Beautiful cove on the Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay property! Seriously so family-friendly with the cabanas, pool chairs, outdoor showers, and walk ways. On a sunny day this beach is calm and enjoyable but keep in mind that if the weather is cold and windy, just be cautious as there is no lifeguard on duty. Sand is grainy and fun to track through the hotel, beach has lots of areas to explore both in and out of the water, and lots of room for the whole family versus the pool areas. read more

This place is a hidden gem so shhhhhh.... Did a Google search for great places to snorkel and found this place. When the waves are bigger this area is still calm and great for beginner snorkelers. The water is clear and calm. You can see some small fish while you swim. It is at the end of a resort but right now it's pretty empty due to COVID and the beach was pretty open for everyone to spread out. Worth a look while you are in the area. read more

Kuilima Cove - Beaches Near Me - Kahuku, Hawaii

Beautiful spot! Absolutely loved it! My family and I wanted to go snorkeling but not as part of a tour. This was a great option that accommodated all of us. Parking was a breeze and free, centrally located right next door to the turtle bay resort lot. There are clean bathrooms and we were able to purchase our snorkels at the sandbar. They are not renting any at this time, only selling at $30 a each. We purchased three, found a spot on the sand and enjoyed a really nice afternoon. The beach is not crowded and there were plenty of spots to swim around and spot sea life. Highly recommend for families, all three of our sons (preschool to high school) had a great time. read more

Give it a 2 instead of a 1 because it's a nice beach still and has bathroom and showers. Great for family esp. Kids if you brought any. Terrible for snorkeling and visibility was poor. Did see FEW fishes but that's it and corals are sadly grey. Not a spot to snorkel. This used to be one of top 5places in Oahu to snorkel based on my research but not anymore. read more

Coral are gray and dying here due to too many people standing on them here. Maybe they don't know that the corals are live organisms, maybe they mistake corals as rocks, but they need to be much better informed. Please do not touch the coral or other wildlife. There is a lifeguard or resort staff member with a megaphone on the beach telling swimmers to not go over the buoys; I wish there were occasional announcements telling people to not touch the coral as well. When I was snorkeling around here, I had to tell multiple people myself to stop standing on the coral and many of them just don't listen. It's heartbreaking to see ignorance and disrespect harming the ocean and wildlife of Hawai'i. Much more should be done on the part of the Turtle Bay Resort to educate or control the crowd since even though all Hawai'i beaches are public, and not all visitors here are resort guests, the cove is enveloped by the resort's grounds and they benefit the most off of the pseudo-private nature of the beach. read more

Our kids loved this beach in the north shore (age 7 & 11). It's free & it's not crowded! Great place to snorkel & boogie board. While snorkeling we saw fish and a turtle. You can rent chairs and umbrellas or bring your own. There are restrooms, showers & restaurants. Best part is that there's not a lot of people on the beach. TIP: Free parking at Turtle bay resort, with a short walk to the beach. Go early to get parking, limited beach access parking spots. read more

Pros: Great snorkeling. You can rent the snorkel and fins for $14. We swam with large turtles and a variety of fish. Cons: Wear water shoes. Lots of rocks and reef. read more

This place is nice and not over populated like Waikiki Beach. You can sit on the sand and listen to the waves crashing. Most of the people here are guests from the resort but public is allowed. I parked in the Turtle Bay Resort parking lot and walked over. They have stalls designated for the beach marked "beach access." If you prefer a quieter spot, walk down past the rocks. You might want to bring a pair of slippers with you since some of the rocks in the sand can hurt your feet. This is also a great place for snorkling. read more

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Great place for beginner snorkel. Plenty of free parking at the Turtle Bay Resort and 2 minutes walk to the cove area. Nice, clean bathrooms. You can rent chairs/umbrellas or just find an area to lay down your towels. Free and not crowded. We saw plenty of fish but the water is COLD. I'd get there around 11am, enjoy the view and have some lunch then when it gets warmer, go snorkel around 1pm. read more

A perfect place for beginner snorkeling at low tide. There is a natural protective reef about 150 feet off-shore and the snorkeling area is only about 5 feet deep. Plus, it's never too crowded like Waikiki. There are plenty of small reef fish to observe and the occasional sea turtle. And, the bonus is there is a cool beach bar right there, Ola's. read more

Kuilima Cove - Snorkeling Kuilima Cove, Oahu ( photo courtesy of SNORKELINGDIVES.COM ) - Beaches Near Me - Kahuku, Hawaii

We wanted to snorkel at Shark's Cove but was concerned that the waves would be too strong in November, so decided to try out this beach. So glad we chose to go here! Our 4 year old was able to enjoy the calm, clean beach while my 8 year old and husband were able to snorkel. I also snorkel and saw tons of fish. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to witness so many fish swimming around. Definitely recommend if you have small kids and still want to go snorkeling. read more

Went here Sunday after snorkeling Shark's cove (which was wonderful as always!). Pretty decent place to beach. The snorkeling was okay. A bit cloudy water and not a huge amount of fish but a pretty good variety of fish. The beach is okay. Nice that there's bathrooms, a bar, and a shower available. And plenty of parking too. Guess I'll have to learn to like this place since winter's big waves are coming and Shark's cove won't be snorkelable soon :-( read more

we haven't been here in a couple of years, but there have been a lot of renovations since. they have installed a boardwalk, spruced up the restaurant, restricted public access to the bathroom, and designated stalls for public beach access. they have also installed beach umbrellas and loungers for paying guests. the cove itself is beautiful as ever, nice and sandy on the beach, a bit rocky the first bit in the water. nice outcropping for strolling and taking pictures. some snorkeling being done inside the cove. a little bit rough outside the cove - enough for some surfing, depending on the day. i like the protectedness of the cove, but i'm a bit bummed at the hotel's efforts to privatize access to the extent possible. it certainly makes for a nicer environment overall, but it feels like it excludes locals. my advice? go early to take advantage of parking, then stay for lunch (if you can afford it). it's postcard beautiful. read more

This is the best beach within walking distance if you're staying at the resort! The sand is warm and white, and there's enough room for everyone. There are attendants to help you set up your chair, or to help you with a cabana. If you're staying at the resort, you get 1 hour of snorkel rental per day free! My only complaint is that the water is really murky and you can't see much while snorkeling! read more

"The other spot for snorkeling Oahu in the winter." That's how we found out about this place... we had family visiting, and he REALLY wanted to do some snorkeling. So we made Hanauma Bay a destination, of course, but that place is SWARMING with people and can be a bit stressful as a result (plus it costs an entry fee)... we wanted to find other good free/casual snorkeling spots, but the reality is that Oahu is not the best island for snorkeling (in our opinion, that is probably Maui, as well as a few choice areas of the Big Island) This is especially true in winter, when several snorkeling spots (along North Shore) are deemed too difficult or dangerous due to the rough surf. Kuilima Cove is the exception -- it is sheltered by a rocky reef which blocks the waves and creates a nice little cove. It is not as teeming with fish as Hanauma Bay is... but the nice part is that it is not as teeming with people, either! There seems to be a little bit more live coral here, as well, and we found it easier to deal with because the water was deeper over the reefs (however, the more challenging part is that there is definitely a strong current in some spots here. You just have to learn how to navigate the currents... it's nothing too dangerous) The beach itself is also pretty nice. The public parking was pretty packed, and the beach definitely gets some people -- it can be a little cozy, but nothing like Waikiki on a busy day. It was also cool to see a monk seal sunbathing right there on the beach... It's the opposite end of the island from Waikiki (about an hour drive), but a pleasant experience for snorkeling and sunbathing, when the weather is good (it is cooler and more windy than Waikiki... very nice when the sun is out, but a little cool when cloudy) read more

Not too crowded, pretty good snorkeling (although the water was freezing!) Very family friendly, with lots of children playing and older parents lounging around. I would go again if I was on the north side looking for somewhere to snorkel! read more

Quiet little beach off to the side of the Turtle Bay Resort. Appreciated that the resort staff weren't at all snotty in directing us to the entrance and telling us where to park. I know that beach access restrictions aren't permitted, but rather helpful above and beyond. Restrooms and a hotel bar near by. Decent for beginner snorkeling. Not enough waves for bogie boarding. read more

We stopped here on our way from Kailua to the North Shore. We parked in the Turtle Cove parking lot and a walked to this nice little protected cove beach. My husband snorkeled with luck seeing sealife; by 3:30 the wind picked up so fierce that we and others packed up and left. Am downgrading a star because there seemed to be no amenities for non-guests, with chairs/umbrellas for rent to residents of the properties and, since this is a resort-type beach, only one restaurant-type place to eat. read more

Good snorkeling spot, in a cove so the water was nice!! Lots of fish and easy for beginners - Sandy beach and has a restaurant right there! You can also rent chairs, scuba stuff, or buy sunblock! read more

I'm giving this an extra star because I think Kuilima might've been better if it wasn't so windy. I was in constant fear that the waves would thrash me against the rocks, and the water is really murky and I saw maybe 3 or 4 small fish. The beach is alright, though. read more

When we got here (my fiancee and I) we expected it to be crowded because it is part of the Turtle Bay Resort...the small beach was not crowded and the snorkel rental fee was reasonable ($14 for both of us). The waves were a bit rougher than the previous snorkeling we had done but that was overshadowed by the amazing fish we saw. We even saw 2 eels (one white and one red). I would definitely recommend snorkeling here there were a ton of fish and not a lot of people. read more

I don't know what the big hype is about this beach. It's crowded and tiny. Any excitement I had about the amenities provided by the nearby resort were dashed by crappiness. I arrived to screaming children running everywhere. + 2 stars for the friendly fish you immediately see snorkeling. When I asked where the showers were, they were all broken, and the bar put FOUR lime wedges in my mojito, I paid $14 for limeade. Kailua has warmer/prettier sand and water. And the west coast has just as clear water/amazing snorkeling without the crowd and it stretches for miles. I can't believe the rates people pay to stay here! I couldn't wait to leave. read more