• Home
    • Meet Me & Mr B
  • Recipes & Food
    • Appetizers, Snacks & Small Bites
    • Beverages
    • Bread Recipes
    • Condiments Recipes
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Soup & Chowder
    • Sourdough Recipes
    • Recipes by Eating Style
      • Dairy-free Recipes
      • Gluten-free Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
      • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Recipe Round-ups
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts, Crafts & DIY
    • Music Notes
  • Cozy Travel
    • Pacific NW
      • Pacific NW Hikes
      • Portland Area
      • Oregon Coast
      • Orcas Island WA
      • Southern Oregon
    • Hikes Near & Far
    • Mountain States
    • Southwestern US
    • Hawaii
    • Tennessee for Music Lovers
    • International Travel
    • One Day in…
  • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Statement
      • Disclosure
    • Work with Us!
      • Media Kit
    • Contact Us!

The Good Hearted Woman

Home Cooking & Cozy Living

  • SOURDOUGH RECIPES & RESOURCES

Tips for {Snorkeling} Virgins

August 14 By Renée 4 Comments

Helpful Tips for Snorkeling Beginners, plus a brief recap of our adventure in Hanauma Bay, Oahu. 

As an Oregonian, I’m conditioned to tense and shudder just thinking about swimming in the ocean, so the first time my toes touched Oahu’s sun-soaked waters, I was like a toddler with a new wading pool: I couldn’t get enough. Mr. B and I went on a number of water-adventures during our stay on Oahu, and snorkeling was high on our list of favorites.

Since snorkeling was a new experience for me, we decided to go to Haunama Bay, which – based on how many people were there – is apparently where every other virgin snorkeler in the entire civilized world (or at least Oahu) goes.

Helpful Tips for Snorkeling Beginners, plus a brief recap of our adventure in Hanauma Bay, Oahu. | The Good Hearted Woman

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Even though I am a lifelong swimmer, I was a little nervous about snorkeling (for reasons I won’t go into); however, I quickly learned that if you can swim, you can snorkel. Just a few quick tips from our shuttle bus driver and I was ready to roll…er, swim. The salty ocean water dramatically improves buoyancy, so if you are used to swimming in a pool or fresh water, as I am, you will find ocean swimming to be much less work.

Here’s a few tips, from one newbie to another:

  • Buy or Rent a “Dry Snorkel“ – Seriously, spend the extra few bucks. I have zero desire to have water flooding down my snorkel. A dry snorkel has a special valve on top that seals shut when your snorkel goes underwater (like with a wave, or when you tilt your head to the side). It also has a special purge valve at the bottom of the snorkel so that it is easy to blow water out of the tube. I don’t think I will ever go without one of these.
  • Take the Time to Properly Fit and Adjust Your Mask: Don’t let the rental place rush you through the process of getting a mask that fits your face.  Masks come in different sizes and shapes, and can be adjusted. Take your time, and make sure the one you have fits and will seal tightly around your face before you leave the rental site.
  • Take Pictures with Your Cell Phone: If you plan to use your cell phone for pictures, purchase a Waterproof Cell Phone Dry Bag. This turned out to be indispensable on our trip. (I’ve already used it a couple of time since I got home as well.) Also, the touch screen on your cell phone will not work under water, so be sure to set your volume key (or whatever works on your phone) as the camera shutter before you go out into the water.
  • Get Fins that Fit: Be sure to try them on before your get down to the water. You don’t want to slip a fin and have the tide take it away before you even know what’s happened.
  • Be Mindful of Shallow Water, Tides and Waves: I got quite a few scrapes on my legs because I started out in too shallow of water while the tide was coming in. Lesson learned.  (If you are diving in colder water or around a lot of coral, a diving skin is a good idea.)
  • Avoid Sunburn: Reapply sunscreen often – at least every hour – and let give it a few minutes to “take” before diving back into the water. (I recommend a spray-on sunblock.) Be sure to have a buddy spray down you back, because that is the part that will be exposed most of the time when you are snorkeling. Do not, however, use sunscreen on your face above nose level, as it may be washed into your eyes.
  • Avoid Stirring Up the Sand: Too much sand can harm sea creatures around you and suffocate the coral.
  • Snorkel with a Buddy: As a former lifeguard, I cannot emphasize this enough: SWIM WITH A BUDDY! Even if you are a very strong swimmer, you still need someone to have your back when you’re in the water.

Now, back to Hanauma Bay…

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is the most famous of all Hawaii’s snorkeling beaches,  due in great part to its extremely high fish population – all of which are very used to humans and don’t seem to care much if you get right up in their business, so to speak. This allows you to get up close and personal with the turtles, tropical fish, eels and other sea creatures.

Helpful Tips for Snorkeling Beginners, plus a brief recap of our adventure in Hanauma Bay, Oahu. | The Good Hearted Woman

Located on the east side of Oahu, Hanauma Bay is an old volcanic crater that is protected from all but the biggest of ocean swells. This makes for extremely calm water, and easy snorkeling for folks of all ages. Hanauma Bay is a nature preserve, and visitors are encouraged to treat it as “a living museum.”  In the interest of minimizing the impact on the ecosystem, only about 3,000 visitors are allowed in daily, and before entering the preserve, everyone must watch a short video in the Marine Education Center.

Manini (Convict Tang) in Hanauma Bay | The Good Hearted Woman

We saw a lot of these black and white striped Convict Tang while we were snorkeling.

Coral and clear water begin just a short way from the beach. There are plenty of little hidey holes and crevices to check out, and you will see fish everywhere.

Helpful Tips for Snorkeling Beginners, plus a brief recap of our adventure in Hanauma Bay, Oahu. | The Good Hearted Woman

More than 450 colorful tropical fish, as well as octopus, crabs and eels can be found in the Hanauma Bay area. Visitors are asked not to touch the wildlife or the coral, and to use smooth, calm movements when creatures are close by.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

Know before you go:

  • Where: 30 min east of Waikiki, at Oahu’s southeastern tip.
  • Hours:
    • Wednesday – Monday [Closed on Tuesdays for weekly beach clean-up]
    • 6:00 am until 6:00 pm daily. [Winter]
    • 6:00 am until 7:00 pm daily. [Summer]
  • Entrance fee: $7.50 per person [Fee is waived those under 13 years of age or for residents of Hawaii with valid identification.]
  • Getting there:
    • Drive yourself: Limited parking is located on the ridge above the actual bay.
    • Get a ride: Many different companies provide shuttle service from and back to your hotel, as well as gear rental. (We used Kaimana Tours, which we were very happy with, but there are a lot of different shuttle companies that offer a variety of deals throughout the year, so a little homework might save you some dollars.)
  • Facilities:
    • Showers and restrooms are on site.
    • Lifeguards are on duty.
    • Tram: If you want to save yourself the steep walk down to and up from the beach, a tram is available (for a small fee of course).
    • Picnicking: If you want to eat away from the sand and surf, tables can be found in the grassy are near the parking lot. A concession stand with snacks and beverages is there as well.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Helpful Tips for Snorkeling Beginners, plus a brief recap of our adventure in Hanauma Bay, Oahu. | The Good Hearted Woman
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard

Filed Under: Oahu, Travel Tagged With: Hawaii

blank

About Renée

Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

Comments

  1. blankMarlynn @UrbanBlissLife says

    August 14 at

    These are EXCELLENT tips! I went snorkeling for the first time last year and was surprised by how much more challenging it was for me than I expected it to be. I wish I had these tips before I went! Where you went snorkeling looks BEAUTIFUL!

    Reply
  2. blankJen says

    August 15 at

    Tip #9 – don’t walk on the coral! People don’t realize this is so fragile and such an important part of the ecosystem.

    Glad you got to Hanauma Bay. We tried to go when we were there over the holidays but it was totally packed so we skipped it… Great pictures, we’ll have to check it out when we go back!

    Reply
  3. blankSharon says

    August 21 at

    Hanauma Bay looks amazing! I didn’t realize there was an entrance fee. That’s good to know in advance, and 3,000 visitors daily sounds like an awful lot of people but understandable when you see all the beautiful sea life in the bay area.

    Reply
  4. blankSally says

    October 6 at

    Your tips are fantastic for first time snorkelers and Hanauma Bay looks fantastic for snorkeling. Lots of lovely colorful fish and coral. My suggestion would be that if you plan to go snorkeling often, it’s a good idea to take your own gear. At least then you’ll know that it fits perfectly and you’ll be totally comfortable with it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello! We’re so glad you’re here.

Hello! We’re so glad you’re here! | The Good Hearted Woman {& Mr B}

Join me & Mr B as we share the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Follow Us!

Sponsors
Privacy Policy

© Harmony Cat LLC, 2011-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. The Good Hearted Woman is a subsidiary of Harmony Cat LLC.

sponsored