Hanauma Bay

It’s a great place for start to snorkel, water isn’t deep to see corals, reef and fishes. You don’t even have to swim that good. Im a terrible swimmer and I had the best time today in Hawaii.
However I recommend not to rent but buy snorkel, because we rented 3 and non of them was in that good shape. That can ruin your time. It’s not even that cheap to rent it, so it’s better to buy them.
The sand is great, view is beautiful and under water you can see so many kind of colorful fish that will you make your day. The bay use to be a volcano, so the reefs are very excited. I can recommend this place, bring food, no food-​stand here, and Stay away from the see urchin… :-)

It’s so hard to write a review for Hanauma Bay because what can I say that hasn’t already been said and how can I put into words how I feel about this amazing place? Hanauma is such a beautiful and unique experience – you get to be a fish, among the fish.
I feel as if I’ve perfected the Hanauma Bay experience. Firstly, I get there absurdly early – definitely before 7am. That way, even if I forget my state ID, I get in for free AND there’s free parking. Also, when I’ve brought friends who need gear, I get the gear from Snorkel Bob’s on Kapahulu the night before instead of renting it from the Hanauma vendor because Snorkel Bob’s is only $ 9 for a great fitting mask, fins, defog, and a nice little guide to the various fish. I like to just swim for a few hours, then I’m out of there before 10AM.
In the summer, my favorite thing is leaving at 10AM after getting several hours of swimming and snorkeling in and seeing an enormous line of people – a line that I did not have to wait in. Mwahahahah.
Please be aware of reef etiquette. Don’t ruin it for everyone. Don’t harass the fish and especially not the sea turtles. Be respectful. Just use common sense and know that you are a guest in the ocean.

We booked through
and it was very cheap.
We went on a cloudy day and it included transportation and the snorkel equipment.
You have to watch a video when you get there but it is very short.
Dave was our driver and he was very good.
The bay is gorgeous and the water is so clear.
You can see many kinds of fish and I even saw an eel.
I would definitely come back to Hanauma Bay.

We came on a rainy day which had it’s upsides — the line to get in was short and we had the beach to ourselves. Before entry, everyone must watch a video which was kind of a pain but it does teach you how to respect the bay which is important. You can bring food and drinks with you but you’re advised to watch for mongoose. We did bring food and drinks and we were robbed by a mongoose while out snorkeling.
The snorkeling is an incredible experience with all sorts of sea life. It’s a must. I saw a large fish with a hook in his lip and a long line in tow, and I thought I had problems ;)

I had never gone snorkeling until my trip to Hawaii. I am glad Hanauma Bay was my first time. The bay is gorgeous and filled with a lot of beautiful fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I took my time swimming from one end of the bay to the other side admiring the fish. Get there early because the parking lot fills up quickly. We got there at 8:30 the first time we tried to go and we could not get in. We got there before 7 AM the next day. We got in without a problem and they even let us in free at that time. You could spend an entire day there and love it. However, we spent 2 hours and the crowds really filed in when we were walking back up to the parking lot.
The bay is a nature preserve so they close it every Tuesday to allow the fish to feed undisturbed for a day. Renting snorkel gear is $ 15 but you might as well just buy your own. You can get the gear for less than $ 30 at Wal-​Mart.
If you are planning a trip to Oahu and looking for recommendations, please see

It’s a love hate thing for this place, you don’t hate the beauty of it though. I spent two and a half years in Hawaii, despite no longer living there I still get the frustrations of the local feel of too many tourist. Hanauma Bay is a beautiful place by nature but between the hoards of people that come there to admire it’s beauty kind of takes away from the beauty. The screaming kids, the 100s of selfie sticks snapping photo after photo, the picnics and garbage left behind, to the hundreds of cars in the parking lot.
Aside from all the distractions words don’t really do this place justice. One can imagine near white sand, crystal clear waters, coral reefs and tropical fish galore. Pair it with blue skies and a green mountain backdrop and cool ocean breezes blowing, tropical palm trees swaying… but to be in the middle of it all really makes you feel what paradise really is.
Word of advice, come early, like before sunrise early to avoid the crowds. Leave the cell phones and music players and electronics at home. And just kick back, relax, and enjoy.

Still beautiful despite the mobs of tourists.
The water, the fish, the ocean’s energy at this location is one-​of-​a-​kind. This is ancient.
This is the realm of the Gods, they swim, surf. and play here too.
So Human, pay your respects before you enter the water.
And don’t trample the coral.
Be mindful of your steps and your swim strokes.
Remember, You don’t own this, don’t act like you do.
Sacred.
Respect!!!

Must visit for obvious reasons. Snorkeling at the beach is a must for any Hawaii trip.
If you have your own car, then buy your own snorkeling gear and skip out on the $$$ rentals.
If you don’t have a car, it’s best to go the snorkeling «tour» route where for the price of $ 22 per person, you get a ride AND snorkeling gear. If you do decide to go this route, go in the early morning or battle the huge crowds and the 3x bigger lines!

Not my type of beach and you have to pay to access. I understand that snorkeling is great here but you can also go to Shark Coves and have a similar experience.
I wouldn’t mind to pay if I liked the beach I just don’t like it. I don’t like it how it looks, how rocky it is or anything else. Just another beach.
I enjoy other beaches in the island much better like Lanikai or Waimea.

Enjoyed my brief but relaxing visit to Hanauma Bay. The park employee waived the $ 7.50 entrance due to my late afternoon arrival but still had to watch the mandatory short video. Spent about an hour swimming in the pristine waters and soaking up the breathtaking view. Would highly recommend Hanauma Bay to anyone visiting Oahu. Truly spectacular.

Tourists, tourists, tourists.
It’s kind of lame that they make you pay $ 7.50 per person AND make you watch a 9 minute video before entering, but I get it.
They want you to pay and watch a video to help preserve the park.
Make sure you sign your name on their clip board after the video, just in case you end up coming back there again either another day during the week or even during the year so you don’t have to watch it again. That signature is good for one year.
This place is always packed. I was told by a local that the best time to go is first thing in the morning when they open BEFORE 9AM or AFTER 2PM when it starts slowing down.
Parking is limited here and when it gets really full, they close off the entrance until cars leave and they open it back again.
We tried parking across the street on a dirt patch area from the opening until we saw that all the cars there got tickets. So, be smart and do not park in the dirt area across the street from the main road or else you will be ticketed. Worst case scenario, park down the street in the neighborhoods.
Once you enter, you have to walk down a giant hill. You can pay about $ 1.00 to go up or down or $ 2.00 for the whole day.
The best view of the bay is right at the top.
I recommend this place for children, families, beginner snorkelers and people who can’t swim.
I can’t swim but I was able to learn how to snorkel here because the waters are a lot more calmer and there’s tons of fish everywhere so you don’t have to swim out deep.
Overall, I love this place. Gets crowded on the beach, but who cares if you’re out in the water with the fishies.
P. S. There’s some really cool rocks in the middle of the bay that you can swim out to and sit on. But be careful because its really slipper and sharp. I cut off a piece of my heel by doing that. Lol.

This is definitely one of the key attractions on Oahu island. We are so glad that we came here. Hanauma Bay is one of a kind place so definitely not to be missed when visiting the island.
After reading online as this bay gets crowded we started quite early from our hotel. We came here around 6.45 and ended up saving the parking and entrance fee (there is entrance and parking fee if you get here after 7).
The other good thing about coming here early is it’s less crowded and one is able to see more fish. For some reason as it gets closer to noon fish tends to go away farther from the shore.
The bay is very very beautiful, definitely take pictures while waking down to bay from top. We spent little over half a day and still wanted to snorkel here more, it is that nice. We saw so many different varieties of fish. Early in the day fish comes right by the shore so one does not have to swim very far to catch a glimpse of underwater world.
Lifeguards are super helpful, definitely talk to them and they will help us by sharing information where the bay is shallow and where to snorkel & where not to snorkel (there are few rough patches).
Few key points —
1) Don’t walk on the coral reef, one it can hurt and second it destroys the ecosystem.
2) I would recommend buying snorkeling gear before coming here, it costs 15 – 20 bucks. We ended up spending 40 bucks here for 2 pairs of snorkeling gear for rental.
3) Get food and water as there is nothing nearby.
Come early and enjoy the wonderful gift of mother nature.

You MUST visit this place if you’re in Oahu. It’s an absolute beauty.
My group and I came on a tour and avoided the drive and the parking fee. Our tour also included snorkel gear which saved us money and a wait in the rental gear line in Hanauma Bay.
We waited no more than 5 min to pay $ 7.50/person entrance fee and no more than another 5 min before entering the bay to watch the wildlife preservation video. It was the weekday which probably explained the short wait.
It’s a ways walk down to the bay from the visitor center and no food is sold once you’re on the beach.
There are lockers available for $ 8 if you don’t want to leave your valuables out. We opted for this since all of us were planning to swim and snorkel.
You will absolutely see beautiful marine life when you snorkel. It’s such a treat!
Tips: 1) pack yourself lunch/​meal for the stay,
2) if possible, bring your own snorkel gear to avoid paying and waiting at the snorkel rental place,
3) wear water shoes instead of fins for the swim. It’ll be easier to keep balanced and from falling on the beautiful but very sharp coral.
Enjoy!

We had snorkeling tips as part of our tour and in a matter of minutes were pretty acclimated to the whole snorkeling thing. A first for me and the entire family. That coral is no joke! And you’re supposed to avoid it, not just because it scrapes and feels like pointy concrete, but to preserve the coral.
Plenty of amazing sea life, I was just glad I didn’t spot any sharks or even moray eels. Though the eels are considered pretty harmless unless one is foolish enough to be pestering them. Have you seen the teeth on those suckers?!
This is a great stop for snorkeling for about 2 hours, then it’s time to catch a few rays on the beach before leaving.
A Beautiful bay, and a must visit at least once when visiting Oahu. Keep an eye out for the wild ferrets quite common along the edge of the parking lot, and considered a pest and hazard to the native Hawaiian wildlife. They’re everywhere.

There are a lot of fishes, I didn’t get lucky enough to spot a turtle within my two visits. Wait till a calm and sunny day so that you can go beyond the shallow reef wall which side has way more creatures other than human beings than the near shore side.

A tone of people and takes freaking forever to get through. We got here by bus at at 9:40am. The bus lets you off at the parking lot and it’s a short walk from the bus stop to the entrance. We waited in line for 20 min to purchase tickets ($ 7.50 ea, free for locals). Then there is another line to watch the educational video. They appear to play it every 15min and each session fits a certain number of people. We had to wait 30 mins for our video session. If you have been here before and registered your name, you can look you up and let you skip the video for a year; after a year you’d have to watch it again. You can’t renew the video exemption. By the time we get out of the video it’s already 11 o’clock.
Now let me talk about the beach itself. It’s way over crowded. To be honest a large part of the beach area is way too shallow to swim or snorkel but people do it anyway. Lots of people were swimming way to close to the corals (or what used to be corals now mostly just rocks) and stepping on it. There are some tropical fish swimming around but it’s far and few between. Visibility in the water is terrible with this amount of people. There a semi natural/​artificial wall that defines the Bay Area where most people swim. You can get beyond the wall and we are told you see a lot more, but the water is really ferocious and you may have trouble getting back into the bay — not recommended unless you are an experienced ocean swimmer.
At the end of the day, if it is really a «conservation area» as they would like to call it, I think it should be closed to public entirely to allow corals to actually grow. View from the parking lot is amazing.

Even in the rain, it is easy to see why Hanauma Bay is such a popular attraction. The marine life was incredible — even a few feet from the shore, the coral were dense with all sorts of fish. You definitely don’t have to snorkel to see the marine life — some of the fish will swim right up to you. They’re just as curious as you are!
Pro-​tip: Purchase one of the underwater cameras from the gift shop before you walk down. Yes — walk down, but drive up! $ 1.25 a ticket for the tram will save your sore legs from the quarter mile hike back up.

Admittedly my husband and I didn’t go snorkling here, we just walked around and took in the views and it was still a 5 star experience. The bay is STUNNING. From the beach to the overlooks, even the parking lot has a view!
It’s a bit of a stroll down to the beach but they do offer a tram (for $) back up if an uphill climb isn’t something you can handle. They also have snorkeling gear for rent but it’s quite pricey for a rental. You’re better off just picking up something cheap from a local store (most grocery stores even carry snorkel gear) and keeping it for your entire trip.
We were there fairly late in the day (right before they closed the beach) and off season (September) so it wasn’t really that crowded, and we didn’t have to pay an entrance fee but other reviews are telling me it may be kind of crazy and expensive so prepare for that. But for a quick visit at the end of the day it was gorgeous and well worth the stop.

Hey, one beach trip in eight days of Hawaii is better than none.
We didn’t get here til 3pm and by the time the required cheesy safety vid was over it was 3:30, so we didn’t get to truly experience the beach as much as desired. The sun was already on its way down. Sigh. Such is life.
They sell snacks up on the cliff but you’ll be finished with those long before you get to the beach. It’s a quarter mile walk downhill. The hill down is pretty steep so you’re probably gonna wanna take the trolley back up. It’s $ 1.25.
Admission price is like $ 7.50 a head. Kinda pricey but there’s lots of fish to see so it’s worth it. You don’t really need to pay to rent snorkel gear to see it. Just don’t step on the reef or you’ll kill it. Lookie there I actually learned something from the video.
We didn’t go snorkeling but you can still see fish even if you just walk along the edge. I saw some kinda blue parrotfish according to the chart they have at the top of the beach. And some little brown fish. I was gonna be a Scrooge and give four stars but there’s not much more you could ask for from a beach. I just never know what to do at beaches. Laying out is boring. Guess I’ll man up and go in the water… Will report back if I don’t get eaten.
Update: I neither froze nor got eaten! I did pee in the water as is customary. It was warm water anyway so… As I was saying, I saw a bunch of stripey fish and some other fish and a bunch of coral reef that I did not step on but did trip over.

Went snorkeling here, my first time ever, and just loved it. This place is especially great for first timers IMO. The reef is gorgeous, the sand white and clean, the current strong but not intimidating, and when we went we were lucky that it wasn’t overly crowded as well. The only downside was we didn’t catch any turtles — which I really wanted to see.
Pro tip: Very few (if any) food options so bring a big pinic and plan to spend the day!
Final Verdict:
I’d highly recommend it to first time snorkelers and families!

Overall 4.5 stars. We come here almost every time we come to Honolulu. You pay an entrance fee of $ 7.50 and they’re closed every Tuesday. They’re otherwise open 6am-​6pm.
If you plan on coming back within one year fill out the form during the talk they make you sit through. Then you can skip it next year. That’s what we did and it saved 20 minutes.
The last couple of times we went there (July 2014 and March 2015) the water wasn’t as nice and the sand wasn’t as smooth. The water was actually rough (but we went in the afternoon).
They rent snorkel gear so it’s better to bring your own. On their website they offer $ 25 tours/​transportation to/​from Waikiki. Hubby and I paid $ 11.50 through Fun Hawaii and it included round trip transport to/​from your hotel AND snorkel gear. Much better deal.
It’s also along a bus line so if you want take the bus there from Waikiki you can, but the $ 11.50 is better in my opinion.
TIP: Residents of HI, active military & kids under 12 are free.

$ 1.50 for parking
$ 7.50 for entry
Must watch this corny video about the harmful effects of touching the coral reefs
It’s good that they’re educating you about this
We showed up around 7:30am so we got a good 2 hours in without bumping into many people in the water; it was great.
Went snorkeling (for the first time!) here and there were a LOT of fish! We didn’t even go pass the wave break and we probably saw at least a hundred
Saw the Hawaii state fish, parrot fish, angelfish, needlefish, a few schools of fish — it was incredible!
The coolest parts are seeing the fish literally right next to my face and when fish would swim alongside us
Next time, I’ll do some digging in snorkeling gear and maybe go exploring on my own. It was amazing!

Water was a bit smoggy in the am but everything else was amazing. Worth making the trip.
Come early, bring snorkeling gear!

I went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay as a kid and couldn’t wait to get back this month to see the beautiful coral reefs again. Unfortunately, to my surprice, the reef died as a result of human disturbance. I was heart broken. I still enjoyed myself, but the experience did not compare at all.
The marine life appeared to have suffered as well, but not to the same extent as the reef. I still had a wonderful time snorkeling and laying out on the beach. It was very calm for an October Saturday morning. The crowds were moderate.
The snorkel gear was in great condition. It definitely pays to have some flippers and googles if you intend on swimming. The coral reef is still very sharp, so be careful. I would advise bringing snacks and drinks out as well. I brought my hammock, but I was told to take it down since it is a natural preserve.

Bön cette plage est magnifique. C’est vrai. Pourquoi trois étoiles? Déjà parce qu’il nous a fallu 3 tentatives à trois jours d’intervalle pour parvenir à la plage avant que le parking né soit complet. Ensuite, il faut faire la queue pour payer et refaire la queue pour se farcir une vidéo pédagogique de 10′, suite à quoi on peut enfin aller au bord de l’eau. Les coraux et les poissons tropicaux sont au rendez vous, mais il y a tellement de monde à l’eau qu’elle en devient trouble. Dommage, quand on sait que sur certaines autres plages de l’île on peut en voir largement autant voire plus en mettant simplement les pieds dans l’eau, deux minutes après avoir garé sa voiture (sunset beach au nord par exemple). Bön trois étoiles quand même parceque bon. Il faut pas exagérer non plus, ça reste un endroit idyllique.

Hanauma Bay ist ein erloschener Vulkan, der im Meer liegt und somit eine Bucht bildet.
Beeindruckend ist das grosse Naturriff und die dort lebenden Fische. Wer dort schwimmt und schnorchelt kommt sich vor wie in einem überdimensonierten Meerwasseraquarium.
Wir haben die Bay von Waikiki aus besucht. Man kann für 2,50 $ mit dem Bus hinfahren. An den Bushaltestellen kommen mitunter auch halboffizielle Shuttles vorbei, die einem für 5,00 $ fahren, was sich unter Umständen lohnen kann, da die Busse in diese Richtung der Insel nicht so häufig verkehren, wie beispielsweise nach Downtown Honolulu oder Pearl Harbor.
Wir sind mit dem Shuttle gefahren. Die Fahrt dauert ca. eine halbe Stunde, was nicht weiter schlimm ist, denn man sieht unterwegs auch einiges.
Dort angekommen, ist man zunächst auf einer Anhöhe, von der aus man einen traumhaften Blick auf die Bucht hat.
Der Eintritt kostet 7,50 $. Auf der Eintrittskarte steht eine Uhrzeit. Zur aufgedruckten Uhrzeit findet man sich im Besucherzentrum ein, in dem man einen Film über die Bucht gezeigt und bestimmte Verhaltensregeln nahe gelegt bekommt. Wer plant während seines Urlaubs nocheinmal zu kommen, kann sich in eine Liste eintragen lassen, damit man sich den Film nicht mehr ansehen muss. Beim ersten Besuch ist es Pflicht.
Nach dem Film läuft man runter zur Bucht oder kann sich für einen Dollar auch fahren lassen.
Rettungsschwimmer sind am Strand und auch Duschen und Sanitäreinrichrungen sind vorhanden.
Wer auf Oahu ist, sollte dort auf jeden Fall hinfahren.