Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

Hanauma bay is a very nice for snorkeling especially for beginners. You need to get there early to get parking space and there is a fee to enter the park. The location on the map is incorrect it is on the far south east point of the island near KoKo head.

Hanauma Bay offers unparalleled beauty and is truly one of the best beaches in Oahu. It’s a protected nature preserve that’s home to a diverse array of marine life, and it’s a must-do attraction for any visitor who loves snorkeling.

Hawaiian royalty once frequented Hanauma Bay for fishing and relaxing. Then tourism and overuse strained its valuable ecosystem, so in the 1990s measures were taken to restore and protect this historically and ecologically significant spot.

This means you’ll need to take a few extra steps before visiting Hanauma Bay.

--Make a reservation with the city in advance
--Pay an admission fee (kids under 12, military, and Kamaaina are free)
--Watch a nine-minute orientation video before entering the preserve

Visiting this incredible beach is worth the effort. The conservation strategy has allowed this to be one of the best spots for seeing Hawaii’s majestic marine life.

We think this is one of the best beaches in Oahu!

Very nice white sand beach. Excellent for sunbathing and snorkeling for the whole family.

Nice view from afar of the bay itself

It gets crowded here! Lots of people, not enough fish to look at near the shore. I think if we went further out to the reef, we would've seen more fish. Nice view though from afar of the