Snorkeling on the Big Island of Hawaii

May 26th, 2004

The best place for snorkeling on the Big Island is Kealakekua Bay because it is a protected marine sanctuary which is home to spinner dolphins and plenty of fish.

You can snorkel just about anywhere there is ocean access, but it is best to stick to places like Kealakekua Bay for the good visibility, clean waters, and underwater life.

My favorite Big Island snorkel cruise is the Fair Wind to Kealakekua Bay. The Fair Wind is the only boat allowed to anchor in the bay.

When the boat gets into the bay the Captain gives a safety briefing and then everyone into the water! To get in you can jump off the high dive or slide down the slide on the top level of the boat, or go down the stairs in the back of the boat. The stairs are under the water about three feet, so it is easy to get in and out of the water from here.

In the water, there is enough to see to keep you busy all day. Between the boat and the cliff is a shallower area with large schools of fish that do not shy from people. The front of the boat opens up into the bay and farther on, the open ocean, so it gets quite deep. On a clear day, you can see almost 100 feet straight down.

After about an hour of snorkeling lunch is served; it is cheeseburgers/gardenburgers from the large grill on the back of the boat. After lunch, there is about one hour left for relaxing or getting back in the water.

On my last trip on the Fairwinds boat a pod of dolphins swam straight for us. Read about it here: Swim with dolphins