Where is best place to take a 9yr old girl to snorkel???

[jtb123]

We are taking are 6yr old and 9 yr old with us and the 9yr old wants to snorkel. We have looked at Captain Zodiac raft and snorkel and dolphin snorkel catamaran sail in Kona and the Sea fun beach snorkel in Kauai. Don't know if any of these are easy enough for her. Any suggestions??

Any other suggestions for things a 6yr and 9yr old would enjoy in any of the ports would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Barb

[sunsetme]

the easiest place is the mauna lani. you can walk in off the beach. you want to walk around the fishing pools to the beach club.

[sunsetme]

http://www.maunalani.com/r_map.htm

 

scroll to the bottom resort map and #6 is where the best snorkeling is--easy to get in and out--amazing # of fish, sometimes turtles on the shore.

[JLC@SD]

the easiest place is the mauna lani. you can walk in off the beach. you want to walk around the fishing pools to the beach club.

 

Mauna Lani is an hour drive from Kona.....you would need to rent a car to get there.

 

And it is a resort.......I doubt they would appreciate visitors coming there and making themselves at home. We have stayed at the resort and to get to the area at #6, you have to park in the resort parking lot and walk through the resort.

[sunsetme]

still the best place to take kids, I've stayed there too.

[fallspastor]

We just returned from the Pride of Aloha on Sunday the 22nd. If your ship goes to Kona you will tender in on life boats. Get off the boat walk across the parking lot to the left. Go to the beach put on your gear. Enter the water. In this calm little cove you will find every fish species listed on most identification cards. You will probably not see a turtle, but I did see a moray eel. (I swam with a turtle in Maui.) I know there are other places to dive but this place at the pier is unbeleivable. Large schools of yellow tang and numerous other species. It is shallow and sandy in close to beach so just swim until you see something. I think that the hotel is the Kamahama. All of the shuttles are there, so if you get tired you can go someplace else.

 

Good Luck!

 

ps. I saw that eel at the end of the boat ramp.

[beachchick]

Mauna Lani is an hour drive from Kona.....you would need to rent a car to get there.

 

And it is a resort.......I doubt they would appreciate visitors coming there and making themselves at home. We have stayed at the resort and to get to the area at #6, you have to park in the resort parking lot and walk through the resort.

 

If you're talking about the beach itself, it doesn't matter what the resort wants or would appreciate. All beaches in Hawaii are public, and resorts must provide public access to them. They don't have to make it easy (as sometimes the public parking is out of the way and a bit of a hike) and they don't have to allow access to their pools or any other facilities, but they have no say whatsoever over the use of the beaches themselves. (However, there are resort amenities on many of the beaches, such as chairs/lounges/umbrellas which are often for resort guests only. It's the beach that's public, not the resort "stuff" on it. But a non-guest could come and plop their beach towel on an empty beach spot right next to a resort cabana and be perfectly within their rights.)

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

We are taking are 6yr old and 9 yr old with us and the 9yr old wants to snorkel. We have looked at Captain Zodiac raft and snorkel and dolphin snorkel catamaran sail in Kona and the Sea fun beach snorkel in Kauai. Don't know if any of these are easy enough for her. Any suggestions??

Any other suggestions for things a 6yr and 9yr old would enjoy in any of the ports would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Barb

 

May I ask for more info? How much water experience does she have? Has she spent much time in and around the ocean? How strong a swimmer is she? The answers to those questions will help us give you the best advice.

 

beachchick

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

If she doesn't swim really well, I would suggest Lydgate park in Kauai. Nice lagoon for kids and adults too to swim around in a protected area. Water in the rock enclosure is no deeper than my shoulders (I'm 5'7") and most areas were waist deep. Lots of kids with snorkels. You would have to rent or buy your own snorkel gear before you get there but lots of places to get it along the way. Not a ton of fish but the water was crystal clear with white sand on the bottom so easy on your feet. So clear I could see my toes on the sand when I was shoulder deep. Gentle waves come thru and over the rocks but nothing strong enough to cause problems for a child. I was there when the beach next to it was closed due to rough water.

[ringmaster]

Love all the info, any suggestions to a protected place to snorkel on Maui. The children want to snorkel but are anxious about it being accessible to "big" fish (sharks etc.). Thanks so much!

[Bob-A-Loo]

2 more places on Kauai are Poipu Beach and Salt Pond. Both are great.

[simonv]

Kamaole Beach Parks in Kihei, Maui. Kamaole II is particularly good for kids.

 

In Kona, if the Zodiac is taking you to the Kealakakua Bay, it's a good place for kids. The bay is well protected and usually calm in the morning. There's no beach, so she'll be going into deep water directly from the boat. If she's afraid of deep water, then it's a problem.

 

Another good place in Kona for children is Kahaluu Beach Park along the Alii Drive, not far from the pier, though not within walking distance. It's mostly shallow, and you are guaranteed to see turtle along with a lot of fish. There's tide pools for the 6 years old, and he'll most likely to see turtle feeding on seaweed from the rock shelf. There's usually a lady there who sells fish food. Your children might enjoy feeding fish(but, please don't feed them bread or peas!!!). She also rents boogie board as I recall. It's a well protected little cove with beach facilities and a life guard. You can walk to the outdoor restaurant next door at the Keauhou Beach Hotel and get hamburgers and such. There are many children there. Kahaluu is much easier snorkeling for children than Mauna Lani or Waikoloa Beach, though the beaches are prettier on the Kohala Coast.

[cruzin girl]

Kapalua Bay is one of our favorites. It is calm with an easy entry and has an abundance of fish. I don't think you'll be disappointed. On the BI I would suggest Kahalu'u beach. Hope this helps.

[snaebyllej]

This site has detailed descriptions and ratings of beaches on Kauai: http://www.kauaiexplorer.com/kauai_beaches

[jtb123]

Thanks Everyone For All Your Suggestions. Now I Have To Make A Decision On Which Of The Many Places To Go That You All Have Suggested!!!