Snorkel in KK - Kealakekua Bay access?

Hi all,

Still planning last-minute details of upcoming trip in May. We are stayingin Kailua-Kona, and would like to enjoy ';beginner snorkeling';. What beaches near us will provide the best snorkeling and relaxing? I won%26#39;t snorkel, and hope to relax while the others hit the water. Best beaches, parking available - we have rental.

Also, is Kealakekua Bay accessible? Guys interested in seeing. I can%26#39;t seem to find any updated info in the forums, and some say you can%26#39;t access without boat tour? Please help! Thanks in advance.

Snorkel in KK - Kealakekua Bay access?

In Kona.... go down Alii drive 5 miles to Kahaluu lagoon park... between 10 and 2 and visit reef teach

a volunteer group that will show you where to go... its free...and learn proper ocean/ reef ettiquite.

Now...The shore and park is closed at Kealakekua bay. has been for some time.. but Kayaker continue to violate the closure and do great harm to the reef and the animal life. And greedy vendors rent kayaks.

Doing this bay on your own by kayak or foor... is very very bad to do. Please be a good visitor here..

That said...You should NOT visit this bay un less you go with a guided boat tour... they visit sever al sites and also teach you a lot ...... 4 hour trips

morning and afternoon.... leaves form Keauhou

Dolphin discoveries, Sea Paradise, Sea Quest best tours figure between $65 and $90 pp

Snorkel in KK - Kealakekua Bay access?

In May the water should be quite calm, a good time for beginners, lots more choices than in winter.

The hardest thing about beginning snorkeling is the entry when you have to contend with possible breakers while trying to manage with fins. Without waves it is easy, and it%26#39;s easy to do when entering from a boat.

There are lots and lots of posts about beaches, just look around at past topics please, and read a guide book like Lonely Planet. A very good book on snorkeling is Snorkel Hawaii by Malinowski, which goes around beach by beach. If not at your local store, you could find it on amazon.

Lonely Planet also has a snorkel book for Hawai%26#39;i (the whole state), which rates the various snorkels from shore from beginning to moderate to advanced.

Anaeho%26#39;omalu is also a good beach to practice snorkeling. (A-bay) While it doesn%26#39;t have the best coral or the most fish, it%26#39;s pretty protected, and there%26#39;s more room in the water than at Kahalu%26#39;u. It won%26#39;t be wall to wall bodies. There are also coconut trees providing ';seatbacks'; in the shade, which is nice, because our beaches get really hot at midday.

Best time for calm waters in in the mornings. Afternoons the ocean is usually more choppy.

Another good snorkeling option is found just a bit south of Kealakekua, at a place called Two Step. This is near Place of Refuge. There really isn%26#39;t much of a beach there, but there is a spot you could sit in a chair in the sun or shade while others snorkeled. It%26#39;s a great snorkel location, easy access and lots to see. There is a little parking there, but a better bet is to park at Place of Refuge. This will cost $5, but then you can park there all week if you return. It%26#39;s just a short walk to the snorkel area then. The rest of your group could snorkel while you really take your time exploring Place of Refuge.

but Two Step is not considered a beginner spot, because if there%26#39;s any surge it%26#39;s hard to exit ... however, in May it%26#39;s better than in the winter so it%26#39;s good to check it out ... but not the place to learn to snorkel IMHO.

It%26#39;s hard to tell from the OP whether this is first time beginner snorkeling or already know how to snorkel but still at beginner level that we%26#39;re talking about.

Check out http://www.shorediving.com/

Although it talks about shore dives - it also ranks sites on snorkeling and gives you pictures of how and where to enter so you can have an idea on the difficulty too....

Gregg

Check out:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29217-c7522/Island-O鈥?/a>

Thanks for that link AAFlyer, I hadn%26#39;t seen it before and it%26#39;s got a lot of good stuff!

This is the link that goes straight to the Big Island page:http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/index.htm

My only reservations with this for beginners to keep in mind:

1) Like too many books and sites, this one goes for the beauty shot of the place, how it looks a fraction of the time when it%26#39;s flat. Makes the spots look like crystal clear ponds, when more often they look choppy and you can%26#39;t see beneath the surface until you%26#39;ve got your face down. And there is surge.

2) Some of the entry problems are in the posts, warning about slippery rocks, etc.. Stuff like this is why it can be hard to get in from shore on this island.

3) These posts are written by people who aren%26#39;t afraid to drop off an underwater wall into the abyss. Their ';timidity'; factor is missing, meaning what%26#39;s easy for them might not be easy for a snorkeling newbie.

But with those caveats, it%26#39;s really a neat site, and thanks for sharing, Gregg.

This is great information and thanks for the links! I%26#39;ll take into consideration the fear factor as well. We should be able to find at least a couple good spots that we can al enjoy and visit thru the week. Thanks again everyone!

So...I searched the forum for Kealakekua info before posting this, but didn%26#39;t see this question dealt with...

My wife and I, both very good swimmers and snorkelers, would like to snorkel around the Cook Memorial area. We won%26#39;t do a motor tour to the area. We were initially told (by a friend) to rent kayaks and paddle over from the beach. I guess that seems okay if: 1) we don%26#39;t rent from the illegal guys at the beach, 2) don%26#39;t harrass the dolphins by paddling towards them, etc., and 3) don%26#39;t pull the kayaks up on land but instead tether them to our ankles while snorkeling.

But what about just swimming over, sans kayaks, from the beach? Yes, I realize it will be strenuous and time consuming. But if we stay away from any sleeping pods is this an option?

Thanks!

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P.S. I%26#39;d rather not start up another endless thread about kayaks versus tours versus closure, etc. Those things have been well discussed on other threads, so can we just stick to the issues I%26#39;ve outlined, please? again, Thanks!

hi, it%26#39;s just a long swim to the snorkeling ... at least a mile of ocean each way, I believe. It says something about the difficulty, I think, that the guide books recommend the land hike up and down over the swim. Only you can be the judge of your ability and desire to do this.

But the excellent snorkeling at Two Step is a whole lot easier.

ittwit