Sunday morning we had a time slot booked for snorkeling at Hanauma Bay – a protected marine park that limits daily visitors. Once again we walked our beach bags and cooler past the Honolulu Zoo to our free street parking spot, loaded up the car, and drove about 30 mins to the marine park. There was already a line of people waiting for the next 15-min time slot to open up. Because this park limits visitors, you can only get a ticket 48 hours in advance at 7am local time. They sell out as quickly as 5 minutes, so I had to set an alarm and be fast. We also knew we wanted an early morning slot because that’s when the park is less crowded. Once you’re in you can stay as long as you want, so the people who arrived at 8am are still there when the people who chose the noon time slot arrive.
We went for the 9am time slot because it let us not be too rushed in the early morning while still getting us there nice and early! They ushered us in to watch a short movie about the marine park and the importance of not stepping on coral. We then walked through a very small museum before hopping on the shuttles down to the bay. The horseshoe-shaped bay was absolutely gorgeous — literally mountains coming right to the turquoise blue waters of the sea.
We set ourselves up toward the middle and got ready to hop in. In our haste we realized that we had left our mask drops back at the room, but the guys at the kiosk that rented gear were more than happy to help us out! I have to say, I had HIGH hopes for snorkeling here. After all, it was a protected marine park in Hawaii!! I think we were more spoiled than we knew in Kona, however, because this just didn’t blow us away. It was great — don’t get me wrong. It just wasn’t BETTER than what we’d already had (for free) back in Kona.
We spent most of the day lounging on the beach and snorkeling. When you think about it, one of the most amazing things about our time in Hawaii is the fact that in multiple different places we were able to just walk right into the ocean and snorkel — with pretty amazing results.
After returning to the hostel and showering, we headed back to Waikiki Beach for sunset and dinner. It was neat to see the surfers enjoying the last waves of the evening and be around everyone as they waited for the sun to set. The birds were so loud in the trees, people were playing beach volleyball, etc. It was definitely a vibe! For dinner we wanted to try a place that Jack and MaLeah had recommended and it was very yummy and authentic! It was a great night!
