Hawaii is known as one of the most cherished paradise islands of the world. I count every person very very lucky who gets the chance to visit this stunning corner of the world. While studying abroad in the US I was one of the fortunate ones to spend my holidays on the Hawaiian Islands. Now I want to tell you something about one of my highlights of the trip:snorkeling at the Hanauma Bay.
The Hanauma Bay is situated on the Island of Oahu, more precisely on the east side of the island, about 30 minutes drive from Honolulu. It actually used to be a volcanic crater, which is today a Nature Preserve and State Park and known as one of the best snorkeling destinations of the islands (if not the best). Already the view on the bay from the top will take your breath away, with the coral reefs in the turquoise water and the white sanded beach with palm trees. But what is even more incredible is the underwater world hiding underneath the surface of the bay.
What makes it such a special and popular place to snorkel, in comparison to all the other beautiful bays in Hawaii, is on one hand the high variety of species living in the bay and on the other hand the fact that the coral reef already starts within a couple of meters in the water, so you can go snorkeling even if the water is just knee-high.
The fact that it is so much visited by tourists led in the past to serious destruction and abuse of the reef and marine wildlife. As a consequence they introduced new rules in the 1990’s by limiting the visitor numbers per day and asking an entrance fee (i think $5-$10) from tourists. Also everybody who wants to go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay has to watch a video at the entrance of the park, which talks about the ecosystem of the bay and the importance of a proper behaviour while snorkeling, which meant for example no more stepping on the coral reefs and no touching of the animals. This way they want to give the coral reefs, which were neglected by past generations, a chance to recover and preserve this wonderful place also for the many visitors in the future.
Now back to the snorkeling: You can book a snorkel tour in advance from Honolulu, which includes transfer, material as well as sometimes a snorkel guide. If you want to do it on your own initiative you can also just rent mask, fins and snorkel at the Bay itself and explore the underwater world on your own (while sticking to all the preservation rules of course! ).
As mentioned earlier you will already find the first reef just a couple of meters into the water. There you will also see some little colourful fishes and the deeper you go into the sea, not only the varieties of species gets bigger, also the animals do. The Hanauma Bay is the home of 400 different species of fish and many other exciting sea creatures. If you swim a little further over the reef the water will get deeper and you might swim by one of the majestic big sea turtles of Hawaii, or even some little reef sharks. At the Hanauma Bay you can also find the Hawaiian State Fish with the most incredible name of “Humuhumunukunukuapuaa” (yes this is really its official Hawaiian name! ).
Another safety advice that I can give you is to be really careful with the coral reef. The reef is as sharp as knives and sometimes the water is so shallow that when you swim over it you might touch it with parts of your body. As I had to experience myself just a little touch with the leg or the stomach can leave bleeding cuts, which you mostly just notice when you go out of the water, as they don’t really hurt. So if you want to cross the reef to get to the deeper part of the bay, watch out and try to not get in touch with the reef.
Hanauma Bay in Hawaii is not for no reason one of the top snorkeling places of the world. It is one of the most beautiful underwater places I have seen in my life and a highlight you can’t miss if you are on the island of Oahu.
