Three snorkeling spots sit within 22 miles of Kailua-Kona. Green sea turtles feed along the shallow reef at Kahaluʻu, and at Two Step, the furthest south, visibility runs 60 to 80 feet on a calm day.
Kahaluʻu Beach Park is 5 miles from downtown Kona, shallow enough for beginners, and one of the few Big Island beaches with a lifeguard. Kealakekua Bay is a state marine sanctuary 17 miles south: you can snorkel from the parking area, but the best reef is across the bay, and reaching it takes a hike, a kayak, or a boat tour. Two Step at Hōnaunau Bay, 22 miles out, has a lava shelf entry that needs no tour at all.
Table of contents
- Kahaluʻu Beach Park (5 miles / 16 minutes south of Kona)
- Kealakekua Bay (a.k.a. Captain Cook, 17 miles / 34 minutes south of Kona)
- Hōnaunau Bay (a.k.a. Two Step, 22 miles / 40 minutes south of Kona)
Details and map locations below last verified August 2026.
| Name | Entry | Best for | Facilities | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kahaluʻu Beach Park (Details ↓) | Shore, lifeguarded | Beginners, sea turtles | Restrooms, showers, pavilions, lifeguard | Lot fills by mid-morning |
| 2Kealakekua Bay (Details ↓) | Hike, kayak, or boat tour | Marine sanctuary, dolphins | Port-a-potties at parking area | Small lot at end of Nāpōʻopoʻo Road |
| 3Two Step (Hōnaunau Bay) (Details ↓) | Lava shelf, no lifeguard | Advanced swimmers, visibility | Port-a-potties only | Roadside on Puʻuhonua Road |
For gear rentals, entry-level tips, and a longer list of locations across the island, see our Big Island snorkeling guide or our list of 14 snorkeling spots close to Kona. This page covers logistics and what to expect at each of the three.
Kahaluʻu Beach Park, Kailua-Kona
Kahaluʻu Beach Park sits 5 miles south of downtown Kailua-Kona off Aliʻi Drive. A breakwater shelters the reef, which keeps the bay shallow and calm on most days: most snorkeling happens in 3 to 8 feet of water over live coral on the south side. It has restrooms, showers, picnic tables and two large pavilions, and a lifeguard on duty. The lot fills early.
Most of the snorkeling at Kahaluʻu happens in 3 to 8 feet of water. By trickofthelight – original, CC BY 2.0.
Kahaluʻu is also known for its honu, green sea turtles, which feed along the reef on the south side on most days and sun themselves on the rocks along the shoreline. Surfers use the north side of the bay, so stay south while you’re snorkeling and you won’t be in their path.
For seasonal conditions and gear rentals nearby, see our Kahaluʻu Beach Park guide.
Kahaluʻu Bay from the air, with the reef showing through the shallow water. Image credit: Google Maps
Kealakekua Bay, 17 miles south of Kona
The parking lot is at the south end of the bay at the bottom of Nāpōʻopoʻo Road; the reef worth crossing for, and the Captain Cook monument, are on the north shore across open water. Fishing is prohibited inside the sanctuary, which keeps fish density and coral cover above what you find at more accessible spots.
The bay is also called Captain Cook, after the 27-foot monument commemorating the death of the British explorer here on 14 February 1779.
Important, and it applies at all three spots: since October 2021 federal law has prohibited swimming within 50 yards of a Hawaiian spinner dolphin, anywhere within two nautical miles of the islands. The rule covers swimmers, not only boats. These bays are where the dolphins rest during the day, with peak rest between 10am and 2pm, so if a pod is in the water near you, swim away from it.
Spinner dolphins are not resident to any single bay. The Hawaiʻi Island stock circulates among four Kona-coast resting bays, and a year of systematic surveys found them present in Kealakekua on about half of survey days and at Hōnaunau on about four in ten. Treat a sighting as luck rather than an itinerary item.
Nāpōʻopoʻo Beach is a small rocky beach at the south end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. Image credit: Nnachappa64 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
The snorkeling off the parking area is decent, but getting out to the reef near the monument is hard. There are three sensible routes: hiking, a rented kayak, or a boat tour. Our guide to Kealakekua Bay covers all three in more depth.
Kealakekua Bay is a mile wide. The best snorkeling is on the north side, at the left of this picture. Image credit: Google Maps
Option 1: hike to the Captain Cook monument (3.8 miles round trip)
The Kaʻawaloa Trail runs 1.9 miles from the car to the water, losing 1,300 feet of elevation on the way down, all of which you climb again after you have been snorkeling. Almost the whole trail is exposed to full sun. Bring a hat, sunscreen, more water than you think, and closed-toe shoes.
The bigislandhikes description of the Kaʻawaloa Trail is worth reading before you commit to it.
Option 2: boat tours to Kealakekua Bay
Several operators run snorkeling cruises into the bay, taking between 3 hours and half a day, usually with gear, snacks and drinks included. Fair Wind’s afternoon trip is 3.5 hours from Keauhou Bay at $117 for adults and $90 for children, of which about 90 minutes is in the water. An afternoon departure trades the calmer morning water for thinner crowds.
Operators following the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaiʻi guidelines include Sea Paradise and Fair Wind, both from Keauhou Bay.
Afternoon Sail & Snorkel at Kealakekua Bay
Sail a 50-foot catamaran to one of the best snorkeling spots on the island accessible only by boat or a two-mile kayak from Nāpōʻopoʻo. Spinner dolphins are a regular presence on the sail south, and humpback whales are sighted December through April.
from:
$125
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Private snorkeling charters to Kealakekua Bay
With a group of six or more, the per-person cost lands close to a scheduled tour and you set your own itinerary. Below six it costs more per person.
Private 38ft Boat Snorkeling Charter / Cruise
Excellent for families and friend groups, this 4 hour private charter on a 38ft boat takes you anywhere along the Kona coast you want!
from:
$1,500
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Option 3: rent a kayak to Kealakekua Bay
Paddling from the boat landing across to the monument takes 15 to 25 minutes each way. Take water, sunscreen and your snorkel gear.
Kealakekua gets more traffic than it can absorb, and the Division of State Parks now requires a permit for every vessel crossing it, kayaks and paddleboards included. You don’t need your own permit when you rent, but the vessel does, so confirm the rental holds one.
Permitted commercial kayaks carry State Parks decals on both sides of the bow. Permitted vessels can’t land at Kaʻawaloa flat, so you snorkel from the kayak instead of going ashore at the monument.
Guided kayak tours: only two companies hold State Parks permits to lead commercial kayak tours to the Captain Cook monument (last verified August 2026, DLNR State Parks):
- Adventures in Paradise, 2.5 hours, $119.95 list and often discounted to about $100
- Kona Boys: $249.99 for the 4.5-hour Morning Magic tour, or $169.99 for the 4-hour Midday Meander
Renting a kayak yourself: Kona Boys rents kayaks and paddleboards for the bay, and people offer rentals along Hwy 11 and the road down to the bay. The permitted list changes, so ask whoever you rent from whether they hold a current commercial use permit.
Two Step, Hōnaunau Bay: 22 miles south of Kona
Two Step takes its name from the two-level lava shelf at Paeʻa where snorkelers get in. It’s the least developed of the three: no lifeguard, no rentals, no tour needed. Average depth is about 20 feet, the reef begins in 10 to 15 feet of water on the south side, and the coral cover is the most intact of the three spots on this page.
The entry at Hōnaunau Bay on a busy day, with parking along the shore behind the lava shelf.
Snorkeling at Two Step
The north side of the shelf is deeper and more exposed, so most snorkelers start on the south side, where the fish density is higher. Visibility on a calm day runs 60 to 80 feet, and on flat mornings it can exceed 100 feet.
The entry gets rough on days with a south swell. If the shelf looks agitated, skip it and come back on a calmer morning.
Two Step (center-left, in the distance) sits right next to the Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (right)
Getting to Two Step, Hōnaunau Bay
Park on Puʻuhonua Road. The lava shelf is visible from the roadside and a short walk from the car. On weekends the roadside fills by 9:00 AM. There are port-a-potties near the entry and no showers. Nothing is rented here, so bring your own gear.
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is less than half a mile down the road, and worth the stop if you are already making the drive.
The Two Step entry is just left of the center of this image, with the park to the right. Image credit: Google Maps.
Snorkeling on Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi
If the Big Island isn’t the only island on your trip, here are the equivalents: