Ko Olina. . and snorkling

[BeccaG]

I know that Disney has barely broken ground on the resort in Ko Olina (and who knows with the economy if it will go the way of Eagle Pines or not) but I was wondering if there was decent snorkeling nearby. I know the lagoons it is built along are man-made, can you see native fish there? If not, how far to a decent snorkeling spot. . its one of our family's favorite things to do in Hawaii. . .

 

[WDWLVR]

We snorkeled in the Lagoons and saw some decent fish. There is great snorkeling over on the other side of the island but didn't try that. We did go out on the Ko Olina Cat and the snorkeling was great! They are in the nearby marina but picked us up from the hotel. We even saw some dolphins on our trip.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Oahu isn't really known for their snorkeling. They do have some fish in the lagoon but the better snorkeling spots are in Maui for us. We had much better luck their in front of the Westin and Black Rock (near the Sheraton Hotel) in Maui. In Oahu you can go to this bay on the East side of the island that has a lot of fish. But also a lot of tourists. I believe you have to pay to get in and watch a video, etc... We've also snorkeled on Kauai as well. I haven't been to the Big Island yet so I don't know what the snorkeling is like there.

 

[Anal Annie]

We've never done much snorkeling off Oahu. More so on Maui (we stayed at the Sheraton at Black Rock last time) or the best offshore we've EVER done ANYWHERE was off the Kona Coast on the Big Island. Just never found the best snorkeling on Oahu. Have gone over to Hanauma Bay a couple times (near Diamond Head) but that's very commericalized and crowded. Also curious to hear if there's a spot near Ko'Olina!!

When we're on Maui we like to do excursions that go out somewhere on boats like to Molokai. (Preferably on a sailboat out of Makena Harbor if we can find one.)

 

[musical2]

The north shore of Oahu has some good snorkeling in the summer. The water is too rough in the winter though. We went snorkeling at a place on the north shore called Shark's Cove. It had lots of different fish. No sharks though. It is a cove that is mostly protected from the ocean by rocks. It is easy to get to and only about 30 minutes from Ko Olina.

 

[ccigliano]

While there are fish in the lagoons to see, they offer a snuba excursion at Paradise Cove which is right at the entrance to the Ko Olina Resort. When we were there in March the water was still a bit chilly in the lagoons so we opted not to snuba but I would think there must be plenty to see. Overall - Disney picked a great spot for the resort.

 

[BeccaG]

Thanks all I am familiar with some of the other snorkeling spots around Oahu including the aforementioned Hanauma Bay but I was hoping there would be some spots out our "front door" including the lagoons. Anyone familiar enough with the area to know if coral has "grown" or been "planted" in the lagoons? Or anyone else know more about places closer to Ko Olina?