HANAUMA BAY
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Curved white sand beach with beautiful coral bottoms frequented by multicolored tropical fish.
Classified as a nature reserve in 1967, this curved white sand beach has a magnificent coral bottom, frequented by multicolored tropical fish. It is THE beach to snorkel on! For the lazy ones, sunbathing and swimming are also very pleasant. Very nice view on Koko Head, at the left end of the bay. The perfect crescent shape of the bay is due to its geological history, Hanauma being an ancient volcanic cone. Victim of its success and of the tourism boom that the archipelago has been experiencing since 2018, the rules for entering Hanauma Bay are now very strict. We deplore the lack of authenticity of the process and the very limited time available on site, but this allows to limit the number of visitors (to 1400 people per day all the same!) and to ensure the preservation of the place.
Reservations are required. The ticket to Hanauma Bay is now available online. The sale is open only two days in advance, from 7am. It is better to get up early because the places go quickly. You will have to choose a time slot to enter the site. Some places are sold directly on the spot (variable according to the current events) every day from 6:45 am, and they also go very quickly. The last entry is at 1:45 pm.
Awareness of the marine reserve. Before entering the site itself, you must watch a nine-minute video on Hanauma Bay in a projection room. It is not really the most pleasant part of the visit of Hanauma Bay but we have no choice! In the introduction, a person in charge of the park explains you that this educational video became compulsory because many visitors behaved a little bit badly and polluted the bay... It is also a video that warns you about the risks linked to the current and the possible injuries on the coral reef.
Once out, you walk down a steep road that leads to the beach in about ten minutes. A free shuttle (which passes every 10 to 15 minutes) can take you there. If you don't need it to go down, especially since you can take nice panoramic pictures of Hanauma Bay, it's really nice to go up, especially after swimming with flippers and snorkel...
Onceon the beach, you have finally overcome all the obstacles and can finally enjoy the beauty of the place. The site is home to more than 450 species of fish and sea turtles. Magical.
C'est un super endroit pour faire du snorkeling, nous avons vu plein de poissons différents. N'hésitez pas à aller y faire un tour !
Choisissez une journée ensoleillée où la mer n'est pas trop mouvementée, sinon vous ne verrez pas bien les poissons. A priori, on peut aussi croiser des tortues, mais ça n'a pas été notre cas.
L'entrée est payante, 7,50$ pour accéder à cette baie préservée. Il y a beaucoup de monde, alors prévoyez d'arriver tôt, surtout si vous venez en voiture. Le parking est vite complet et vous ne pourrez pas entrer, mais c'est accessible par le bus 22 au départ de Waikiki Beach.