If you want to see tropical fish the size of dinner plates, I have the place for you. Hanauma Bay marine nature preserve, which was closed during the pandemic, is now open. Because the bay sprang back to life while human-free (no nasty sunblock film, no sediment disturbed, no coral broken), the state of Hawaii took heed and has limited the crowds. That means everyone must make reservations online two days before their visit. Those out of state also pay $25 each. Reservations open around 7 am and are all gone by 7:30 am. You gotta be quick. The hassle and money factor are all worth it.
After watching a mandatory video on the bay (there are rip currents on the edges of the bay so stick to the middle for your snorkeling), we proceeded down the hill to the white sand beach, awkwardly put on our Snorkel Bob gear (but you can rent snorkel gear there, never fear), and entered the water to see what all the fuss was about. Most of the bay is a huge coral bed, and you float over it, gently bobbing in the waves. Here you will be startled by the size of the fish, completely immune to the hovering school of humans. Triggerfish, convict tan, goatfish, pufferfish, urchins, wrasse and more. We saw both male and female Christmas wrasse, the male wrasse more colorful.
Steven surveys the bay, just before we walk down.
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