What a place Hanauma Bay must have been, once upon a time. Surely no more perfect representation of an island paradise ever existed, in the days before tourists speckled the perfect curve of its beach, polluting the peaceful cove with their radios, junk food, and boogie boards. Such is the fate of any tropical paradise, it seems - once the word gets out, we can't help but rush to experience for ourselves a taste of heaven on earth, until finally it is paved over and clogged with hot dog stands and t-shirt vendors. This will likely be the sad fate of Hanauma - which proudly displays a banner announcing the impending construction of a snack bar - but not quite yet.
Hanauma became wildly popular for good reason. It is a perfectly round bay formed from a sunken volcanic crater, ringed with white sand and steep cliffs. This natural shelter, and a state ruling to prohibit fishing, created an outdoor aquarium that is safe for swimming year-round. As a result, it is so crowded that when the parking lot fills up, newcomers are turned away. I honestly don't know why you'd try to wedge your towel in amidst the madding crowd and spend a day there, but if you're a little adventurous and sure of foot, there are surprises waiting on Hanauma's fringes.
Down the steep hill from the parking area, bear left and bypass the vacationers baking on the beach and frolicking in the shallows. Head toward the ocean, skirting the side of the bay, but watch out for slippery footing among the tide pools. We saw tiny fish swimming in them, and scared a few crabs out of their hiding holes along the way. It's a fun walk that will require clambering around a few large boulders. If the waves aren't crashing too hard at the end of the bay, slip to the left until you are outside of the bay in a small cove.
Better guidebooks direct you here to see "The Toilet Bowl", a large bowl-shaped lava tube that fills up with water when the waves come in, then flushes loudly as they ebb back to sea. The water level inside rises and falls about five feet. We found a mom and two kids inside having a complete blast. More exciting yet, though, is a local secret called "The Dragon's Hole". Close to the Toilet Bowl, but far from the open water, a hole in the rock barely wide enough for a man's shoulders lurks like a malevolent mirror with water instead of glass. As we watched, five daring young men arrived to challenge the Dragon. We watched in abject horror as one after another wriggled into the hole and disappeared, only to surface endless moments later, fifteen feet away in the open water. They were scratched but totally exhilarated, and some went down a second time. If you visit Hanauma, please don't try it without local help - it was terrifying!