Prepare to snorkel next to a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, glide past a beautiful Butterflyfish, and do not miss the Hawaiian state fish Humuhumu-Nuknuk-Apua’a, a Reef Triggerfish. There are restrooms and outdoor showers, but no other amenities. ), and sea cucumbers. You’ll depart from the Old Koloa Sugar Mill—handy for families staying on Kauai’s South Shore—to head out to Lawai Beach, a clear, shallow area (eight to 10 feet deep) with coral gardens perfect for first-time snorkelers (and for spotting a few turtles). Here we share with you the best turtle snorkeling locations on each island in Hawaii and tips for how to fully enjoy them!. Instead, swim toward shore to detour around the wall, and you will love what you see on the other side! I make it a point to get into the ocean where it’s sandy, to spare the fragile habitat my weight. Great opportunity to view coral reefs, sea turtles, tropical fish, dolphins and more on this snorkel … First-timers need not worry: Instruction will be provided. A half-day tour allows you to witness the pristine waters of Na Pali. Nor should it be, as there are plenty of places to rent snorkel gear that are convenient and affordable. It can be very hard to see anything in the center, but also thrilling if you’re willing. There is a forest growing just back from the sand, where leaf-littered paths wind through the trees, and ravenous mosquitoes fly in wait. It is sandy and shallow here. Or, if you have your own equipment and are comfortable in the water, a variety of fish and sights await you just below the surface all around the island. Snacks and Drinks. Check Availability. If you’re in search of sea turtles, beautiful coral reefs or snorkeling with a view, this guide breaks down the best snorkeling tours and the Kauai snorkeling beaches you can’t miss. Nice small beach- has a cute snorkeling spot for daytime and easy to rent snorkel gear at Koa Kea hotel and Marriott beach club nearby. It’s also a great place for snorkeling: You’ll head into the clear waters equipped with snorkeling equipment to take in the marine life underwater, including tropical fish and turtles. Snorkeling is great fun in both coves, but most of the fish are found on the left! Get an early start if you want to find easy parking. Turtles are one of the symbols of the sea. A sandy entry keeps everyone healthy – your feet will not be cut, and the corals stay alive for lack of stomping. If you wait there long enough, a school of large yellowfin surgeonfish is almost sure to swim by and check you out. In the summer months, the water at Ke’e Beach is usually calm, so summer snorkeling is amazing. Anini Beach is located just off Highway 56, between Princeville and Kilauea and can be reached by road. There are also coronetfish, sea cucumbers, several species of butterflyfish, and babies of many different fish species. The turtle area, Sheraton Caverns, was amazing and we were able to swim with the huge green turtles extremely up close. While you explore along the wall, realize that waves can make it over the wall and hit you. You’ll be able to relax completely, because Lydgate has everything you’ll need: lifeguards, restrooms, shaded picnic tables, trash cans, and a huge playground! SeaFun Kauai. The trailhead is found to the left of the parking area, just before you hit the sand. Do not chase, approach, touch, dance with, high five or ride a turtle. Snorkel gear, including mask, fin, snorkel and floatation devices, is traditionally provided by snorkeling-tour outfits. Keep your flippers crossed, and have a great time! There are rainbow colored wrasses, Moorish idol, baby parrotfish, baby unicornfish, baby goatfish (do you sense a trend, here? Be guided from the shoreline out to a healthy reef ecosystem by a Marine Biologists trained instructor. This of course is the ideal time to go snorkeling. Tunnels beach is the ultimate North Shore beach for snorkeling and scuba diving. This sacred temple was built for worshipping the sun, and the power of the place can easily be felt today. Because the entry and exit are a bit difficult at PK’s, this Kauai snorkeling site is rated as intermediate. Sea turtles swim by often at PK’s, and you are sure to find the gorgeous yellowtailed coris, needlefish, and rockmover wrasse (a rarity at many other beaches). Anini Beach is a lovely strip of sand that offers very good Kauai snorkeling. You’ll also head to Nu’alolo Kai for snorkeling over a gorgeous reef, and learn about the marine life you’ll be spotting, thanks to some fun facts delivered on board by the crew. Lydgate Beach … This is a good winter snorkeling site, because that is when the water is calm on this coast. Take your time hanging with the fish here, and you are sure to enjoy yourself. Once you enter into the warm Hawaiian ocean experience plush coral reefs, sea turtles, and an abundance of tropical fish. You will have plenty of time and space to get your snorkel gear ready. Lawai Beach. Enjoy! Especially, since we always get a chance to swim with hono (sea turtles). After plenty of time to catch marine life, you’ll get back on board to dry off and enjoy a late buffet lunch with beer, wine, and Mai Tai cocktails. During your excursion, you’ll travel under waterfalls and into sea caves (when conditions permit), encounter playful dolphins, turtles, whales (in season) and more. per adult. Once you swim to that stone border, don’t try to swim over or climb over it – the water is too shallow. You’ll start the six-hour trip from Kekaha, where you’ll board a motorized raft, which is handy for zipping in and out of the caves and waterfalls that dot the Na Pali Coast shoreline. "Captain and crew were very attentive and friendly, got us close to dolphins, into sea caves and to a snorkeling spot with sea turtles - everything we hoped for and more!" Do not touch anything while Kauai snorkeling, and give the turtles 30 feet of space to swim as they please. Mahalo! While swimming, pay attention to the boats getting in and out at the boat ramp. You can bring lunch, walk beneath the huge shady trees, or watch the small boats come in and out of the water at the boat ramp! *Public Restrooms *Outdoor Showers *Picnic Tables *Kid Friendly Beach *Lifeguard. This is your chance to explore some of our favorite remote snorkeling sites along the southwest shore of Kaua’i. This deluxe tour isn’t quite as long as the full-day tour with a SCUBA options, but it really shines with what it can offer guests—and those who have been on this excursion love it. When you’re in shallow water and you need to take a break, you can touch the sandy bottom! How exciting is that? Home to some of the most breathtaking beaches in the world, it’s no surprise that Kauai offers snorkeling second to none. Snorkeling at Tunnels Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawaii offers the chance to snorkel dive with green sea turtles, butterflyfish, white tip reef sharks, flowery flounder and eels. From the tropical north shore to the sunny south side, visitors can get up-close-and-personal with an array of dazzling marine life. While on Kauai, this is always our favorite spot to go snorkeling. You don’t have to worry about bringing anything: You can rent wetsuits and underwater cameras on board if you’d like. With their large tails, and slow graceful swimming, these giants almost seem like dinosaurs. With seven and a half hours out on the water, this full-day tour is a fantastic way to spend a day in Kauai. This tour might sound ominous, but it’s anything but: You’ll spend a glorious seven hours on a sailing and snorkeling excursion that takes guests from Port Allen along Kauai's northwestern Na Pali coastline. This beach has a little sand, but it’s mostly made of lovely lava rock – not family friendly. The ocean floor here is made up of mostly coral reef and rocks. It’s also just a short walk from your car to the beach. When you are ready to get in, walk down the beach to the left, and enter the water just off the campgrounds. Before you get in the water to enjoy Poipu Beach, it’s always a good plan to ask the lifeguards what you ought to be aware of that day. After the time in the water, head back on board for a three-course buffet dinner, taking in the sinking sun as it inflames the sky with vivid tropical colors. "We lucked out with blue skies & sunshine the rest of our trip, explored sea caves where we met a monk seal named Waldo, swam with a honu & an array of tropical fish, & spotted mountains goats climbing the hillside." Do not go into the cove around the left hand side, just off the restaurant. Sea turtles (honu) come near the shore quite often at Poipu. As with all Kauai snorkeling sites, you want to enter where the sand is. Included on morning tours are soft drinks, a continental breakfast, and a deli-style lunch; unlimited beer, wine, and Mai Tais are also served with the lunch or dinner meal, depending on cruise time. Waves crash onto the shore, while white-tailed tropicbirds dive, swoop, and call overhead. You’ll stop off along the way, should conditions permit, to snorkel or simply swim in the ocean, catching glimpses of brightly colored fish under the waves. Join us for a small group Zodiac snorkel adventure to unspoiled snorkel sites where you will have the opportunity to see beautiful coral reefs, sea turtles… Kauai Snorkeling Tours per person The Garden Island (Kauai) is covered with beautiful lush topography, but a whole new world awaits you just beneath the surface of our warm pacific ocean… Click on a tour below to view more details. Makua Beach, also known as Tunnels Beach, located on the north coast of Kauai, is one of the best snorkeling spots on the island. Huntington Beach, California 7 contributions 1 helpful vote. Small personalized experience on a super fun zodiac boat. This Kauai snorkeling site is very interesting, partly because new fish are arriving all the time – carried in by the waves that wash over the walls. When you’re facing the ocean, the heiau is on the far left of Lydgate Park, near the Wailua River. Swimming with sea turtles is likely on your “to-do” list if you’re visiting Oahu. This is one of my favorite places to snorkel in Kauai because the water is usually calm and it’s easy to snorkel with kids. The beach is not as busy as other beaches on the island. And don’t worry about packing a tote with rations: There are plenty of snacks and bottled water on board for between swims, too—all you need to bring are towels and sunscreen. More dates. The water gets deeper as you go farther, to a maximum of about 30 feet. Thanks to sustained conservation efforts, the green sea turtle population in Hawaii has made a significant comeback over the last 25 years but is still considered a threatened species. This Kauai snorkeling area is fairly protected from the open sea, so even when you move fast, you’ll always stay near shore. This Kauai snorkeling site is protected from the open ocean by a rock wall. The sandy bottom slopes up like a bowl, and there are tons of large rocks just inside the outer wall. By Kauai Sea Rider Adventures. Best Of Hawaii provide you safe & easy booking and free vacation planning service. But some places are better than others (and some should be avoided altogether, either because there are better spots nearby or because of safety concerns!). Have a great time! Free cancellation available. Let’s face it: snorkel gear isn’t on anyone’s Hawaii vacation packing list. You’ll enjoy the graceful coronetfish, several species of butterflyfish, and the ever popular humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Brennecke’s beach, located just to the left of Poipu Beach Park is typically a boogie-boarder’s dream. To check the waves before you drive over, take a look at kauaiexplorer.com. Check kauaiexplorer.com for daily ocean conditions straight from the lifeguards. When traveling by car, this Kauai snorkeling spot is the closest you can get to the world-renowned Na Pali Coast. If you’re an advanced snorkeler, head out past the cove to see the outer reefs! Calm, peaceable and impressive, they are one of the most pleasant animals to observe under water. These huge turtles … Snorkeling on Kauai is lots of fun and easy to do. Even the parking here is relaxing – there’s plenty. They were both so beautiful, plus we saw dolphins and turtles… Curves of white sand wind their way gracefully down the coast. These shelves can be slippery, and they can also cut your feet. We have a rental car. One of the greatest treats of snorkeling in Kauai is getting to swim with the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle or Honu. Once you get to Nualolo Kai, you’ll jump off the boat for the hiking portion of your trip: exploring the 800-plus-year-old ancient fishing village whose ruins lie near the beach. To report a marine mammal in trouble , call the NOAA Marine Mammal Hotline: 1-888-256-9840. Schools of vibrantly colored tropical fish mingle with the ancient Honu (Hawaiian green … maybe cross your fingers as you’re driving there? If you … So whether you’re a beginner snorkeler or have experienced phenomenal snorkeling in the past, this guide has everything you’ll need to plan your Kauai snorkeling adventures. Clearwater with lots of turtles.”-David D (Houston, TX) ★★★★★ Yelp “We went to 2 snorkeling spots and I can not decide which one I liked most! Features. Snorkel gear, picnic lunch … Anini’s coral reef is chock full of beautiful fish and sea turtles. This creates a fairly calm spot for ocean exploration. During day, we saw a giant turtle or two. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. See all reviews. Lawai Beach. (No, the sea urchins are not boring, they’re quite interesting, but they do bore into rocks and reef.) Have a great Kauai snorkeling and scuba diving spots on the water is very shallow at entry tend... Flounder delightfully about, all kinds of tiny marine life aka Lawai is. Snorkel Rental, and Beach facilities make your time at the tippy top Kauai! 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