MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Hanauma Bay Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Wed 08:35 (HST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Wed 08:35 (HST)

Hanauma Bay looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Wed 11:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Fair · 3.9/10

Wed 09:00 (HST)

Later today

Fair · 4.0/10

Wed 11:00 (HST)

Next three days

Fair · 4.9/10

Fri 07:00 (HST)

Model estimates using Open-Meteo; not observations or safety guarantees. Check official advisories and conditions at the beach.

Score: 4.0/10

Best time: Wed 11:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Wed 11:00 (Fair).

Best afternoon signal: Wed 12:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 5.9 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots Tours & water activities

Best nearby spots later today

Sharks Cove 4.7/10 Fair · Wed 11:00 Electric Beach 4.2/10 Fair · Wed 10:00 Kahe Point 4.2/10 Fair · Wed 10:00

Read the Oahu snorkeling guide for coast, access and best-month guidance.

If Hanauma is a skip today

Skip Hanauma Bay today. Go to Sharks Cove instead.

Sharks Cove · 4.7/10 North Shore only on calm summer days — skip winter surf

Plan your visit

These notes help with planning. Rules and closures can change.

Open map

AccessHanauma Bay has a shallow inner reef, lifeguards, restrooms, showers, lockers, rentals, and a managed visitor entrance.

ParkingThe official visitor notes say parking is limited on the ridge above the bay. Public bus service runs daily.

ReservationsEntry times, fees, and reservations can change. Check the City and County of Honolulu visitor page before booking.

ClosuresThe preserve may close for weather, maintenance, or conservation work. Check the city notice before leaving.

Marine lifeThe bay is a Marine Life Conservation District. Do not feed, touch, collect, or injure marine life.

Hawaiʻi DAR Hanauma Bay visitor and rule notes

Sunrise

06:28

Sunset

18:01

Water

26.3°C

Max air

27.7°C

Sky

Clear

15% cloud

No good model window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Thursday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Friday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

  • Fri 07:00: Fair (0.49) · still limited by waves
  • Fri 08:00: Fair (0.49) · still limited by waves, tide/current
  • Thu 07:00: Fair (0.42) · still limited by waves, tide/current

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (70 hours)
  • Tide/current (67 hours)
  • Darkness (51 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 34/100

Low drift risk now.

warm water supports seasonal jellyfish activity; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Next early morning high tide: Thu 01:00

Wed 12:00, Thu 01:00, Thu 12:00, Fri 01:00, Fri 13:00, Sat 02:00

Bookable snorkel tours near Hanauma Bay

Prices and availability from Viator. Check conditions before you book.

We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Photoshoot at the Bay!

Hanauma Bay Snorkeling from Waikiki

4.4/5 1389 reviews 5h
From USD 55.99 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Hanauma Bay Guided Snorkeling Tour with Transportation

Hanauma Bay Guided Snorkeling Tour with Transportation

4.9/5 231 reviews 4h
From USD 115.00 Check availability
Hanauma Bay Guided Snorkel Tour, we know where the turtles like to hang out!

Hanauma Bay Guided Snorkel Tour (with guaranteed entrance time)

4.8/5 75 reviews 1h
From USD 103.66 Check availability
Hanauma Bay Priority Access with Transportation

Hanauma Bay Priority Access with Transportation

4.4/5 89 reviews 3h
From USD 75.15 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Snorkel Gears near Hanauma Bay

Snorkel Gears near Hanauma Bay

3.9/5 31 reviews 6h
From USD 23.99 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Hanauma Bay Snorkel Lesson

Hanauma Bay Snorkel Lesson

4.6/5 7 reviews 1h
From USD 99.95 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Nearby snorkel spot map

Compare nearby spot forecasts for later today before choosing a beach.

Sharks Cove Fair · Wed 11:00 4.7/10 Electric Beach Fair · Wed 10:00 4.2/10 Kahe Point Fair · Wed 10:00 4.2/10 Lanikai Beach Fair · Wed 11:00 4.0/10

Forecast spot map

Use the map to see where the compared spots sit. Open a card for the hourly forecast.

Sharks Cove Electric Beach Kahe Point Lanikai Beach
  1. Sharks Cove
  2. Electric Beach
  3. Kahe Point
  4. Lanikai Beach

This is a location diagram, not a marine chart. Check the shore and local signs in person.

Nearby alternatives in USA

Lanikai Beach

14 km away

⚠️ Fair

Oahu

37 km away

⚠️ Fair

Kahe Point

46 km away

⚠️ Fair

Electric Beach

46 km away

⚠️ Fair

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Thu 09:00 – Sun 09:00 (HST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.43 around Fri 08:00; 2 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.34m to 1.6m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 6.41 to 7.76m/s).

Tides range from 0.32m to 0.84m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

  • Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
  • Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
  • Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
  • Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
  • Daylight (10%): visibility is better in daylight, so night hours score lower.
Detailed hourly data table
Time Wave (m) Wind (m/s) Sea temp (°C) Status
Thu 09:00 1.34 · high 7.14 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 10:00 1.40 · high 7.50 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 11:00 1.44 · high 7.61 · high 27.40 · good Fair
Thu 12:00 1.46 · high 7.76 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 13:00 1.48 · high 7.72 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 14:00 1.50 · high 7.47 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 15:00 1.52 · high 7.52 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 16:00 1.52 · high 7.51 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 17:00 1.54 · high 7.10 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 18:00 1.54 · high 6.63 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 19:00 1.54 · high 6.41 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 20:00 1.54 · high 6.87 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 21:00 1.54 · high 7.09 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 22:00 1.54 · high 7.25 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 23:00 1.54 · high 7.23 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Fri 00:00 1.54 · high 7.24 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Fri 01:00 1.60 · high 6.82 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 02:00 1.58 · high 6.65 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 03:00 1.58 · high 6.79 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 04:00 1.56 · high 6.93 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 05:00 1.56 · high 7.03 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Fri 06:00 1.54 · high 6.95 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Fri 07:00 1.54 · high 6.60 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Fri 08:00 1.52 · high 7.02 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Fri 09:00 1.48 · high 7.36 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Fri 10:00 1.46 · high 7.47 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Fri 11:00 1.54 · high 7.46 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Fri 12:00 1.50 · high 7.03 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Fri 13:00 1.46 · high 6.86 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Fri 14:00 1.42 · high 7.95 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 15:00 1.42 · high 7.22 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 16:00 1.40 · high 6.93 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 17:00 1.40 · high 7.06 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 18:00 1.46 · high 7.46 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 19:00 1.50 · high 7.88 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 1.56 · high 8.04 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 1.56 · high 8.44 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 1.58 · high 8.10 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 1.84 · high 7.91 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 00:00 1.84 · high 7.34 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 01:00 1.82 · high 7.13 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 02:00 1.82 · high 7.50 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 03:00 1.80 · high 7.67 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 04:00 1.78 · high 7.65 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 05:00 1.76 · high 7.60 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 06:00 1.74 · high 7.54 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 07:00 1.72 · high 7.64 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Sat 08:00 1.70 · high 7.87 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Sat 09:00 1.68 · high 7.98 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Sat 10:00 1.66 · high 8.21 · high 27.20 · good Fair
Sat 11:00 1.64 · high 8.31 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Sat 12:00 1.68 · high 8.21 · high 27.30 · good Fair
Sat 13:00 1.64 · high 8.13 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 14:00 1.62 · high 8.10 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 15:00 1.60 · high 8.43 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 16:00 1.60 · high 8.05 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 17:00 1.58 · high 7.54 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sat 18:00 1.58 · high 7.20 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 19:00 1.58 · high 7.00 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 1.58 · high 6.88 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 1.60 · high 7.40 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 1.62 · high 7.37 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 1.64 · high 7.52 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 1.64 · high 7.47 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 1.64 · high 7.28 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 1.62 · high 7.07 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 1.60 · high 7.15 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 1.56 · high 7.09 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 1.54 · high 6.95 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 06:00 1.56 · high 7.15 · high 26.50 · good Poor
Sun 07:00 1.56 · high 7.00 · high 26.50 · good Fair
Sun 08:00 1.58 · high 7.07 · high 26.50 · good Poor