Waikiki: Snorkel Tour to Turtle Canyons & Gear Included

4.80

(220 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the quiet — or maybe it was just the way the city faded as our boat pulled away from Waikiki. There’s this moment when the skyline slips behind you and all you hear is water slapping at the hull, plus a few excited voices (mine included). Our guide, Keahi, handed me a mask that still smelled faintly of salt and sunscreen. He grinned and said, “You’ll remember your first honu,” which I guess means turtle in Hawaiian — I probably pronounced it wrong when I tried to repeat it back.

The ride out wasn’t long, maybe fifteen minutes? Hard to say because I kept getting distracted by flashes of green water and those volcanic ridges off in the distance. When we anchored at Turtle Canyons, Keahi gave us a quick rundown — don’t chase the turtles, keep your fins up so you don’t kick coral. It felt reassuring having him there; he seemed to know every ripple of this place. The water was cooler than I expected when I slid in but not cold. My heart thumped for a second before calming down as schools of yellow tang darted past my mask.

I’d seen photos of snorkeling tours in Waikiki but nothing really prepared me for floating above these slow-moving sea turtles while tiny fish zipped around cleaning their shells. One swam so close I could see its eyes blink — weirdly gentle, almost like it was used to us gawking at it. Someone nearby laughed through their snorkel (which sounds funnier underwater) when a parrotfish nibbled their fin strap. Sunlight flickered down in stripes and for a minute I just let myself drift with the current.

Getting back on board was clumsy — my legs never seem to work right after swimming — but nobody cared. We passed around towels and swapped stories about what we saw; one kid insisted he spotted an eel (Keahi just nodded like he’d heard that before). On the way back toward Waikiki’s shore, my hair stiff with salt, I realized how much lighter everything felt. I still think about that slow moment underwater whenever things get noisy again.