Snorkeling is one of the most popular activities for individuals and families during their vacations on the beautiful, big island of Kauai. With our location alongside Poipu Beach, Koloa Landing® Resort offers immediate access to some of the best snorkeling spots on Kauai’s North Shore and South Shore side of the island including Na Pali Coast, Ke’e Beach, Anini Beach, Tunnels Beach, Haena Beach Park, Salt Pond Park and Lawai Beach Resort. Here, you’ll find a quick guide to help you discover the best time to snorkel in Kauai.

One general rule of thumb you can use as a guide is that a combination of high tide and high sun will offer the best visibility and the best ocean conditions for snorkeling the Kauai beaches. Low tide and low or limited sun will offer reduced visibility for snorkelers during excursions.

As such, late morning and early afternoon snorkeling is typically the best time of the day for snorkeling beaches, when you pair that with the schedule of the tides. Early morning snorkeling around coral reefs also tends to offer great results, and many species of tropical fish sea life and marine life including green sea turtles in Kauai and Hawaiian monk seals are most active in these hours. So if you can go on a clear day in the early morning with a good tide, you should be in luck as well.

Of course, sometimes the conditions will have more of an effect on your viewing experience than the time of the day. Strong currents will stir up sand and debris, and obscure your vision, and of course, when the seas really get choppy, you won’t want to be caught snorkeling in the water in any case.

Meanwhile, if you happen to be snorkeling for the first time during a plankton spawn, you’ll end up with reduced visibility and clarity as well, but that’s not something that you can really control. The time of the year, the direction of ocean currents and swells, and a huge array of other factors also will have a hand in your snorkeling experience.

Experience Kauai Snorkeling on the Hawaiian Islands

At our Kauai beach resort & spa, we’re here to help give you the best Hawaiian vacation experience possible. So you don’t have to worry about when and where to find a snorkeling area with lots of colorful tropical fish or an awesome sandy beach to relax. Talk to our concierge and let us help you, and we’ll fill you in on all of the details to help ensure that you have a wonderful time during your vacation and get to enjoy some truly world-class snorkeling locations. Our on-site Kama’aina Surf & Sport Beach Club also has all of the snorkel gear and equipment that you need, and you can even decide to go on a guided snorkeling adventure.