South of Lanai City, the snorkeling at Hulopoe Bay Marine Sanctuary is well known. There are large tidepools on the left side of Hulopo’e Bay, and there is a shallow reef offshore, making this a good spot for snorkeling. The best time of year for snorkeling is during the summer months when the surf is calm - it is known for rough seas in the winter months.
Hulopoe Bay is part of the Manele-Holopoe Marine Life Conservation District. The marine reserve cover 309 acres spread between Hulopee Bay and Manele Bay. Keep in mind that it is known to be dangerous to snorkel between the two bays.
To reach the snorkeling on Lanai by air, you can use one of the inter-island flights on regional carriers, such as those from Honolulu (HNL), into Lanai Airport (LNY). Honolulu is served by major airlines from the US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Alternately, you can fly into Kahului Airport (OGG) on the nearby island of Maui, and then use the Maui-Lanai Ferry service departing from Lahaina public dock. To reach the Hulopoe Bay snorkeling from Lanai City by car, head south on SR441 for 8 miles. There is parking available at Hulopo’e Beach Park.
If you are staying on Maui and want to explore the Lanai snorkeling dive sites, one option is to use the Hawaii Ocean Project snorkeling tour boat from Lahaina Harbor, which is a half day tour to two dive sites.
Note: Since early 2015, all of the resorts on Lanai are closed for renovation through early 2016. The only hotel open is Hotel Lanai. It is recommended to consider only doing day trips via the ferry from Maui to Lanai until the resorts reopen.
Overall, Hulopoe Bay is the 1st most popular snorkel dive spot of all 2 snorkeling dives in Lanai.
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