Waikiki: Snorkeling Class with Free Video & Photos

4.90

(196 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already wiggling our toes in the thick sand when Lynne handed out the snorkels — she’s got this way of making you feel like you’re just hanging out with a friend who happens to know every fish by name. I didn’t expect the water to be so clear right here in Waikiki, honestly. There was this salty breeze mixing with sunscreen and that faint seaweed smell, and then suddenly we were floating, faces down, watching yellow tangs dart around our knees. The water never gets deeper than five feet, so even my cousin (who can’t swim for beans) was grinning behind her mask.

Lynne kept checking on us, calling out when something cool zipped past — “Look left! Moorish idol!” — and I tried saying it back but probably butchered it. She laughed anyway. The group was small, maybe eight or nine of us? It felt easygoing, not rushed at all. She snapped photos while we bobbed there, sometimes bumping into each other because someone would point too excitedly at a parrotfish. I liked that there wasn’t any pressure to be good at it; if you wanted floaty noodles or a belt, she had those ready too.

I still think about that moment when everything went quiet except for my own breathing through the snorkel — just fish shadows flickering over rocks and sunlight dancing on the surface above me. When we finished, Lynne sent us videos and pictures for free (my hair looked wild but whatever). If you want a snorkeling day trip in Waikiki without hauling yourself out to Hanauma Bay or dealing with crowds, this is honestly it. I’d do it again just for that weird calm feeling under the water.