There's something fishy about this build...

[tbrown]

I saw it was a lot cheaper to stay over there but was told the snorkeling/diving was better around Kona

Hilo is also the rainy side. The Hilo Farmers Market is a good visit if you want fresh, local fruits and veggies.

 

[JoJosReef]

I didn't have good conditions long enough to recommend many snorkeling locations, except for the boat trip to Captain Cook, which was worth it in my opinion. I don't like spending $30+pp so we just did a lot of grilling and cooking at the condo.

 

[lubeck]

Go to two step on the southwest side of the island. Best snorkeling

 

[JoJosReef]

Go to two step on the southwest side of the island. Best snorkeling

Two step was really cool. Water was super turbid when I was there, but I could see how nice it would be on a calm day.

 

[tbrown]

Kona definitely has better snorkeling access but there is some stuff on the Hilo side. Kona is more "touristy" but there's some decent shops by the airport. For eating, we prefer little Mom and Pop types so we were happier on the Hilo side for lunches and dinners.

No one owns ocean access in Hawaii so you can go anywhere there's a beach, it just can be very difficult to get to some of the beaches.

 

[tbrown]

Two step was really cool. Water was super turbid when I was there, but I could see how nice it would be on a calm day.

One of the locals recommended Two Step. Is that the one you park at the church and pay $10?

 

[JoJosReef]

One of the locals recommended Two Step. Is that the one you park at the church and pay $10?

We coupled it with a visit to "Place of Refuge", which had a parking lot for $10 (maybe it was $20?) that you could stay parked there and walk out to Two Step. For us was worth it since PoR was part of our itinerary. Others parked on the road or in the limited parking or the $5 lot if there was room.

 

[tbrown]

We parked in the green, snorkeled in the red. Yellow gets VERY crowded.

Two Step is supposed to be awesome but if you don't pay to park the local guy told us that your car is a target. Apparently that area tourists get their cars broken into frequently?

When we were there, both times I tried to go snorkeling it was windy so the visibility wasn't great, but I saw two Snowflake Eels, a group of Achilles Tangs, several sea turtles, LOTS of Convict tangs and Sergeant Major Damsels, several groups of Surge Wrasse, and a few Cleaner Wrasse. I saw lots of the Spotted Boxfish and 2 or 3 different varieties of Triggerfish. For poor visibility it was amazing how much variety I saw.

Two Step is supposed to be even better.

 

[Stang67]

i would search the scuba boards for reputable shops. no point in lugging gear all that way. if you have a local dive shop maybe ring them up to see?
https://konadivingcompany.com/
definitely look for a package deal?

 

[JoJosReef]

If you are bringing your own goggles, make sure to double check them beforehand. Mine got so scratched up since the last time I used them it was like foggy glasses (I just use swimmer's goggles and swim instead of full snorkel gear).

 

[Stang67]

If you are bringing your own goggles, make sure to double check them beforehand. Mine got so scratched up since the last time I used them it was like foggy glasses (I just use swimmer's goggles and swim instead of full snorkel gear).

heheehe divers dont use goggles. but cute. yep snorkel shamer here. :)

 

[Slocke]

i would search the scuba boards for reputable shops. no point in lugging gear all that way. if you have a local dive shop maybe ring them up to see?
https://konadivingcompany.com/
definitely look for a package deal?

That's the one I booked manta dive with lol. Yeah. I'm more looking for places I can snorkel/free dive by myself to save money but I will book a few with them.

 

[tbrown]

That's the one I booked manta dive with lol. Yeah. I'm more looking for places I can snorkel/free dive by myself to save money but I will book a few with them.

You can snorkel with the Mantas at Outrigger for free but parking gets full fast so be early. I'm fairly certain that's where the Captain Cook tour goes.

 

[JoJosReef]

That's the one I booked manta dive with lol. Yeah. I'm more looking for places I can snorkel/free dive by myself to save money but I will book a few with them.

Sad my manta snorkel was cancelled due to the weather :-( next time.

 

[JoJosReef]

You can snorkel with the Mantas at Outrigger for free but parking gets full fast so be early. I'm fairly certain that's where the Captain Cook tour goes.

I think so too. We did the Fair Winds boat that had the big slide and cost a lot more. Clone went down it once and the wife clone was fussy the whole time and didn't go in. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cook was excellent, though. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[JoJosReef]

heheehe divers dont use goggles. but cute. yep snorkel shamer here. :)

I prefer just free swimming, coming up for air. Can't go very deep underwater at all, so that's a bit more fun for me than mask/snorkel tube :) Slightly more agile in the water. I'm like the Galaxy Wrasse humanoids flopping around in water!

 

[tbrown]

 

[Stang67]

I prefer just free swimming, coming up for air. Can't go very deep underwater at all, so that's a bit more fun for me than mask/snorkel tube :) Slightly more agile in the water. I'm like the Galaxy Wrasse humanoids flopping around in water!

and i, my friend am a hippo slow and clumsy on land and in the water. but i have cute ears.

 

[tbrown]

It's all about the ears!

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Despite it all this acro has based out

That’s the Acro that is really working hard to show your a good acro keeper