Snorkeling for beginners

Of course everyone knows that Hawaii means water sports: swimming, surfing, boogie boarding, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The one activity that is accessible to virtually everyone, of any age or physical condition, that costs virtually nothing, is snorkeling. It’s easy to learn and tremendouslly fun, if you aren’t phobic about fish.

The reason you want to try it is that you will discover an entire new world under water. The number and variety of fish and other sea life is incredible. On a coral reef even the rocks are alive. If you are like me you will want to know the names of the fish you seeing. I bought a book called "Hawaii’s Fishes" by John Hoover, which can be found at a number of stores in Hawaii, along with many other similar titiles. You can also find good pictures of reef fish on the internet, including sites that teach you how to identify the creatures.

If you haven’t tried it before, here are some tips on how to get started. You can find snorkeling equipment anywhere from the ABC convenience stores in Waikiki, to the big department stores such as Wal-Mart, to the specialized water sports shops. You can buy your own for upwards of $10 or rent from such places as Snorkel Bob’s. The experts say that you will want to get a properly fitted mask to prevent leaks. For myself, I decided to try out the inexpensive mask/snorkel from the ABC store. I figured that I could upgrade to better equipment once I found what I needed. It turned out that the cheap one worked just fine for me. One thing I found was that it would leak if I tried to get too snug of a fit. The snorkel itself can be as simple as a J-shaped tube, or it can be built to prevent water from entering the top of the tube and filling your mouth. Although I was able to get by with the simpler tube, the so-called "dry snorkel" was better and worth the extra cost. I also decided to do without swim fins, although you can obviously swim faster and cover more area if you use fins. However, you will not want to do without protective footwear. Water socks, reef shoes, or even an old pair of sneakers will prevent you from cutting your feet on rocks and coral. Coral cuts are notoriously slow to heal.

There are many good places for snorkeling around the island of Oahu. The qualities that make for a good snorkel spot are: good variety and quality of fish, clear and calm water, and accessibility. Hanauma Bay is the most famous snorkeling beach on Oahu and I highly recommend making at least one trip there. The only downside is that it is so popular that you may have difficulty finding a parking place at certain times. Closer to Waikiki, there is generally good snorkeling at the beaches in front of Kapiolani Park. Here’s a web site that provides a description of some of the better snorkeling spots of Oahu, plus additional tips:

Finally, a word about safety. The basic rules are: don’t go it alone, look but don’t touch, and never turn your back on the ocean--meaning pay attention! Some of the wildlife really is a bit wild, and you should be aware of the ones to watch out for. Here’s a web site that lists the potentially dangerous creatures.