Snorkeling in Hawaii: a first timers how-to guide
Written: Feb 27 '00 (Updated Feb 28 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: pretty, easy, free except for rental charges, available on every island
Cons: none
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| joli's Full Review: Hawaii |
Snorkeling is one of the most popular activities in Hawaii - for good reason. A lot of people may not understand this if they've tried it before in less .... "appealing" underwater playgrounds but let me entice you to try it here. And yes, I know, some people will say, "I already know how to snorkel, you don't need to tell me anything!" Great, but this review is geared a little more towards people like me who grew up in the midwest, or a similarly ocean-impaired area.
The first time I ever tried to snorkel was in 1991 in Florida. I was a strong swimmer and had been to an ocean once before on my spanish class trip to Spain, but I had never tried the actual act of snorkeling before. I don't remember what beach we were at - but we were somewhere near Orlando (I know, big help). The beach was long and pristine, with a bunch of people laying on it, but almost no one in the water. My then boyfriend gave me his snorkel and told me what to do. I put that thing on my head and waded in to try it out. The waves were fairly big that day and I went under right away but I couldn't see a thing. Actually, i did see something - I saw sand, tons of it, floating through the water. Oh boy, sand is interesting. I got right out of the water, gave him back his snorkel, and sat on my towel the rest of the day.
I never tried it again till 1995. My first experience was at Punalu'u black sand beach on the Big Island. I had bought an extremely cheap snorkel and mask for about $9.00 and fins for another $15.00. I went to the beach (pointer: never walk on black sand at noon without shoes), laid out my towel, put on my fins, looked like an idiot making it from my towel to the water with my fins on (pointer: don't put your fins on till you reach the water), kneeled down, put my snorkel on my head, kind of belly flopped into the shallow water, took a deep breath, and thrust my head under the water, I immediately proceeded to have a minor panic attack and had to pull my head out again. I took that thing out of my mouth and took some breaths and then, determined, tried it again. This time, I actually managed to take a few hitching breaths under the water and look around a bit.
Me: "Ok, I'm ok, there's a rock, remember to breathe, theres a teeny-tiny fish - cute, breathe, is that a shell? breathe, there's a OH MY GOD IT'S A MONSTER AND ITS GONNA TAKE THE NOSE OFF MY FACE!", scream, swallow water, stand up quickly, fall over backwards, don't notice everyone laughing at you, scoot on your butt till you are out of the water completely, get towel, walk to car, get in car, drive home, dig all the sand out of suit, throw snorkel away. True, shameful, humiliating story.
When I stuck my head in the water the second time a large sea turtle (probably about 100 lbs) with a head the size of a softball had come right up to me. I was probably blocking its access to the beach and it was waiting to see which way I was gonna go. The sea turtles nest at Punalu'u and are very common there. It was patiently looking at me from about a foot away, and it was scary looking. Of course, now I know they are very gentle, and not dangerous at all, but I didn't know that then.
So, with my expert experience, let me offer some hints to help you make first snorkel experience in Hawaii a good one, or at least let you escape the beach without too many people laughing at you.
Do's:
Rent a snorkel
If you've never done it before, chances are you won't do it again until your next vacation, so why buy when you can rent a high quality snorkel for the same or less for your entire vacation? Plus, if you wear glasses, you can rent prescription snorkels. May I recommend Snorkel Bob on all the islands (I think). The web page is here, http://www.snorkelbob.com/ the prices are good, and you can rent on one island and drop off on another. Get one with a purge valve to get rid of the water that accumulates inside and Oh, and if you have long hair - make sure you get the wide cloth band to hold the snorkel on. The plastic will rip your hair out.
Practice breathing through the snorkel before the real thing
Don't do this on the beach - people will stare. Try it in your room before you go. Put the snorkel on your head. Suck it into your face, adjust it, breathe through the tube. That's one of the harder things to get used to is that thing in your mouth - so do it before you go!
Find a beach with a lifeguard
Better safe than sorry. period.
Get in the water without the snorkel first
Wet your head at least - you know that original intake of breath your body takes when you initially stick your head under cold water. You don't want to be trying that through the tube.
Spit in the mask or use the de-fogging stuff
The heat of your face will fog your mask in minutes if you don't. If you spit in it don't rinse it out - just mush the spit around the lenses and pour the excess out. If you use the defogger, rinse the mask out with a teeny bit of salt water before you put it on your face. I got that stuff in my eyes once and it wasn't fun. I suggest spitting.
Go slowly
Get in shallow water, put the snorkel on your head, breathe through the tube a few times, and ease your head into the water. Dog-paddle out a little, float on the top of the water, and look down, that's it! As long as you are breathing, you are snorkeling.
Don't
worry about where you go
All beaches in Hawaii have good snorkeling. Save the outstanding snorkeling for your second trip.
chew on the mouthpiece
It will make your jaw sore later.
Look forward
You should be looking mostly down, the first time you look forward the tip of your snorkel will touch the water and you will suck it in. hold your breath when you look forward, or stay aware of how close the tip is to the water.
Forget where you are
Hawaiian oceans are not lakes - if you forget yourself, and float too far out, you could easily get swamped by a wave or get caught in a riptide. It happens all the time. Always keep an eye on land.
Try anything fancy
Save the diving for the second time - you're gonna swallow enough water as it is.
give up
Snorkeling is one of the most fascinating and relaxing activities there is in Hawaii - once you get it, it will come easily and be very enjoyable.
The amount of things you can see close to shore with just a snorkel in Hawaii is amazing. Reef fish, turtles, eels, shells, sea snakes, sea slugs, bigger fish, dolphins (if you are really lucky), coral, urchins, and so much more. The underwater world is mostly unspoiled, incredibly colorful, and vibrantly beautiful. You will be amazed. I always am.
Recommended:
Yes
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joli
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Location: Keaau, HI
Reviews written: 126
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That is my son Joseph in the picture.
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