It’s a different time for pristine Hanauma Bay. There are new rules and it is going to cost you more!
142 thoughts on “Hanauma Bay: New Rules and Limits, Increased Fees, Online Reservations Only”
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I read your emails regularly. It would be fantastic if you highlighted which island you were specifically speaking about in your opening article. Hanuama Bay article is well written, but until I read the comments I had know clue which island it was on. Sorry, new to the geographic areas of Hawaii.
Hi Lyn.
Thanks for your first-time comment. Good suggestion and we’ll try to do that.
Aloha.
On our first trip to Waikiki some 24 years ago, we spent time in beautiful Hanauma Bay marveling at the fish and the crystal clear water. Fast forward to 6 years ago when were back in Honolulu for a wedding and we couldn’t believe the changes. Almost no fish, cloudy water and tourists that didn’t care that they were walking all over the coral reef. It’s unfortunate that its taken a pandemic to help restore Hanauma Bay. Now being a resident of Hawaii, I am encouraged that the state is doing what it can to control access and keep Hanauma Bay looking beautiful and maintaining this fragile ecosystem.
I love that there is such a positive side to Covid with Earth’s chance to purge and cleanse itself! And the banning of toxic sunscreens is great to see!
I took a friend there last week. We walked up as they did not have a good system yet for getting people in (they were alternating cars and walk ups) we did not have a very long wait to get in. The video is viewed indoors while standing 6 feet apart. The beach was not crowded and the fish were abundant. Lots of sea cucumbers too! The new system sounds pretty good since there was plenty of empty parking spaces when we were.
Aloha Rob/Jeff!
Hanauma Bay was my favorite place to go as a kid. I would snorkel the entire day, which was more like 4 hours or so, because we were “forced” to come out of the water to eat lunch and rest afterward. That was when it was no where near as crowded, and you would stay from around 9-10 am until around 3-4, which was long before there was barely room on the beach to sit. I would literally have a two-tone tan, at day’s end, darker on my backside! 😂 Oh, the good times we had in the mid 70’s to early 80’s!
The last time I was there a few years ago (the first time in at least 20 years), I took my wife for her first time. It was extremely overcrowded. The water was horribly cloudy, and there were very few fish, because there were far too many people swimming and splashing, as well as snorkelers running into each other at times, and (if that wasn’t bad enough) it was miserably hot! There were more feral cats than mongoose, who were all apparently buddies, which wasn’t supposed to be the case, and the only picturesque view was from the top before you paid for beach access.
Sadly, it was absolutely the worst beach experience we had on that trip, and after I bragged to her about the beauty and how great the snorkeling was. Yeah, it was beautiful…from afar, but that was it.
It was a huge letdown for me, because it wasn’t that bad 20 years ago, and also for her, because it didn’t live up to expectations, based on how I “talked it up”. The only saving grace was the final view and picture taken of us at the top (bay and beach in the background), when we swapped taking pics with another couple, as we left.
I’m happy to see/hear that closing the beach for nine months has started restoring the marine ecosystem, and that they’re further limiting people and banning bad sunscreen. We decided we would never go back, but if it continues improving, maybe we’ll give it one more go, and have the experience I/we expected.
Mahalo for this encouraging news, Guys! 😃
Hi Jim.
Thanks for sharing your Hanauma Bay childhood experiences. We concur that it would be nice to return again now that things have improved, and hopefully, they will continue to get better.
Aloha.
Now is the time for visitors and residents to rediscover Waikiki,Hanaums Bay,Oahu-in my mind it’s the most beautiful,diverse,welcoming island.
When I was scuba diving I would make my own 1/4 inch wet suits snd my weight belts too. One day I went to Hanauma Bay to check out a new suit and weight belt I had made. I walked out to the edge of the reef where the depth suddenly drops to about 60 feet. All went well until I plunged into the deep water. I dropped like a rock! But that was not the problem. The problem was I forgot to purge my regulater, lol. I quickly released my weithts and up I went, rather fast I might add. Anyway, after all the fixes were made I would go in the waters to poke fish. and there were plenty of ’em. All the fish I poked was for eating as I was poor and fish was always in our diet. But after a while, the fish got smart and started to abandon the Bay. Many years later, I became a cop with HPD. (after graduating from UH Manoa. I loved to cite cars that would drive down and park cause the driver or owner was to lazy to walk up the road. Now that the Bay has been closed for about 9 months and with all its restrictions, it’s good to see it going back to its former self. Thank you for reading my rather long story.
Hi Eddie.
Thanks for sharing your story and for your many comments.
Aloha.
We have been on Maui since 11/28. Last week we heard the 3 employees of Leilants near Whaler tested positive causing closure for several days.
Our daughter just heard the an employee at Merimans Napili area tested pos.
Has anyone heard more on this?
Sorry to post here but unclear where else to post.
Met my husband 31 years ago there, we snorked in April 1989 and I saw almost no fish. Fully support the efforts to limit visitors and banning the sunscreen with chemicals.
The best sunscreen we have ever used is Blue Lizard. After having used SunBum once when I didn’t allow enough time to order my Blue Lizard (and on line was the only way you could get it at that time), I developed a skin cancer. Blue Lizard was recommended to us by three different dermatologists in three separate practices. As of two years ago, Blue Lizard carries a red circular “Reef Safe” logo which states specifically it does not have the two offensive ingredients. You can usually find it at Walmart but we haven’t looked elsewhere because we just order on line. It’s a bit more $$$ than the drug store stuff but it spreads extremely well. (Remember – spray on sunscreens aren’t worth the $$$ you spend!)
Barbara, I never use sunscreens (not required on dark skinned people, lol) But when I did buy for family I would get No Ad. I heard it was ideal to use while on a beach. And cheap too! But I don’t know if it has those dangerous sunscreen chemicals.