Oahu Beaches - Hanauma Bay - the aquarium you get to swim in

This is absolutely a don’t-miss free attraction on Oahu. The combination of relatively safe conditions, clear water, tame fish, and beautiful reefs make snorkeling at Hanauma Bay one of the best water experiences you’ll ever have. Here’s a collection of tips to make the most out of your visit.

Look but don’t touch

The park folks will hammer this into your head as you watch the mandatory video and its worth repeating here. Touching the reef inevitably harms it so keep your hands and feet off of it as much as possible.

Stay relaxed

The very best way to enjoy exploring the reef is to relax and float over it. Maintain a nice, slow, steady breathing and keep your lungs full of air. This will give you maximum boyancy. Depending on the tide, you make find yourself in very shallow conditions. Resist the tempation to stand up. Keep your boyancy and float over to deeper conditions and enjoy the ride.

Be still and focus on small areas

While the sheer volume of fish swimming around will keep you constantly engaged, try focusing on a small area of the reef like 3 cubic feet. Be still and examine every small detail. You’ll find that the smaller the area you focus on and the more attention you give it, the more you’ll discover. There’s a whole world waiting for you to explore it and it’s about the site of your hand. Try it!

Know where you are

The only thing that’s genuinely dangerous about Hanauma will be the potentially strong currents. Pay attention to the signs and don’t hesitate to talk to the lifeguards for advice as they have years of experience. Usually the left and right sides of the beach are the ones most suseptible to currents and you definitely want to avoid them. There’s nothing as scary as getting pulled around by an unforgiving ocean.

Experts: explore the outer reefs

Only go here if you consider yourself an expert swimmer and experienced snorkeler. Outisde the shallow area is an amazing region to explore that is very deep and pristine. It’s usually where there scuba folks go but nothing says you can’t go there with your snorkel gear. Definitely check with the lifeguards before you go but if you make it out there, you’ll be rewarded with an incredible world to explore.

While technically not free (kids are free!), the price is very low and for what you get, is by far the best value on the island. Make Hanauma Bay a must nearly free thing to do on Oahu.