Description: To visit Kauai and not see its underwater world is like traveling to east Africa without a safari. In any place, the sense of wilderness comes from wild animals that inhabit the land. In Kauai, chickens are about as wild as it gets on the land; you have to visit its underwater to get the sense of wilderness, and snorkeling is the best way to do it.THE BEST PLACE TO RENT GEARSSince I don’t own snorkeling gears, I shopped around for rental and visited a few.
I chose Snorkel Bob’s (located in Kapaa and Koloa) because they had by far the largest inventory with the greatest selections and friendliest service. My whole family needed corrective lenses for masks, and they had no problem fulfilling our needs. We found that for such niceties, we had to pay a little "mo." (You can visit their website at snorkelbob.com to find out the origin of the word "mo.")WHERE TO PRACTICEFor new beginners, the best place to start is in their resort’s swimming pool. You can put your gears on and practice until you get used to them. Another good place to practice is Lydgate State Park in Kapaa, which has saltwater pools created by a man-made breakwater. The pools stay calm even when the ocean is tempestuous.WHERE TO VENTURE OUT
When you have built up some confidence, you can venture out in few beaches surrounded by natural reefs. In the south, we found Poipu Beach Park is the best place for novices like us. It has two coves separated by a lava bed which acts somewhat like a breakwater, keeping waves calmer. The moment we put our faces under the water, we saw schools of fish swimming around us. We felt as if we were in an aquarium. This place is more ideal in the winter when waves are gentler.
In the north, I recommend Ke’e beach above many other fine beaches there. It is located where Highway 560 ends. It is a small cove with water as calm as a swimming pool. We had to swim out a little to get to reefs and that’s where we saw many colorful fishes.
Besides these, we found Tunnels Beach just east of Ke’e Beach to be suitable, although it had less creatures to see. However, we found a seal lying on the sand basking in the sun there—a rare treat even for the locals. Note, however, that the northern beaches can be prohibitively dangerous in the winter months.THE BEST TIME OF DAY TO SNORKEL
The beach water is the calmest in the early morning when wind direction shifts and is undisturbed by people. But for better visibility, direct sunlight is essential. Therefore I prefer morning, around nine, for best snorkeling experiences. It is also much easier to find parking earlier.
For a detailed reference help, get a copy of "Snorkel Kaua’i" by Judy and Mel Malinowski. I found it most helpful in my venture to explore the hidden, beautiful
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