Hanauma Bay is one of the great natural places that has been turned into a tourist spot that I have ever been to. Traveling to Hanauma Bay takes a few minutes but is an all day adventure that everyone in the family will love. There is very shallow water that you can stand in, no waves and lots and lots of fish to see in the water with just a mask and snorkel. To me this is a giant aquarium that is very safe, easy to swim in and gives you memories that will last a lifetime.
Where is Hanauma Bay?
Hanauma Bay is about 30 minutes east of Waikiki and is a coral bay that is millions of years old but is perfectly suited for people to enjoy tropical fish in a wild setting and still be completely safe. You will be able to find all of the services that you need including food, soft drinks, masks and snorkels and even liefeguards if you get a little disoriented in the water.
There is a cost to go to Hanauma Bay and it is a bit of a commute from the hotels of Waikiki. On the main strip of hotels on Kuhio Avenue you have to find an eastbound bus 22 which runs every 20 minutes or so and this will take you to Hanauma Bay. The bus trip takes about 30 minutes or so.
One thing to realize before you take the time to go out to Hanauma Bay is that they are closed on Tuesdays and it is best to go earlier in the morning as it does get full later in the day and you will not be able to get down to the beach. There is a cost to enter the beach $5 per adult and children under 13 are free. Also there is a shuttle down to the beach from the info center for $1 and back up for $2. Food is essential to bring I think. We forgot to pack a lunch and spent $25 for hot dogs, chips, and drinks for the four of us.
Snorkeling is actually a very easy thing to do. In the salt water of Hanauma Bay you can get your mask on and have the snorkel sticking out of the water and you just float along (stay away from touching the coral) and just admire the fish. The water in most of the area is less than 6 feet deep and acutally my eight year old daughter was having trouble with the snorkeling part so she would just squat down and hold her breath underwater and saw litterally 100s of fish in almost no time.
There are plenty of fish of various sizes to see and they range from little 2 inch long fish to longer 12 or 15 inch long fish in other schools just swimming around. One of the things that some area of the world do is bring food to attract the fish, this is not allowed at Hanauma Bay but hte fish are very easy to see and are completly used to people so they will swim up to you and kiss your fingers if you hold them out.