Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

A calm crater bay where tropical fish swim around your knees

⚠ Closed Mon–Tue; book 2 days ahead

Hours

Wed–Sun, entry 6:45am–1:30pm, beach cleared 3:30pm, out by 4pm; closed Mon, Tue, 25 Dec and 1 Jan

Tickets

Non-residents $25 (+2.35% online fee), 12 and under free; parking $3 cash. Book two days ahead at 7am HST; packages with transport can be booked a month ahead

Address

Off coastal Highway 72 east of Waikiki, a round bay where a crater opened to the sea

Half of an old crater collapsed into the sea here, so the open-ocean swell rarely reaches inside the bay. After a compulsory conservation video at the top, you walk down to a beach fringed with shallow reef, and yellow fish swim past your ankles before you're even knee-deep. Non-swimmers in life vests regularly call it the easiest first snorkel on the island. The catch is the strict visitor cap: online slots vanish within minutes of opening.