None of us are supreme swimmers so we took along two life jackets for our snorkeling adventures. Even if you can swim, the life jackets are well worth it. You can snorkel for hours instead of an hour if you have a life jacket–all you do is float along without worry and watch the fish and turtles.

We snorkeled at three beaches this time. All had clear water and fairly gentle access points (meaning the waves didn’t totally destroy you as you tried to get out to deep enough water to see fish.) You will need water shoes. There are virtually no sand beaches in Hawaii–it’s all rough sand and lava rocks so you’ll want the shoes right up until you put your fins on. If you want to spend the money, you can get those clever little diving boots that allow you to slide right into your fins with the protective little boots still on your feet, but those fin/boot sets tend to run more than the $35 or so for the regular mask/fin sets.

We took our own fins, masks and water shoes. You can rent them, but if you’re going to do three or more days of swimming, I’d recommend bringing you own. Get the snorkels that have the purge valves to help drain water out. Those things are golden and will make your swim a lot more enjoyable.

The water was crystal clear at every snorkel spot. Gorgeous!
	Turtles are often eating at Kahalu’u Beach Park. This is a pretty easy place to get into the water–you can stand in the water and see the fish without actually having to swim. The turtles are sometimes on the beach, and often feeding on grasses while you snorkel. This is a fabulous snorkel spot with public parking, showers, bathrooms, picnic tables and snack bars (sometimes.)
Kayak out across Kealakekua Bay and do some snorkeling at Cook’s Monument. The water gets deeper here quickly so there are different kinds of fish than in some of the shallower bays. Excellent clarity, beautiful swim!
	Place of Refuge (Pu’uhonau o Honaunau) had very good snorkeling. The National Park Service has an exhibit there (Pretty scenery; Its worth a very quick walkthrough, but I wasn’t nearly as impressed with it as the book.). The snorkeling is wonderful just outside the park although the fish weren’t as abundant as some of the other places and there is no shower to rinse off. There is a bathroom at the Park where we were able to wash our hands and arms. The Park charges 5 dollars to park. We walked to the beach area from there and it was worth paying for the parking because the locals know their beaches and the place was packed on the weekend.

Once again, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed had numerous beaches and descriptions listed. The authors pay close attention to swimming conditions, snorkeling, crowds and other factors. They even recommend several out of the way beaches that require 4-wheel drive to access!