Kahalu’u Beach Park

Parking or lack there of I should say. But we got lucky and a few were on their way out and snagged a spot.
Cool snack truck, snorkel gear rental at the edge of the property, and usual bathrooms and wash off spot.
Now to the beach… Ok so first off I’m like this sucks. It’s not sand it’s lil painful rocks. Also on way to the water it’s treacherous watch your step! Great way to break an ankle. So once u make it the snorkel spot it’s great! calm water and With very little effort u see a ton of fish! Again b safe esp if u have lil ones.

Fairly calm place to snorkel and saw some fish but no sea turtles.
They have a place to rinse off afterward. Parking was ok to find.

Small little bay but great views under the waves. Salt and pepper sand, lava walls, little ponds with baby fish, waves enough to learn surfing calm enough to paddle board. But the best part, get a mask and flippers. Most of bay is less than six feet deep. Lots of colorful fish! Coral has been eroded by the feet of those people. But anyone going to Kona should stop here. Not much parking in lot, but the street has extra parking!

This is a great snorkeling spot for beginners. One day we saw lots of sea turtles, the other none. I’d say you can touch the bottom in many places (not the coral). It’s challenging getting in & out of– slippery & sharp anemones so wear shoes!!! Later in the day seems better like 2:30.

My husband and I spent 7 magical days snorkel with sea turtles-​enough said!

It was packed, as usual, as we drove back from the bar/​resto area of Ali’i Drive.
Lots of people in the warm Pacific water, swimming, surfing, paddle boarding, and of course, snorkeling.
You have to paddle out pretty far to catch tasty waves at 5 am, but at least its all locals at that time.
Mahalo.

The snorkel rental van is so helpful to the newbs and we didn’t even rent from them! I recommend buying water shoes because it’s slippery without them and there are tons of urchins (keep in mind you can always rent flippers). This is not a beach to just take a dip in but it’s a pretty good snorkel, the water isn’t crystal clear but that’s pretty common on the big island. We saw lots of turtles and a huge variety of finish. (We went around afternoon time). All and all a fun experience!

Great snorkeling beach, not such a great lounging beach.
Some of the best snorkeling of any of the islands! There are so many fish to see, and they have guides before you go out (and after you come in) to help you learn about what types of fish you are seeing. So helpful! When we went (in Mid-​August) the weather and waves were calm, and the water was warm.
However, the beach is not a towel-​friendly beach. It’s rocky and small. Bring beach chairs if you plan to relax a little. There are picnic benches at this park, so bring along a sack-​lunch to eat in between snorkeling sessions!

Granted this was the first time I’ve ever gone snorkeling, Kahalu’u beach is a great place to see sea turtles and a variety of fish. My father thought they were over advertising all the marine life at this beach, but almost everything I spotted beneath the gentle waves. It wasn’t too crowded and parking is free. Definitely a fantastic experience for my first time snorkeling.

I went snorkeling for this first time here. Being a newbie I was really apprehensive but the water is shallow and calm enough to make it an easier snorkeling experience. There was a plethora of fish to see for such a shallow area. There are some spots with very colorful coral. I even got to see a turtle resting on the beach. All in all a wonderful experience.

This is the best snorkeling beach yet and we have been to many on 3 of the islands. Just get past the first set of rocks at the shoreline and swim your way out past all the tourists. You will come upon coral and rocks pretty quickly, like ²⁰⁄₃₀ feet from shore and there are TONS of fish to get excited about.
But if you go another ²⁰⁄₃₀ feet the water becomes crystal clear aqua blue and the coral is amazing! Tons of fish again, but you won’t get over how clear and beautiful it is out there. 60 feet from shore and it’s like a movie, a stereotype of what you imagine snorkeling should be like. And turtles, plenty here.
If you stand on the shore and look out, you will see where the water changes color and know what I’m talking about.
If you’re nervous like I was, there are 2 lifeguards on duty here. There is a wall protecting this area from strong currents. And seriously, the depth is the same. Depth goes from 5 to 10 feet it seems, once you are past the sandy part of the water. And you will be able to see people standing and they are like 60 feet off shore! So there are definitely shallow spots out there.
Just make sure you get fog protection on your mask and you need fins. I had a «dry» snorkel so no water could get in at all. Those other snorkels would have ended it for me.

This beach was absolutely the best beach for sunset pictures! — well, as long as you can keep the rude people from walking right out in front…
Big covered patio with tons of tables to sit at. Great for big parties! There was some great snorkeling, but beware of the sea urchins!
There were a couple different areas that had rocks that «broke» the waves and made it safer for kids, but still tough for little kids as the waves still reach the shore.

People seem to love this spot for snorkeling. I don’t get that. It’s shallow. The reef is easy to hit (and if you do that, you DAMAGE the reef, which is SO SAD, so don’t do it!!) and the water tends to be hazy due to the natural fresh-​water springs that feed into this bay.
People probably like snorkeling here because of the abundance of fish, turtles (Don’t touch THOSE EITHER!!! They’re protected. It’s a 10k minimum fine for harassing them.) and it’s protected from waves by a jetty of natural lava rock. There’s a teeny black/​mixed sand beach which will cook you if you want to rest, and that’s conveniently located next to the free public bathrooms and outdoor shower. There IS a lifeguard tower here, and please oh PLEASE pay attention to whatever water warnings are posted. NOTE: If there’s NO ONE in the water, a sign warning of heavy surf, and even the lifeguard station is abandoned, STAY OUT!!! Even if it LOOKS safe, the locals know what you don’t, play it safe and wait for another day.
Why I love this beach?
It’s my surf spot. There are many surf companies that teach lessons in this bay, though more experienced surfers have a great time too. I love renting a board that fits the surf of the day, paddling out from the PERFECT natural water-​smoothed lava pathway to the right of the bay, and enjoying a crystal-​clear water surf day, where you can watch the fish in between sets, enjoy the camaraderie of the other surfers, and work on your steering skills when you catch a long ride back towards shore as you dodge the students learning.
This is a known beginner spot, and while there are a handful of skilled locals that frequent this place, ripping it up on the outside and surfing backwards, forwards, and all around you, they know that surfing here means putting up with the beginner-​bs, like chucking a board when a wave comes, falling off when there are a billion people right around you and becoming a hazard, and generally being in the wrong place at the wrong time. All that is standard, but it’s fun. Party waves abound, and it’s not uncommon to call out what direction your’e going to go as several of you drop in on the same perfect wave.
Plentiful parking in and around this beach. Whether you’re there for sun, snorkel, or surf, it’s just FUN.

Great snorkeling spot for beginners!
My girlfriend and I hadn’t been snorkeling for a very long time (well actually she had never been) so this was our choice for the first snorkeling spot when we got to the Big Island. It didn’t disappoint. We rented gear from the van right on the beach, I think it was $ 13/​each for the first, and then each subsequent day is $ 8 each if you keep the gear for longer (which we did so we could snorkel at Two Step).
The water here is pretty shallow and pretty calm because it’s protected by a ridge of rocks a little further out. We saw coral and all kinds of fish here. Absolutely loved our time there and found it to be a perfect beginner spot.

Mahalo to all the Unilocalers that reviewed this beach. There are so many beaches to chose from in Kona, but I typed in «snorkeling» and «beach» and Kahalu’u came right up!
There’s a good-​sized parking lot, but I can definitely see it getting filled up. Luckily there were a few spots when we got there around 2PM on a Wednesday. There are restrooms here, so you can change. There is also this covered area with picnic benches. There’s a lifeguard station. And there was also a snorkel rental place in case you didn’t bring your own gear. The snorkel rental is run by some educational or research organization — after I paid and got my snorkel set, the guy told me about how his group tags the turtles and to not touch the turtles or step on the coral.
The water was a bit choppy and not super clear further out, but I still saw lots of fishies. The school of bright yellow fishies were so cute. And I got to snorkel with sea turtles!!! The honu!!! They were so cute. They were just swimming along and feeding from the bottom. I saw three turtles. One of them was just hanging out closer to the shore and would occasionally stick his flipper above the water, or stick is butt above the water (maybe he was mooning us! :D). They are such awesome creatures!
Seeing the sea turtles themselves was totally worth the visit to this beach! It was a nice clean beach with well-​maintained facilities. If I had more time, I would’ve come back a second time on my trip. Watch where you step cuz some areas near the shore can be rocky! And DO NOT touch the turtles!

OUTSTANDING snorkeling here. We had no trouble finding parking, and stationed the non-​participants in the covered picnic area and set out in the bay.
The marine biodiversity, reef health, and terrain variety here is outstanding! We saw so many varieties of fish and even got to experience a couple of beautiful Honu feeding off the reefs nearby. It’s also very safe and very easy to get in and out of the water without damaging the reefs or getting hurt via jagged and slippery rock surfaces. Water shoes/​fins still recommended though. During our trip through the Hawaiian Islands, we were absolute snorkel junkies, seeking the best spots to go on each island. Kahalu’u Bay was definitely among the best we experienced.
Please respect the reefs and turtles if you go!

I heard from the locals that this was the spot for snorkeling if you find yourself staying near downtown Kona or in our case, Keahou Shopping Center (only a ¼ mile walk!). They were right! What an effortless opportunity to see schools of yellow fish rolling with the waves, sea turtles poking their heads out of the water less than 10 feet from me, sea urchins and so on. Speaking of sea urchins, had I been more prepared I would have worn beach shoes to play it safe. This beach is fairly laid back and if you’re like me and want to feel like you’re at a private beach, go to the side opposite of the shelter/​bathrooms — there’s a mini spot that’s fit for 6 to 8 people tops.
While you’re there, stroll on down the street a few steps to snap a picture of the charming Chapel By The Sea (mini church). Quite the tropical eye candy.
Clean bathrooms, grills, showers, and picnic tables are all available on site. Parking was very easy with an on-​site lot. Given that this area is in a cove, it was especially warm. Also note that the waves are on the calmer side of things right here compared to some of the other beaches along Alii.

Want to see a sea turtle? go here
Want to swim next to a sea turtle? go here
Want to sea lots of tropical fishes and coral? go here
Bring your snorkel gear and have a blast! Shallow and clear waters. This beach was pretty awesome.
Tip: Don’t go on a Wednesday because that’s when it gets packed with people from the cruise ships.

Beware of the lava rocks and do not touch the sea turtles! (There’s a fine of 2500 or 25 000 for touching the sea turtles).
If you like snorkeling, this is the place to go (according to my tour guide). Once you get past the rocks and corals near the shore, you’re good to go. It was a struggle getting in and out. Have one of the life guards help you. They’re usually standing around to help.
You have to go a little deeper out to see the pretty fishes. As long as you’re not splashing and making too much noises, you’ll be able to swim next to the fishes without scaring them away.
I wouldn’t recommend coming here just to swim or to take pictures. There are too many rocks and there are far more prettier beaches elsewhere.

Secret snorkel spot known as 2 steps, literally 2 steps and you are in the depth of water to observe reefs. Known for seeing dolphins and turtles. Not too crowded. Picnic tables and honey buckets available.