Kahalu’u Beach Park is the most popular snorkeling location on the Big Island as is it shallow, protected, lifeguarded, and perfect for beginning snorkelers. It has become “over-snorkeled” so unless you are a novice, we recommend going to a different beach to snorkel. This is one of the safest beaches in Kona for keikis (kiddos) so it will always be popular with families.

The county and local gear rental shops are steering visitors to other beaches because the coral in this cove is dying from too many people (and bad sunscreen). We agree that this one should be avoided going forward as it needs to recover and there are so many places to snorkel on the western side of the island (Magic Sands and Keauhou Bay are good options). We also recommend that everyone use “reef safe” sunscreens (mineral-based) no matter where they will be getting into the ocean.