Book on their siteNature & outdoors · 3+ hours on the waterSnorkel spots, by season
STOP 1 OF 6
Hanauma Bay
East side · Paid entry
A sunken crater full of reef. Book ahead; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
2–4 hours · $25 non-residents (kids 12 and under free); parking $3 cash
EThe editors
Snorkel spots, by season
Hanauma and Waikīkī all year. The North Shore spots only in summer, when the waves drop.
6 placesA full dayRead the guide ↓
- 1. Hanauma BayA sunken crater full of reef. Book ahead; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.East sidePaid entry2–4 hours$25 non-residents (kids 12 and under free); parking $3 cash
2. Queen’s Beach and Sans Souci, Kapiʻolani ParkCalm water off Kapiʻolani Park, good for a first go.Waikīkī & Diamond HeadFree to visit1–3 hoursFree
3. Shark’s Cove (Pūpūkea)Lava tide pools and reef. Summer only.North ShoreFree to visit1–2 hoursFree
4. Three Tables BeachThree flat reefs off the beach. Summer only.North ShoreFree to visit1–2 hoursFree
5. Kuilima CoveA sheltered cove at Turtle Bay. Easiest on the North Shore.North ShoreFree to visit1–2 hoursFree (public parking at Turtle Bay)
6. Electric Beach (Kahe Point)Strong swimmers only: big fish by the power-plant outflow.West sideFree to visit1–2 hoursFree
The guide
How to do it: Snorkel spots, by season
Oʻahu’s snorkelling is seasonal. Hanauma Bay and the reef off Waikīkī are calm most of the year; the North Shore spots are excellent from May to September and dangerous in winter, when big swells arrive.
This list is ordered by how easy each spot is, from a first snorkel in Waikīkī to Electric Beach, which is for strong swimmers.
- The order to do it in
- Start with Sans Souci or Kuilima Cove to get comfortable, do Hanauma on a booked morning, and save Shark’s Cove and Three Tables for a calm summer day.
- When to go
- Mornings, before the wind. Summer for the North Shore. Hanauma is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Getting there
- A car for everything but Sans Souci. Hanauma has its own lot ($3 cash) that fills with reservation holders.
- What to bring
- Reef-safe sunscreen (Hawaiʻi bans the sale of sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate), reef shoes, and your own mask if you have one.
- What it costs
- Free except Hanauma ($25 non-residents).
Worth knowing
- Don’t stand on coral or touch turtles.
- If you can’t see the lifeguard tower, ask someone about conditions before you go in.
Started from the pins on Deviating the Norm’s Oʻahu map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.
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Book on their siteNature & outdoors · 3+ hours on the water