We did kayaks and that was a lot of fun Best day Ever what is so great about this place It’s got manta ray cleaning stations Right by the cliffs You can see spinner dolphins there Because usually there’s up to three pods Of spinner dolphins that’s like a Hundred dolphins out there in that bay And it has a vibrant coral reef that’s Why it’s best to snorkel right at the Captain cook monument It’s only about 10 to 15 feet deep there So it’s easy to explore You just hang out right around there and You can see a lot of great stuff even Henry hanging out on the kayak was able To Look over and see a ton of fish there’s Also a glass bottom boat tour Link down below in the descriptions Because it’s so beautiful That’s the biggest drawback of this Place is you need a tour or you can run
A kayak and do a self-guided tour but Don’t worry we got you covered We have links below to our favorite tour Operators to get you out there and show You a great time because We had the best time Henry was old enough to come with us This time and it was Such a cool family day i got to go Swimming with the spinner dolphin which Was one of the things on my to-do list i Loved it all right bonus spots thanks For staying with us this long Bonus spot so our favorite kid-friendly Place on the big island is kikawa open Pronounced Kikawa point beach park it’s a man-made Lagoon it’s part of this big resort It’s all public beaches though which is Go great but the con is there’s only About 20 parking spots so you have to go Early but it’s great to spend the whole Day there your kids will love it I will say we had we took henry there Because You know an easy place for him to swim i Didn’t think there was going to be a lot Of snorkeling And i was pleasantly surprised turtles Fish Just everything only in a few feet of Water it was wonderful Other bonus spot is manta ray night Snorkeling this is why a lot of people
Come to the big island One of the reasons why we go back there Are three locations to snorkel with Manta rays Starting up north on the holla coasters Manta point then right above the airport Is manta heaven and then down south just South of kona is manta Village we have done them all they’re All wonderful we have Links below to our favorite tours erica Did manta Advocates up at the kahala coast had an Amazing time And then there’s also sea paradise that Goes out to manta village All right so thanks for hanging with us This long snorkeling on the big island Is such a fun experience the big island In general is just Such a special place so if you are Planning a trip And you are having trouble figuring out How to get everything amazing Into your vacation then head to the Hawaiivacationguy.com Big island because we have an itinerary Just for you thanks for watching thank [Music] You You