Visiting Hanauma Bay (Oahu, Hawaii)
So you have a trip to Hawaii planned and you’ve heard about the amazing Hanauma Bay or maybe you are just putting your dream Hawaii vacation list together and that has brought you here!
Well, either way, I’m here to share everything you need to know to visit!
The Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park formed within a volcanic cone. The beach is amazing and was even voted as the best beach in the US in 2016!
Before visiting, here is what you need to know!
Booking and Scheduling
Hours: The park is open from 7:00AM to 4:00PM. You will need to reserve your spot online (which you can do here). The reservations open at 7:00AM two days before and they fill up fast! I reserved my 1:00PM slot at 7:05AM and already certain entrance times were filled up. The reserved time marks when you are allowed to enter the park, but you can stay until closing regardless of when you enter. Avoid the lines by either going early (before 10:00AM) or later (after 2:00PM). The park is closed every Monday and Tuesday so that the fishies can take a proper rest from being oggled at
Entrance fee: The entrance fee is $25.00 with a parking fee of $3.00. There are a few exceptions to the entrance fee—Active Oahu military or local residents can enter for free. You can rent snorkels for $10 - $20 depending on the package (rent ahead of time or while there), but I would recommend bringing your own since they will likely be helpful to have elsewhere in Hawaii! Given it is a bay, the water tends to be quite calm and is a great place to snorkel for anyone from beginner to pro! Stick to the lagoons near the beach if you are not as confident in your swimming
What to bring
Sunscreen: Because there is so much marine life in Hanauma Bay, you must wear reef safe sunscreen. To make sure your sunscreen is appropriate, check the back to ensure there is no oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene or hemosalate. I am a fan of the All Good Products
Food, snacks and beverages: You can bring a small cooler with you so make sure to bring snacks and lunch (but no alcohol)! As is the case everywhere, make sure to pack out what you pack in and clean up all trash before you leave. If you forget snacks and get peckish, there is a concession stand at the upper level you can buy from
How to get there
We drove from Waikiki and it was about a 20 minute drive. We borrowed a car through Turo. Since our entrance time was later in the day, we stopped by Spitting Cave, a vista point nearby where we got to see large crashing waves and a lot of surfers. We also stopped by Koko Crater but did not do the hike before that is wayyy to steep for a morning stroll.
You can also take the bus (#22) for $2.50 but it will take you a bit of time (~50 minutes) depending on where you are getting picked up from
A taxi will run you about $40 from Waikiki
What might you see
The bay is home to so many types of fish. If you are lucky, you may also see a sea turtle or a monk seal. While you shouldn’t touch any of the marine life, including the coral (don’t stand on coral!!), it is against federal law to touch a sea turtle or a monk seal because they are endangered. Look at this Monk seal we got to see napping on the beach! The lifeguards put a wide area of caution tape to make sure no one disturbed her rest
