Big Island, HI

Recently my wife’s Mom and her sister came to visit us in Hawaii, and we met in Kona on the Big Island. One of the highlights of our trip was a snorkeling excursion to Kahalu’u Bay, which is about a 15 minute drive from Kailua town. We actually walked about halfway there from our hotel, which was a pleasant walk along the waterfront, if a tad bit hot, and then hailed a taxi. On the way back we took a cab the whole way. Kahalu’u Bay is a beautiful, curving bay, with a small beach featuring one lifeguard tower, a shaded cabana area with picnic tables and bathrooms, and with a restaurant right on the water.

The main attraction here is snorkeling. It reminded me a little of Hanauma Bay on Oahu, except without the big hike down the cliff. We arrived at around 11:00 A.M., and the place was already packed with snorkelers—mostly families with kids staying in nearby hotels. We found an empty patch of sand on the beach, put on our snorkeling gear, and entered the water.

It’s a very easy entrance into the ocean at Kahalu’u Bay, making this a great spot for beginners. We simply walked into the shallow water, with a firm, hard basalt bottom which is easy to walk on, which gradually became waist deep. Then we started swimming out into the bay. As soon as we stuck our heads underwater, bright splashes of yellow caught our attention: butterflyfish! We continued out into deeper water, seeing many types of tropical reef fish along the way: surgeonfish, unicorn fish, tangs, raccoon butterflys, and puffer fish! It was like swimming through an aquarium.

The bottom was covered with corals—yellow lobe corals, pinkish cauliflower corals, and a few other types I don’t know the names of. Other bottom-dwelling creatures include two or three varieties of sea-urchins, sponges, crabs and shrimp. We even saw a moray eel with an attendant cleaner shrimp!

There were many interesting things to see, and the water was clear and warm. One of the coolest things we saw had to be the green sea turtle. We were swimming along when all of a sudden my wife says, “Look over here!” We look, and a gigantic turtle is lazily grazing seaweed from the ocean floor, in only about four feet of water. We took some pictures and video of the turtle, and let him (or her?) go on his way.

There is a line of rocks at the outer edge of the bay that forms kind of a breakwall, protecting the bay’s calm waters from the waves and currents of the open ocean. Just before these rocks is the deepest part of the bay. It is highly recommended not to venture beyond the rocks.
After checking out the bay for close to an hour and a half, we made our way back to the beach and dried off up on the picnic tables. Then we enjoyed a simple lunch of cheeseburgers and fish and chips at the restaurant. We all had a great time at Kahalu’u Bay.

Tips & info:

-Parking is limited—if you’re staying at a nearby hotel, a cab or walking is recommended
-There are lockers available for a small fee to keep your valuables in when you are in the water—highly recommended!
-Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before entering water so that it absorbs into your skin and doesn’t cover the reef
-Bring an underwater camera!
-Do not touch or chase the turtles or any other sea life!
-No standing on the corals! Watch your fin kicks.