We are convinced that Two Step Beach is the best place for snorkeling on the Big Island in Hawaii. We’ve tried around a half dozen places, and nothing was close to how easy and amazing this area was. Two Step Beach Honaunau Bay is located south of Kona next to the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. Though this spot was busy, there is plenty of room for a lot of snorkelers. If you want a great snorkel spot where you can see lots of great things, add Two Step Beach on the Big Island to your Hawaii list.
What makes Two Step Beach great for snorkeling is the two steps. There is an orange traffic cone that marks the entry point for snorkelers. From there, you step down and sit with your feet in the water. As you pull your flippers on, bright yellow tangs are swimming around your toes. Even if you don’t get in the water, you can see these fish from the top step. Then you lean forward and launch yourself into the ocean. It’s a little like sitting on the edge of a large saltwater tank, and falling onto the surface.
Below, the number of fish is astounding. We saw groups of those same yellow tangs swarming right below our feet. The ocean opens up before you and drops to a depth of about 15 feet. There are no crashing waves, so the water is calm and easy to navigate. As long as you aren’t someone who has to stand up every minute or two, this is the perfect place to see fish while snorkeling.
The variety of fish we saw was astounding. Swim just a few feet and turn right into a little cove and there were hundreds of fish from coronets along the surface, to massive parrotfish hugging the bottom. You can spread out up and down the shore, or swim out to deep waters. Though it drops to 30 or so feet deep, it’s easy to stay on top. We actually liked it closer in to the shore, because when the seafloor is closer, so you are closer to the fish.
There was also a very shallow area of the beach to the left of the snorkel area. We saw a few young kids splashing there since they were too small to snorkel. We’ve visited a few other snorkeling places in Hawaii, but none came close to Two Step Beach. Our boys declared it the best snorkeling ever. For other things to do on the Big Island of Hawaii, visit our post about family-friendly activities.
Directions: To find Two Step Beach, head toward the National Park site, but make a right turn on a small one-way street before the park gate and head toward the ocean. We arrived in the afternoon, so there was no where to park down there. There are just a few spots by the bay, so you will probably have to park along the road or try to get in the $5 lot. We parked on the road and walked down. We would recommend going as early as you can to avoid any parking problems.
