Weather in Dec -warm enough for snorkeling?

Sounds stupid, I know, but we will be in or near the water much of the time snorkeling. DH wants to go fishing also. Can take a vacation anytime from Oct to Jan. Want it to be hot enough to be comfortable in the water. Which month would be best? Thanks a bunch!

Weather in Dec -warm enough for snorkeling?

early Oct you can probably snorkel a bunch without a wetsuit as the water will still be around 80. On into Nov %26amp; thru jan I%26#39;d wear a light wetsuit %26amp; still be comfortable

Weather in Dec -warm enough for snorkeling?

October would be the best, not so much for the water temp as because winter means rougher water and poore snorkeling (sand stirred up, shore break impeding entry/exit). You can get a rash guard (lycra shirt) to protect from sun and keep you a bit warmer; we use them year round.

I%26#39;ve been to Hawaii in both December and March (when the water is at it%26#39;s coldest) as well as May and it has always been fine for being in the water (swimming, snorkeling etc). The water sometimes felt a bit cool when we first entered it in March and December, but after a couple of minutes it was fine.

In October the water will be quite warm (nearly at it%26#39;s peak) - and as mentioned, it will be calmer.

Ken

I generally record temps of 77 with my dive computer off the coast in December. That%26#39;s warm enough for me and warm enough for the fish. But I usually wear a tee shirt, for protection from the sun as well as from the cold. 77 is colder than what most people are comfortable with for any length of time, so you may want to consider a ';shortie';. No doubt that October would be warmer in the water. But keep in mind that the shallows along the coast tend to warm up during the day. To put it in perspective, most public swimming pools keep their temps at 82-84 for the general public and 77-78 for an exercise pool. So the ocean in December will be colder than most public swimming pools.

We only visit in the winter (Dec - Mar) and always find the water to be warm enough to snorkel (in just a swimsuit). Now we are from Minnesota and have different temperature tolerences than residents of warmer climates. Here is a link the the NWS site with average water temps:

www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/hawaii.html

September to Mid October is the best for snorkeling and diving Water about 82 to 86 Water also the clearest.

Best Fishing and Snorkeling will be off the Kona coast.... Maui will be ok but nothing like Big island

Even so I , and most all other locals wear a 1/8 inch wet suit t-shirt ( Oniell or Pinnacles make them. I wear it all year..

Strange as it seems in water under 87 degrees you can get hypothermia in as little as 30 min....

I was re-reading here and realized I never posted this great link:

www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/hawaii.html

Note that from this link you can get coastal water temps (both average and real-time for much of the US coast).

Ken

Opps! sorry - I guess when re-reading I should read ALL the posts. Someone already beat to it when it came to the NOAA link.

Ken

Thanks for al the info. Since we can come a bit earlier than Dec. and love to be in the water, maybe we should consider mid Oct. Does anyone know whay kind of fishing can be had around that time %26amp;/or recommend a fishing boat?

Daily water temperatures on Maui Weather Today website at: http://hawaiiweathertoday.com/