Snorkeling beaches on Big Island (Hilo, Captain Cook: loan, hotel, house)

[JoDan]

Looking for the best snorkeling beaches on the Big Island. Currently staying near Naalehu, what are the closest that are ok, but what is considered the very best snorkeling beach?

[barney_rubble]

Check out Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

You don't snorkel at the park itself - which is a culturally significant historic site - but at a nearby rocky entry point, which is on state land if I recall correctly.

A lot of people like Kealakekua Bay near the Captain Cook monument. You need to a) take a boat tour, b) kayak across the bay, or c) hike down an old dirt road. I've done option C, which is not pleasant because horses sometimes use the trail and attract a lot of flies. It's hot on the way up too.

Kahaluu Beach Park has a lot of fish.

Many of the Kohala beaches have good snorkeling too, and they are the nicest beaches on the island. However, it's not a short drive from Naalehu.

[newUHprof]

The one near Place of Refuge (mentioned above) is called "Two-Step" and is very nice indeed. I saw bunches of turtles when I was there.

Kealakakua Bay can't be beat, but it's tough to get there. You either have to hike down (which isn't so bad, but the hike back up after snorkeling is, I hear) or kayak over (we did this... and found ourselves in the company of dolphins on the way back... make sure you get a landing permit) or go with a tour group (never my top option).

I was just in Hilo and went to the Kapoho tidepools, which were incredible. Not long snorkeling, but in and out of several tidepools.

We also went to the Beach Club on the Kohala Coast (near the Mauna Lani hotel). Beautiful coral, but not as many fish as I would have expected. Still really nice.

[Shorty1952]

There aren't a lot of great snorkeling beaches on the southern part of the island...we're about halfway between Ocean View and Milolii and usually drive up to Kohala if we want to spend a day at the beach. Two Step and Kealakekua Bay are great, but the access issues have been mentioned by previous posters.

I would definitely add my vote to the beach at the Mauna Lani resort. It's a beautiful white sand beach (although I believe it is man-made), very easy access to the water, nice coral and we've seen turtles and a large number of fish when we've been there. Not to mention that you can walk up to the Beach House and get mai tais to bring back to the beach.

It's a bit of a hike from the public parking area to the beach (about 3/4 of a mile) but it is through the historic fishponds.

I highly recommend the book "Snorkel Hawaii: the Big Island" by Judy and Mel Malinowski. They have very good descriptions of all of the beaches and detailed directions on how to get to them. If your local public library doesn't have it, ask them to get it for you through interlibrary loan. Or you can buy it new from Amazon for $15.95.