Hello, this month we are going to Oahu and are looking for suggestions. We already plan on going to Pearl Harbor and to Hanomoa Bay for snorkeling. Are there other good snorkeling spots? When snorkling is mentioned on Oahu, the Bay always gets top honors - but is there someplace better or similar. Also, we are looking to take a resort diving course (not certified) - any suggestions? We are staying at the Ko Olina, near Kapole. Basically, I am looking for any suggestions be they nightclub, attractions,surfing (need lessons), snorkleing, dining ect. We have 6 days to fill.
Going to Oahu, what to do and see?
- Thread starter jmicky41
- Start date
Oahu
Oahu
Aloha! I just got back last week....
Hanuma Bay is best if you can get out of the inner pools. Snorkeling on the north coast at Sharks Bay/cove is good, though you'll need calm water to get out of the tide pools. There is also a nice place a few miles down the coast from there called Turtle beach....easily recognized by the throngs of cars that pull off the road there to check for the seaturtles eating ulva. You can go in and snorkel with the interested turtles, though be careful so they don't try to eat any flowing bits of your swimsuit (one went for mine.....the result of dumb monkeys hand feeding them, I suppose). The Audubon horticultural park on the north cost has a nice waterfall you can swim with and eay viewing of the endangered Hawaiian Common Moorhen. Be prepared to see LOTS of cool birds, almost none of which are native, all over the island.
Check the internet here to find vendors that will take you off shore to snorkel.....it is tough to find once you are there.
There is the 'Valley of the Temples' in a graveyard that has a spectacular recreation of a famous Japanese temple in a beautiful setting.
There is a free hula show, different troupes every night, starting at 6:30 at Waikiki Beach...very cool! Also at Waikiki is the aquarium....WELL worth seeing!
Thrifty has the most inexpensive car rental, and a Dodge caliber is a damn nice size vehicle to get in the economy category.
ENJOY and tell the mynahs and honu I miss them !
lumpus
Oahu
Aloha! I just got back last week....
Hanuma Bay is best if you can get out of the inner pools. Snorkeling on the north coast at Sharks Bay/cove is good, though you'll need calm water to get out of the tide pools. There is also a nice place a few miles down the coast from there called Turtle beach....easily recognized by the throngs of cars that pull off the road there to check for the seaturtles eating ulva. You can go in and snorkel with the interested turtles, though be careful so they don't try to eat any flowing bits of your swimsuit (one went for mine.....the result of dumb monkeys hand feeding them, I suppose). The Audubon horticultural park on the north cost has a nice waterfall you can swim with and eay viewing of the endangered Hawaiian Common Moorhen. Be prepared to see LOTS of cool birds, almost none of which are native, all over the island.
Check the internet here to find vendors that will take you off shore to snorkel.....it is tough to find once you are there.
There is the 'Valley of the Temples' in a graveyard that has a spectacular recreation of a famous Japanese temple in a beautiful setting.
There is a free hula show, different troupes every night, starting at 6:30 at Waikiki Beach...very cool! Also at Waikiki is the aquarium....WELL worth seeing!
Thrifty has the most inexpensive car rental, and a Dodge caliber is a damn nice size vehicle to get in the economy category.
ENJOY and tell the mynahs and honu I miss them !
lumpusHere are my two favorite Hawaii snorkeling resources:
http://www.shorediving.com
http://www.snorkeling-hawaii-insiders-guide.com/
An important tip about Hanauma Bay, get there EARLY. The parking lot gets full right away, and there isn't a place to park on the main road. We had to drive by the entrance numerous times until we got finally got lucky and were allowed into the parking lot.
http://www.shorediving.com
http://www.snorkeling-hawaii-insiders-guide.com/
An important tip about Hanauma Bay, get there EARLY. The parking lot gets full right away, and there isn't a place to park on the main road. We had to drive by the entrance numerous times until we got finally got lucky and were allowed into the parking lot.
No, unfortunately I only snorkeled in Hanauma Bay while on Oahu. Well, also Waikiki beach, but that doesn't really count. I think you should be ok if you get there at 9, but it might be a good idea to ask some of the locals what they recommend. I just know that getting there at noon was NOT a good idea.
If you are also going to be in Maui, be sure to go to Black Rock. That was very, very nice. Also highly recommended is the Maui Ocean Center. Their display tanks, even the huge ones, have tons of honest to goodness coral growing in them. Way cool! Oh, and don't forget about the aquarium at Waikiki.
I hope you have a great time!
If you are also going to be in Maui, be sure to go to Black Rock. That was very, very nice. Also highly recommended is the Maui Ocean Center. Their display tanks, even the huge ones, have tons of honest to goodness coral growing in them. Way cool! Oh, and don't forget about the aquarium at Waikiki.
I hope you have a great time!
Hanauma bay was absolutely barren when I went. It looked dead. Sharks cove on The North Shore was awesome. Tons of fish. This time of year should be nice and calm so you can explore the caves there. There is a waterfall on the North shore not far from Sharks Cove right by Waimea Bay. Eat lots of Poke. Pronounced Po-kee.
Just got back yesterday. Yes Hanauma bay wasn't what I hoped, but if you go far enough out it was better. I went probably half way out to the open ocean over deeper water. More inshore things seemed a little trampled. The problem with going real far out was that the reef comes right up to the surface and that made finding my way back to the beach pretty rough - I got sliced open pretty good. Crowds were heavy and the parking lot was usually closed. We thought we went to Shark's cove, but instead we were at the beach by the Turtle bay hilton; Kuilima Point maybe? Once we realized that, it was too late in the day to get to shark's cove. In the lagoon behind our resort (the Ko Olina) the snorkeling wasn't bad, I saw a turtle and a Zebra moray. We went scuba diving but because of weather it wasn't the greatest. The Atlantis submarine tour was neat although kinda touristy. The Waikiki aquarium was awesome. I'll start a picture thread once I get unpacked and settled in. Thanks y'all for all the suggestions.
Jon770
New member
My .02:
I was not impressed at all by the Waikiki Aquarium. They had a few interesting things to see, but overall it was nothing special. And I could definitely not put it in the class of 'one of the best aquariums in the world' when compared to something like this:
The Georgia Aquarium
Hanauma Bay is a great spot. Not just for snorkeling, but to spend the afternoon. Assuming you can plant a nice spot on teh beach or up on the grass by the cliffs, the bay is a great place to hang out. There are typically alot of fish, although not much to see by way of coral.
Shark's Cove is also a great place to see fish. There are many varieties of fish to see, especially tangs.
Personally, I have found that the best snorkeling spots are the ones that are not so easy to get to. As mentioned, much of Hanauma Bay looks trampeled, mostly from the thousands of tourists that do not think of the effects of standing on the coral. There are so many great places to go, it is hard to remember their names. The reef off Lanikai Beach is nice, especially by the off-shore islands; but you will have to kayak 1-2 miles to get there...
I was not impressed at all by the Waikiki Aquarium. They had a few interesting things to see, but overall it was nothing special. And I could definitely not put it in the class of 'one of the best aquariums in the world' when compared to something like this:
The Georgia Aquarium
Hanauma Bay is a great spot. Not just for snorkeling, but to spend the afternoon. Assuming you can plant a nice spot on teh beach or up on the grass by the cliffs, the bay is a great place to hang out. There are typically alot of fish, although not much to see by way of coral.
Shark's Cove is also a great place to see fish. There are many varieties of fish to see, especially tangs.
Personally, I have found that the best snorkeling spots are the ones that are not so easy to get to. As mentioned, much of Hanauma Bay looks trampeled, mostly from the thousands of tourists that do not think of the effects of standing on the coral. There are so many great places to go, it is hard to remember their names. The reef off Lanikai Beach is nice, especially by the off-shore islands; but you will have to kayak 1-2 miles to get there...
hawaii isnt really known for its coral, its known for its fish. you get more coral in florida-- gorgonians mostly. youd have to go to fiji or the rest of the south pacific to see SPS dominated reefs. there isnt really many good places to see SPS dominated reefs in the united states.
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