Hands down my most favorite snorkeling spot on the island, and probably my most favorite out of everywhere I've been (and I have done my fair share of snorkeling around the world) the day we went the water was so crystal clear with fish, coral, sea turtles, and dolphins! Yes Dolphins!! I visited this place everyday I was on vacation really early in the morning before other people had arrived and before we started our day! And it was amaaaaaazing read more

Best snorkeling experience ever! Tons of beautiful fishes and the visibility is excellent! Be careful to find the right spot entering the water as it's a little bit wavy and a lot of sharp rocks. read more

Amazing coral head for snorkeling! It felt like floating in space. So much texture. So many fish. Kind of difficult to get out of the water. The spot where I jumped in was covered with urchins under the water. I had to find an alternate spot and have someone give me a hand down to get a foothold. Not impossible, but I wish I would have investigated a little more before I got all excited and jumped in. read more

We snorkeled here as well as a few other beaches in the area and this was by far the best. Two giant natural steps make entry easy and painless, unlike Kahaluu where we cut our feet on lava and struggled trying to get out into the water with 3 kids. We saw tons of fish, swam with a few turtles, and saw dolphins farther out than we wanted to swim. We found the snorkeling here to be better than captain cook and it was free access! Pay $5 to park in a lot across from beach or get there early enough for street parking. read more

I didn't get to see any dolphins but got to see a wonderful sight of about 30 yellow school of fish swimming near some rocks. There was also a long skinny fish swimming about. I wish there were more and different fish to see, but as it seems that the place is getting popular, the fish is becoming unpopulated. This is a snorkeling spot, so don't expect any showers or bathrooms. read more

Amazing snorkeling, with lots of beautiful fish and coral. I saw a turtle in one of the tide pools, but no dolphins for me. The water is warm and gets very deep very fast, but it is calm and easy to swim. Getting in was fairly easy, but getting back on the lava rocks was tricky with the waves, but worth it. It was crowded in the mid morning but still there was plenty of room. I went around sunset and it was much less crowded with people, and I saw tons of crabs. Also, some locals playing ukelele at a nearby picnic table. So nice. Can't wait to go back! read more

No question...this is an extraordinary spot. It's kind of a drive to get there but it's WELL worth it! The enormous amount of colorful tropical fish, the emersion instantly into deep water from the literal "two steps" and its location right next to the State Park makes this a really special place. It's remote enough that you won't see life guards though, but you'll certainly not feel alone. Plenty of folks know about this area...even though it's 25 miles from Kailua Village. We really LOVE this spot! read more

GREAT snorkeling location! There is a variety of shallow and deeper waters; you can see some coral but not too much if that's what you're into. There are two steps built into the lava that you can sit down on to get into the water. I was able to get out but the waves have to be right to get out that same way. There are a lot of nice fish to see. Everyone told us we would see turtles, and I was just about to give up, when my friend spotted one swimming near some other snorkelers. We followed it for a while and watched it go down to a rock on the floor and eat. The currents were not too strong that day, but just be aware of any warnings. Wasn't too busy either! read more

MAY 30, 2013 - TREADED WATER 10 MIN. OUT FROM THE SHORE - ABOUT 50 FT. DEEP WATER - A POD OF 16 SPINNER DOLPHINS SWAM WITHIN 3 FEET OF RICHARD AND 8 FEET OF MINNA AND I THEN THEY DOVE DOWN RIGHT BELOW US....... What an amazing experience!!! We went there on Thursday May 30, 2013 with snorkel gear in tow and all 3 of us had individual "noodles" to help us float in the deep water. I'm a solid swimmer, but as soon as you enter the Two Steps you are directly in deep water, at least 30 feet deep. We were on a mission to get up close and personal with the spinner dolphins (without disturbing them of course) so we swam out about 10 min. from shore and were probably treading water in 40-50 foot deep water, but as they say "patience is a virtue" and as we distanced ourselves about 15 feet away from the closest other snorkelers that were talking out loud, we found our spot to tread water lightly while resting our arms over our noodles and quietly and patiently waiting for the dolphins to come closer. They did not dissappoint us. Completely out in the wild, a pod of 16 of them swam past our friend Richard just 3 feet in front of him and within 8 feet of my friend Minna and I then they dove deep below us and we watched them under water till they disappeared into the deep abyss and eventually resurfaced somewhere else nearby. That was the closest we got to them. As soon as the other snorklers saw our luck, they made their way over to us (not knowing the trick is to shut up and stop moving) so we eventually gave up and swam back to shore (but this was after we were out there at least 20 min. and saw them swim all around us at least 5 times, with the last time being the close encounter Richard had!!!) So phenomenal!!! I am no longer interested in "swimming with a dolphin" in captivity.... this was a far better experience. I may not have photos, but my mind will always remember this glorious day!!! We got there about 10:30am so we were lucky they the dolphins were still swimming in and out of this bay. This was one of the 3 most amazing experiences we had on the island (the 2 others were: the lava hike on the live volcano Mauna Loa - saw the lava flow into the ocean at night and came within 5 feet of 2,000 degree surface movement of lava; AND we scuba dove down to bottom of an area of the ocean that was only 35 feet deep, where we sat on the ocean floor for 45 min. with our flashlights attracting the plankton that 13 big manta rays (with 10-16 foot wingspan) were doing big loops above our heads to eat the plankton and one of them even hit me in the head by accident - didn't hurt - they are completely harmless and live off plankton and are always moving - they never stop swimming since the time they are born (live birth - approx. 400 lbs. each) till the time they die (about 100+ years). Amazing creatures of the sea!!! Blessed vacation with 2 wonderful friends I met while traveling in other countries over the past 3 years!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Good visibility, greet variety and accessibility.

By far the best snorkel spot we visited (twice) on our trip. Free parking on the upper road or down by the water if you can get it, otherwise $5 parking "honor system". Can get crowded and finding a spot to leave your things where they won't get wet can be hard. The spot to get into the water are "two steps" of rocks down into the water. That area can get congested with newbies taking too long to get into the water - just get in! On our second trip we swam over the right where it drops off and gets deep! That's where we saw dolphins 10-15 feet away from us based on visibility. Amazing and daunting at the same time. Best to go snorkeling earlier in the morning. Had lunch up the road at Super J's and Big Jake's BBQ - best lau lau and tri tip! read more

This snorkeling is AMAZING!! If you get there before noon (earlier the better), you are almost guaranteed to swim with pods of dolphins. The water is beautifully clear and dark blue. I was a little nervous about getting in the water after reading the warnings, but it could not have been easier! Go in where you see other people stepping in- this puts you in right above a reef filled with colorful fish. Getting out is a little trickier, but as long as you keep your hands flat, you won't touch any urchins or such. Kids and elderly can easily get in as well- you don't have to be athletic. Swim out deeper for turtles and dolphins! We got within 5 feet of the dolphins, but remember not to touch or harass them. They, as well as the fish, are beautiful and so fun to watch. My family agrees that this snorkeling is better than the Captain Cook Monument. Much easier to access, warm, and clear blue water. Easy to come in an out for breaks! 5 Stars. read more

Easy and accessible place to enjoy snorkeling. Quite deep in some areas. Go early in the morning as there is not much space for parking. See video here: https://youtu.be/mIXutrEBU_Q read more

I loved snorkeling there even though my time there was short. I don't live here but would love to come back.there are a lot of fish,sea turtles,(we even saw a puffer fish un blown),sea stars,crab tinier like fiddlers just a little bigger on the rocks,hermit crabs,shrimp,what looked like maybe a crayfish,and TONS of sea urchins. It was not standing deep for most people but not to deep. My dad can stand when there are rocks. But be careful , my brother got pushed into a sea urchin. It just stung for a little but it was easy to help, maybe bring twesers.there are just in holes in the rocks. The current is not bad. Best for snorkeling or at least gogles.some tidepools (kind of a bunch).the sea turtles are very friendly. Don't touch them it is bad for there skin. No life guards but kayak rentals across street and pretty safe. A bunch of coral and sea life. It was amazing .it was the best,totally go or your missing out. read more

Two Step is beautiful snorkeling and easy to access because of the stones basically lined up like two steps. We took our 9 year old snorkeling and she did just fine. Some people had pool noodles with them to assist in swimming but I found it to be just fine without one. This was the best snorkeling area of the island. We saw turtles and the fish were plentiful. read more

This is the best snorkeling spot on the island in my opinion. There are tons of fish and it's relatively easy to get in and out of the water. You step down onto a ledge and then down into the water. It's next to the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park (which is worth a visit in it's own right). You can park at the Park for $5 or if you get there early you can park along the road. read more

Ignore "Lawrence H." The guy is a moron. This is hands down the best, easily accessible snorkeling on the big island. Crystal clear water, tons of fish, eels, and turtles. If Lawrence had done his research he would know that there is not much live soft coral in big island waters, as the volcanic activity doesn't facilitate ph levels that sensitive corals need to thrive. If you go anywhere other than sea world and expect guaranteed dolphins, you just don't understand how nature works. Also there were several senior citizens having a blast in the water, so if swimming here was too much of a challenge for Lawrence I suggest he stay out of the ocean and stick to the kiddy pools. If you get the chance to snorkel here, don't pass it up. read more

Awesome snorkeling area! Saw turtles feeding, beautiful coral and lots of tropical fishies! I've been told you can experience dolphin encounters if you are there early and swim out a little ways past the coral. Definitely try to get there early for a good parking spot and before all the tourists come out. We snorkeled for about two hours early one morning, after coming back to shore, many boats and buses were dropping off loads of people to snorkel. It's so easy to get to, no need to pay for a snorkel tour! Rent some gear and hop on in!! Would definitely go back! read more

Great snorkeling spot! We parked in the little lot across from the beach though we would have just parked on the street had we arrived earlier. It's $5 to park and you just leave cash in the little box. Leave everything in the car except your snorkel gear and your shoes. Flip flops are fine (would not recommend walking over barefoot because of the rocks but sneakers aren't necessary). You can just leave your shoes on the rocks just before getting in. Overall, really easy to get to and in my opinion easy to get in and out of the water. Do be careful because the rocks are slippery of course. I sat down on the big rock just inside the water and hopped in from there. Water is clear and you can see fish before even getting in the water. It seemed quite rough at first with the water crashing against the rocks but really was calm and enjoyable once in the water. We didn't see any dolphins but lots of fish and one turtle. Not the most variety of fish I've seen while snorkeling but overall a great experience and well worth the trip! read more