Kona Hawaii snorkeling recommendations

TWallace

TWallace

New member
I'm going to Kona in May. I bought a nice laminated map of Kona here. It's got dozens of snorkel/scuba sites marked all around the island with descriptions of fish you can see at many of them. However, I'd also like to hear you all's suggestions on where to snorkel (preferably shore snorkeling). I'll be staying in Kailua (west side), but I'll have a rental car and am likely to make a trip to Hilo once.

On a related note, what do you all do with valuables while snorkeling? Specifically I've got a nice DSLR camera (Nikon D90) that I want to take with me while above water. But at the same time, I've heard many beaches are notorious for car break-ins in Hawaii (especially true for rental cars), so I'm reluctant to leave it in the car.
 
I would lock your camera in the trunk, hide it somewhere inside maybe in a collapsable cooler to keep it cool. Get insurance on your camera too.

Check out the night dive with Mantas, I have not done it yet but hear that it is spectacular.
 
Cool thanks for the tip. Place of Refuge is already on my list, as it's marked on my map. My map has this to say about it:

Most diverse, accessible, excellent shore dive site on Hawaii. Easy beach entry. Many reef fish, yellow tang, Moorish idols, achilles tang, green sea turtles, crown of thorns seastars. Snorkelers see dolphins here in the morning! Sandy flats are at 80' depth. Caution: This area is sacred - Please be respectful.

I definitely want to see schools of achilles tangs and hope to see some Potter's angels, but I think those are harder to find.
 
I Have read that in the car you might want to keep anything that would tip you off as a tourist out of sight but instead have a local newspaper in view. I ve been to the Big Island but didnt have any problems with the car break-ins
 
At the center of Kona coast, Outrigger hotel has King kamehahamaha private snorkelling spot. Kailua sp???? Excellent coral, easy, fish, turtles, misc in shallow protected place. It was my Magnum PI dive vacation. Spent 2 hours each day snorkelling there. The hotel was great, stayed in hotel and dived at its private beach.

Awesome!
 
MarcusSmith said:
I Have read that in the car you might want to keep anything that would tip you off as a tourist out of sight but instead have a local newspaper in view. I ve been to the Big Island but didnt have any problems with the car break-ins
Click to expand...

I've read that, too, but then I've also read that rental cars have a bar code sticker on them, which easily identifies it as a rental to thieves. So it may be pointless to try to "disguise" it as a local car. I do plan on at the very least leaving the glove box open so that thieves can see it's empty. Others have recommended that I leave the SLR in the trunk and place it there before arriving at a snorkeling spot. That way no one sees me place it in the trunk. Also, I was told to check with my renter's insurance to verify that I'm covered. I've done that but have not heard back from them yet.
 
Try the Kapoho tide pools located at the furthest eastern tip of the big Island.
It is a series of tide pools along the shore line protected from the rough surf. There are loads of fish and corals in interconnected pools. It was one of my most favourite places to snorkel because the waters are always calm no matter what the ocean is doing. Bring wet shoes as you have to walk over some jagged sharp rocks to get where the water is deep enough to enter properly and don't bother with flippers. The wet shoes are all you will need. It may not look like much when you first get there, but once inside the water you just keep on discovering tidepool after tidepool. A way too cool experience and I highly recommend it.

http://www.letsgo-hawaii.com/kapoho/
 
Kapoho tidepools are awesome but are a LONG drive from Kailua-Kona. Still, they are cool - I saw a giant frogfish there.

I recommend you try Puako which is about 45 mins north of Kona. Check the Big Island Revealed for details about which telephone pole to park at.

Cheers
James
 
The whole car theft thing is blown out of proportion, I lived in Hawaii for 2 years, traveled extensively among the islands (renting cars and driving everywhere) and never had any problem. Just don't flash expensive cameras on peoples faces and you will be fine. Leaving the camera in the trunk is a good idea, but it is not as bad as some posts here are leading you to think. I wouldn't leave an SLR in the front seat of my car in a corner in New York either.
 
Thanks for the tips on the tide pools on the east side. I'm almost definitely driving to Hilo side at least once during my stay, so the tide pools will likely make it into my plans.
 
I knew you were going to drive to Hilo, that is why I recommended the tide pools. You won't regret going. I would love to see any underwater pictures you take when you go. When I went my Olympus Stylus 850SW leaked on the first picture so I never got any shots to keep.
 
yep, i would say the chances of getting a car break-in in Hawaii are about the same as in California. be smart and don't advertise your valuables!
that being said, place of refuge is awsome, make sure to check out the WHOLE cove!
 
Thanks again all for the tips. My trip is in roughly 3 weeks. I've gained a lot of great info from this thread as well as the links posted within. I've just ordered the book "Big Island Revealed" off eBay as well.
 
ive done as many as much of the snorkeling as i could find on the big island and you already have a good list going. i would add old kona airport. i dont know how water capable you are or how fit but if you feel reasonably comfortable this would be a spot worth checking out. see the site below for directions but in short you drive and park at the far end of the old runway then follow the shore for at least 10 mintutes or more to a large shallow inlet with a small sandy beach. get wet in the inlet and follow it out through a shallow/narrow channel to the schools of achilles you were wanting to see. its exciting snorkeling here. the channel deepens in chasms and then you get to a 5 or so metre cliff. you can swim up on shallow ledges with all the fish and freedive along the cliff to find morays, hawkfish and even frogfish. when i did it it was a little rough and no fun navigating the channel. good luck!

http://www.tropicalsnorkeling.com/big-island-snorkeling-old-kona-airport.html
 
Following along .... we're going to Kona in June. :D
Staying at the Outrigger Keauhou.
Let me know about your favorite :fish1: spots when you get back.
 
Kapoho tidepools are great, don't leave anything in your car, period.

I had my car broken into at a trailhead in Pahoa at the very first place I parked (nearby the Kapoho tidepools) that was away from my hotel. The only thing in my car was my flippers in the trunk which they didn't even take. When I called the cops, they just took my information, didn't ask me any information about how the car was broken into, basically didn't do any investigation at all, just said "well, call your insurance company". They could have at least asked me how it was broken into, maybe even take some fingerprints on the big fat rock that went through my window.
 
I should also mention that there is now a mantra that I go by when parking in remote locations in Hawaii after this event.

If the ground is covered in broken glass, don't park there or just leave your car empty with the doors unlocked. Start looking for it and you will notice that a lot of nice spots on the islands where you park are practically paved in broken glass.
 
Tremont, that's what I've been worried about. I'll have my Nikon D90 and some nice lenses with me on the trip. I'm not sure what to do when I go on road trips to snorkeling sites. I'll want the D90 for landscape photos, but obviously can't take it underwater, so I'd have to leave it in the trunk of my rental car. I checked with my insurance and my camera and lenses are covered (I even took photos of my gear recently as proof of ownership), but it would still suck to have them stolen.

I may just have to leave the D90 at the hotel at times, which I really don't want to do, as I'd miss out on some great photo opportunities. A Canon D10 is a very poor substitute for a Nikon D90.

I've got a new underwater camera (Canon D10), so hopefully I'll get some nice shots while snorkeling.
 
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