Bay beach was probably the best snorkeling I have experienced. There are many kinds of very colorful fish and they vary in size. It costs $5 per person to go to the bay beach, which I thought was a rip off, but $1 parking and $6 snorkeling rental made up for it. They also charge to give a bus ride up ($1 per person). They're making a killing off nature.

My husband and I are in the military so we didn't have to pay the fees that non-military do. That was pretty cool. The staff shows an informative 5-minute movie, which you must watch once per year to snorkel there.

You can ride the tram or walk the steep but paved road down to the beach. Once in the water, there are many reef areas to ...

The schools of fish close to shore were phenomenal.
For the best experience in this preserve, I would like to suggest floating beyond the dead the dead reef. There you will see moray eels, octopus, queen angels, parrot fish in several stages and of course sargent majors, humuhumunukunukuapua'a, and several species of butterfly fish!!
Happy snorkeling!

I have family that lives in Hawaii and I have been going for 35 yrs. I can't say I ever had a poot experience there. I plan on going to Hanauma Bay in 2 weeks to snorkel with my new husband. It is paradise

I am a kid.
This place is not for kids. You can't see any fish. To see fish you had to swim far. I could not swim out far.

Warning! You will not see any fish by just wading int he water. You will need to swim out and snorkel. If you have small children they will be very disappointed at the lack of sea life they can see.

20 years ago Hanauma bay was a fun place to visit, but not now. It's been turned into a museum and the staff is there to make sure you don't touch or do anything.

Not worth the time spent waiting in line nor the admission price.

It was wonderful! Even on a cloudy day when it was somewhat chilly! Be sure to get there early as it gets crowded very fast. But the water and fish are exceptional! The best snorkeling I've ever done!

This was a nice place to learn to snorkel. Once you get there (it's a bit of a drive from Waikiki) you must watch a short video on the do's and don'ts of the preserve. It is quite crowded by late morning, but it is a large bay. The snorkeling is great, but might be a bit choppy for really small kids, depending on the weather. Tons ...

It is a fantastic, clean beach. You really feel like you are farther out in the ocean than you are. We went last May of 06 without our children and kept saying how much we want to take them... so we will be back in Hawaii in 10 days with the kids and this will be one of the first places we go.