Kahaluʻu Bay

Kahaluʻu Beach Park, Kona coast The Big Island's easy first snorkel: a calm bay partly sheltered by a barrier of rocks, with green sea turtles that frequent the shore and plenty of reef fish in water gentle enough for beginners to settle quickly. The Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center on the beach teaches reef etiquette before you get in. The catch is how shallow it gets, around 1 to 1.5 meters in the southern part, so it is easy to stand on coral. Float rather than stand, keep to the sheltered south side, and expect a crowd at popular times. The beach park occasionally closes during coral spawning.