Popular snorkel beach Hanauma bay on island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA.
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Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

Top choice in Oʻahu


From an overlook you can peer into the translucent waters and see the outline of the 7000-year-old coral reef that stretches across the width of the bay. You’re bound to see schools of glittering silver fish, the bright-blue flash of parrotfish and perhaps sea turtles so used to snorkelers they’re ready to go eyeball-to-mask with you. Feeding the fish is strictly prohibited, to preserve the delicate ecological balance of the bay.

All built park facilities are wheelchair accessible. Beach wheelchairs for visitors with mobility issues are available free of charge from the information kiosk between 8am and 4pm on a first-come, first-served basis.

Despite its protected status as a marine-life conservation district, this beloved bay is still a threatened ecosystem, constantly in danger of being loved to death.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oʻahu attractions

1. Marine Educational Center

0.17 MILES

Past the park's ticket windows is an excellent educational center run by the University of Hawaiʻi. Interactive, family-friendly displays teach visitors…

2. Lanaʻi Lookout

0.83 MILES

Less than a mile east of Hanauma Bay, roadside Lanaʻi Lookout offers a panorama on clear days of several Hawaiian islands: Lanaʻi to the right, Maui in…

3. Spitting Cave

1.09 MILES

This impressive, little-known viewpoint is at the end of Lumahai St in Portlock, makai (toward the sea) from the traffic lights at the Koko Marina Center…

4. Fishing Shrine

1.24 MILES

As you drive east, keep your eyes toward the ocean. At the highest point you'll spot a volcanic-rock obelisk, dedicated to fishers who have drowned, swept…

5. Koko Crater Botanical Garden

1.45 MILES

According to Hawaiian legend, Koko Crater is the imprint left by the magical flying vagina of Kapo, sent from the Big Island to lure the pig god Kamapuaʻa…

6. Halona Cove

1.46 MILES

Take your lover down for a roll in the sand at this sweet pocket cove made famous in the legendary wave-tossed scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah…

7. Halona Blowhole

1.47 MILES

Here, ocean waves surge through a submerged tunnel in the rock and spout up through a hole in the ledge. The spout is preceded by a gushing sound – the…

8. Sandy Beach Park

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Here the ocean usually heaves and thrashes like a furious beast. This is one of Oʻahu’s most challenging beaches, with a punishing shore break, a powerful…

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