Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting ready to dive into Hanauma Bay's underwater park.
East Oahu
HANAUMA BAY
★★★
Oahu's most popular snorkeling spot is this volcanic crater with a broken sea wall; its small,
curved, 2,000-foot gold-sand beach is packed elbow-to-elbow with people year-round. The
bay's shallow shoreline water and abundant marine life are the main attractions, but this
good-looking beach is also popular for sunbathing and people-watching. Serious divers shoot
“the slot” (a passage through the reef) to gain access to Witch's Brew, a turbulent cove, and
then brave strong currents in 70-foot depths at the bay mouth to see coral gardens, turtles,
and—that's right—sharks. (Divers: Beware the Molokai Express, a strong current.) Snorkelers
hug the safe, shallow (10 ft.) inner bay that, depending on when you go, is either like swim-
ming in a fish-feeding frenzy or like bathing with 300,000 honeymooners. Because Hanauma
Bay is a conservation district, you may look at but not touch or take any marine life here. Feed-
ing the fish is also prohibited.
