About 2 miles from my parents' house is Hanauma Bay Marine Preserve, a beautiful crescent shaped bay which is the remnant of a volcanic cone. The protected waters of the bay provide excellent snorkeling with abundant coral and lots of fish. Even in shallow water where you can easily stand, there are lots of fish to see. On the left is a milletseed butterflyfish, and on the right is one of my favorites, a racoon butterflyfish.
When you get past the main reef, the sea floor drops down to 15 or 20 feet below the surface. Here, it is not only less crowded, but the water is much clearer. One of the bad things about Hanauma Bay is that it is overcrowded, so I like to get to the deeper water where I can find more solitude. Out here, you are more likely to encounter green sea turtles, although they do venture into the shallows as well. I've seen lots of turtles now, but I always get excited when I see one. They are such graceful swimmers, seeming to fly through the water with the greatest of ease.
Black Rock is a protrusion of volcanic rock which juts out from the sandy beaches of Kaanapali in northwest Maui. On calm days, it offers some of the best snorkeling on Maui, especially if you swim around the point to the deeper sections. There is a lot of coral in addition to the multitude of colorful fish.
Above A Moorish Idol pecks at the coral.
Below A bright yellow trumpetfish near the sandy bottom in about 15 feet of water.
Molokini Crater is a partially submerged volcanic crater about two miles off the coast of southwestern Maui. Because it is offshore, the water can be incredibly clear on calm days with visibility of up to 150 feet.
Right A school of Big-eye Soldierfish.
Below A solitary Teardrop Butterflyfish.
Kealakekua Bay, on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, is probably most famous as the site of Captain Cook's death which resulted from a misunderstanding with the Native Hawaiians and the ensuing brawl. However, it also offers some spectacular snorkeling. Considering its inaccessibility (either a two mile, 1500 foot vertical drop hike or canoeing/kayaking from three miles away), it was pretty crowded. I hiked down to the bay from the road, and as I was putting on my snorkeling gear, I noticed a pod of dolphins about 200 yards offshore, jumping out of the water. There must have been about 20 dolphins in the pod.
Left: Yellow Tangs and a Longnose Butterflyfish. Right: A White Spotted Moray Eel emerged from its hiding place just long enough to swim to a new one where it promptly made itself scarce.