Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay or ......

Hello,

We will visit Oahu for the first time in july 2005 and would like to go snorkeling. In many topics people are telling that is very crowdy at Hanauma Bay and one has to arrive very early in the morning, standing in line etc.

My question is, does anybody has an alternative experience snorkeling for instance in combination with a sailingtrip. What can you advise 4 people from the netherlands?

John

Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay or ......

I love your name, woodenshoe!

I think Haunama is a very good place for a first snorkeling experience. You will wait in line in order to see a film first that will introduce you to the reef and how to behave with the fishes when snorkeling. The film is every 15 minutes, so you never wait longer than that. If you drive yourself, you should go before 9 in order to get a parking space. While it is busy, it isn%26#39;t so crowded that you will feel uncomfortable. In fact, many people prefer the comfort of seeing others nearby while they%26#39;re snorkeling for the first time.

Then, if you rent equipment for the week, or buy some for yourself, you can visit many other beaches around the island where the snorkeling is good. You can find some of these sites at sailhawaii.som, which also offers a great snorkeling cruise, or get the Oahu Revealed book, which lists them as well. (You should get that book anyway!)

Another rather famous spot for snorkeling is shark%26#39;s cove on the north shore- just try to avoid it on the weekends.

Have a wonderful trip to Oahu!