Where Can I Snorkel with Turtles in Oahu
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“I ducked underwater and almost choked. There was not 1, not 2, but 4 Sea Turtles gliding through the water around us. I decided then that this was one of the best moments of my life, along with yesterday when Dave got down on one knee and proposed on Lanikai Beach at sunrise…”
Are you dreaming of diving into the Hawaiian water, snorkel at the ready, to swim with turtles?!
Swimming with turtles in Hawaii is not guaranteed but there are definitely ways to up your chances. These include:
- Visit Hawaii in the right season: Summer
- Read this guide to find out where you can snorkel with turtles in Oahu
- Join a snorkeling tour with a guide who knows where to go 😉
This guide will tell you everything you need to know to make your swimming with turtles in Oahu dreams come true, including a list of the best snorkeling spots to see turtles and the best tours to join to snorkel with turtles.
Quick Guide to Oahu
Where to stay:
– Budget
– A Little bit fancy (great for a special stay)
Should you rent a car: If you want to explore outside of Waikiki, yes! Our go to for the best rental car deals on Oahu ➡ Discovercars.com
Best Turtle Snorkelling tour – Snorkelling at Turtle Canyons is one of the easiest ways to see turtle and tropical fish straight from Waikiki, even if it’s your first time snorkelling.
➡ Turtle Canyons Snorkel Excursion
Things to Know About Snorkeling in Oahu Before You Go
When is the best time to swim with turtles in Oahu
The best time to see turtles in Hawaii is during Summer or from June to October. The reason for this is that the ocean is calmer than during the Winter months when the waves get quite large. Having said that, my parents just took a trip to Oahu and Kauai during the Winter and saw lots of turtles.
Top Tips when snorkelling in Hawaii
Before you go off on your Hawaiian snorkelling adventure, there are a few things you should know.
- In Hawaii, you should wear reef-safe sunscreen like this one to help protect the marine life. Hawaii has banned the use of sunscreen containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octanoates as these are harmful to the coral reef.
- Be Safe! If you don’t know how to swim, please don’t decide to jump into a random body of water to try to snorkel without some sort of instructor or floatation device.
- Have fun and relax! Snorkeling is one of my favourite water activities and Hawaii is such a great place for it. Enjoy learning the names of the fish you see and trying to pronounce them.
- Don’t get heat stroke! Beware of how strong the sun is in Hawaii. It gets very hot and after a day of jumping in and out of the water, you will be exhausted. Try to find a shady spot to rest in while you are out of the water. Also remember to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water.
- Leave no trace – When spending time on the beaches in Hawaii, make sure you respect the marine life both in the water and on land. In Hawaii, you will come across a lot of sunbathing seals. Make sure you keep your distance and respect their space. Also it should go without saying but don’t ever chase or try to touch a turtle. Keep calm in the water if you sea a turtle and just enjoy the moment. For a reminder on the 7 Leave No Trace Principles, check out this article.
🐟🐠 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you have reef safe sunscreen with you in Hawaii! It is illegal not to use it there. You can get some here. ⬅
Where to Snorkel With Turtles in Oahu
Snorkelling with turtles was always on the top of my Oahu bucket list and it completely exceeded my expectations!
There are 2 ways you can snorkel with turtles in Oahu.
You can use the list of best snorkelling spots in this guide or join a tour. Dave and I did both when we were on Oahu. We did a couple of snorkelling tours because we found they took us to places that we wouldn’t have gone to otherwise plus we saw dolphins when we went out on the boat snorkelling tours which was so so fun!
The Best Turtle Snorkelling Tours Oahu
If you want to go on a snorkelling tour to swim with turtles on Oahu, you need to make sure you pick the right one.
Snorkelling with turtles in Waikiki
Waikiki is one of the most popular places to visit on a trip to Oahu which means there are a lot of good turtle snorkelling tours that start from there.
🤿 If you are obsessed with dolphins like I am, this 3-Hour Dolphin Swim & Turtle Snorkel Excursion might be the perfect tour for you!
This tour is guided by marine biologists and naturalists so you can learn all about dolphins and whales while searching for them off the coast of Oahu. Then you will get to go snorkelling with loads of colourful fish and Green Sea Turtles at one of the best reefs on the coast! Dave and I did a similar tour but honestly this one sounds way better!
If seeing a turtle is number 1 on your Oahu bucket list, then this is the best tour. To get to the snorkel spot (which is one of the best on Oahu), you will head out on a speedboat with all your snorkelling gear provided.
Turtle Canyon is THE PLACE TO SEE GREEN SEA TURTLES. Along the way you might also see spinner dolphins, flying fish, and during the winter, humpback whales! When I was reading the comments under the tour, someone even said they could hear the whales underwater! LIKE WHAT!
👉 This is Oahu’s most popular turtle snorkelling tour so book well in advance to make sure you don’t miss out! – Check prices and availability here
Another REALLY GREAT Turtle snorkelling tour on Oahu (good if you want to escape Waikiki)
I wanted to add this tour into this blog post because this was our favourite spot to snorkel (we rented a car and drove here ourselves). The spot is called Electric Beach AND this tour is lead by a Marine Biologist which is amazing because I can only imagine what you could learn from them about turtles and the ocean in general!
What’s EVEN better, you get photos of your snorkel included in the package!
Even if you don’t join this tour, you need to try to get out to Electric Beach because it is one of the lesser known spots and is full of vibrant marine life! More information on Electric Beach can be found under the “snorkelling spots on Oahu” section of this blog post.
Best Snorkelling Spots on Oahu
If you would prefer to find the snorkelling spots on your own, here is a list of 5 of the best snorkelling spots on Oahu. Some of these spots, such as Hanauma Bay, are extremely popular and do get quite crowded, whereas others are off the beaten path such as Kahe Point and you will not come across too many people.
All of these locations are pinned on the below map which you can open in Google Maps for directions.
Click here to open the map in Google Maps!
Shark’s Cove (North Shore)
Shark’s Cove is a great little snorkelling spot located on the North Shore of Oahu and is one of the best things to do on Oahu! Here you will find sea turtles and loads of different kinds of fish! This spot does get a little busy with tourists, locals and is a very popular spot for families as it is well sheltered.
If you are looking to hire snorkelling gear for Shark’s Cove, you can do so from Surf N Sea which is not too far away from Shark’s Cove.
Don’t forget to look for the Aloha sign written in shells on the ocean floor! It is a great spot to take your underwater camera and get some fun pictures!
If you do make it to the North Shore, make sure you try Garlic Shrimp from one of the food trucks there! It is delicious!
Kuilima Cove (North Shore)
Kuilima Cove is located on the North Shore of Oahu right next to the famous Turtle Bay Resort (now known as the Ritz Carlton, my FAVOURITE resort and is a sheltered and peaceful spot for snorkelling. The cove is surrounded by rocks, making the area into a super large rock pool which is idea as it protects snorkelers from the waves and currents.
If you are looking to stay on Oahu’s North Shore, Turtle Bay Resort is the ultimate choice! You may even recognise the resort from some big Hollywood movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall! That movie made me want to move to Hawaii and work in a hotel. lol.
Hanauma Bay (Waikiki)
Hanauma Bay is a paid marine park in Waikiki which you can easily spend the entire day at or, if you get tired of the sun, just stay for a couple of hours. Hanauma Bay is on of the best snorkelling spots on the island, especially for families and so extremely popular.
Make sure you read the below tips for visiting Hanauma Bay so that you don’t miss out. Things have changed quite a bit since we visited and you now either need to book a reservation or join a tour.
Tips for visiting Hanauma Bay
- Get there early in the morning to get a parking spot: The park opens at 6:45am.
- Hanauma Bay opening hours: 6:45am – 4pm (no entry allowed after 1:30pm) and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to enable the fish and the bay to have 2 days of undisturbed rest. I really appreciate that they do this. 🥰
- Entry costs: USD25 per adult to enter with kids under 12 year old able to get in for free.
- Parking costs: $3 for tourists / $1 for locals
- Reservations are required: 48 hour advanced reservations starting at 7am daily are required to enter.
- If you miss out on a reservation: You can still visit Hanauma Bay by joining a tour – check tour availability here.
- You should bring: a towel, swimsuit, reef safe sunscreen and you can bring a small personal cooler with snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
At Hanuama Bay, you will find loads of different kinds of fish and also an information stand with a marine expert on site at the beach to answer any questions you have. Our favourite type of fish was the State Fish of Hawaii, the Hoomahoomanookunookuapoowa! There are loads of these at Hanauma Bay and we had a great time trying to say it.
Hanauma Bay has a bathroom block located on the beach and you are welcome to bring your own cooler bag with lunch and drinks.
Kahe Point Beach Park (Electric Beach) (Kapolei)
Electric Beach or Kahe Point as it is officially called, was our absolutely favourite snorkelling spot on Oahu! The beach is a pretty low key beach that you would probably not think twice about visiting if you drove past it.
The reason that Kahe Point Beach Park is so special, is that it is located next to a power plant! The plant pushes out warm, clean water through two cooling pipes into the ocean making it a super popular spot for loads of marine life and therefore an incredible snorkelling spot! I think if I was a fish, I would make Electric Beach my home too because the warm water was lovely!
From the parking lot, you will need to walk down to the beach and find a spot for your things before heading out into the water. We had trouble finding the cooling pipe spot but eventually we realised that it was fairly far out. The best way to find it is to find the pipe and follow it out. There are lots of great fish to spot all the way along the pipe.
Kahe Point is not a great beginners snorkelling spot as there are strong currents and you have to swim out quite far to see the marine life. If you are a beginner snorkeler, I recommend avoiding Electric Beach this time around and perhaps opting for Hanauma Bay or a snorkelling tour.
Waimea Bay Beach Park (North Shore)
Waimea Bay is famous for its enormous 30-foot waves in the Winter but in the Summer, Waimea Bay turns into a turquoise paradise with much calmer water and is the perfect place for snorkelling! The centre of the bay is about 30-feet deep and has a sandy bottom. The best snorkelling at Waimea Bay can be found around the rocks on either side of the bay.
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins often use Waimea Bay during the day to rest. If you see one, make sure you leave them alone to get their proper rest.
You might also enjoy:
- Crouching Lion Hiking Guide
- The Ultimate 4 Day Oahu Itinerary
- How to Spend 1 Day in Waikiki
- Bucketlist Things to do on Oahu
- Best Things to do on Kauai
- Oahu vs Kauai: Which Island Should You Visit and Why
- Hiking the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail, Oahu
- The Ultimate Kauai 4 Day Itinerary
- Where to Stay on Kauai
- Kalepa Ridge Trail, Kauai – How Dangerous is it really?
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