best place for beginner snorkel?

Hi,

We are leaving for Poipu next week. Excited!

Our daughter can%26#39;t swim yet, but she really wants to snorkel:S So we wonder if there are beaches with really mild water condition and safe guard for beginner snorkel. Thank you very much!

Eileen

best place for beginner snorkel?

The water can be pretty calm behind the breakwater at Brennecke%26#39;s Beach and over at Baby%26#39;s Beach (Hoona Road). Lawai Beach is a nice snorkeling area but check out the conditions. I%26#39;ve seen some big swells in that area at times.

We bought a boogie board with a window in it for our son to see the water and fish below. He just turned 7 and this worked out well for him. He swims fine but he has not mastered the snorkel and mask just yet. You can also rent these at Snorkel Bob%26#39;s in Koloa as well. My husband stands in the water while my son lies on the boogoe board, face in the mask. This works out well for a younger child.

Another nice area for children is Lydgate Park. It is also protected from the surf by a large reef off shore.

best place for beginner snorkel?

Sorry, Lydgate is over on the east side. There is also a fantastic playground there!

There is snorkeling and there is snorkeling around coral to see fish. Personally I don%26#39;t think anyone should try navigating in the ocean around coral who cannot swim.

I agree with put her on a board and guide it around in very shallow water, and tell her that swimming comes before snorkeling ... and start teaching her. And unless the spot is like a bathtub and with no waves and current at all, she should have a flotation device on.

There%26#39;s a lifeguard at Poipu beach. The water in front of the lifeguard station is shallow (also somewhat rocky in a lots of places so she needs to be able to stay calm and not thrash around wildly). There are lots of fish to see there.

The best place for a beginner is on the east side at Lydgate. Lots of fish there, too.

Great ideas and how to instruct young ones, and introduce them to the ocean.

Yesteday, we were at Poipu bbqing, under the trees which is near the keiki protected lagoon area.

It was great seeing the parents, with their wee ones, and sharing perhaps their very fist experience with the ocean waters.

And the parents were right there, having a great time with their children. Kids ages varied from todlers on up.

Very impressive to see the families sharing, and enjoying, and having good fun.

Great idea on showing them not to be splashing, and fin kicking tossing water all about .

Just relax and move slowly, plus they will be able to see more of the underwater life.

As they grow up, they won%26#39;t be one of the human torpedos, swiftly kicking, and racing thru a snorkelling area, colliding with other snorkelers,and smacking others in the face, knocking off masks, and bashing snorkels into mouths.

Anway, it was a very nice feelilng watching the families playing together in the keiki area.

Yesteday , it was very calm, and almost no swell at all in the protected lagoon.

Denny

Definately hit Lydgate first. It has a rock wall and it%26#39;s like a big swimming pool. Not a whole lot of tropical fish, but she%26#39;ll get the idea.

It%26#39;s great that you have lagoons that are that safe on Kaua%26#39;i.

My bad, I didn%26#39;t realize.

We have a couple on the Big Island but not much to see, and the water quality is suspect in them due to the same protected location makes the water exchange poor.

It sounds like Kaua%26#39;i is ideal for keiki swimming.

Thanks so much, everyone! very very helpful! I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll have a wonderful time!

I%26#39;d say Lydgate too but it all depends.....if there have been recent storms the water quality there can be pretty crappy and lots of debris up on the beach.

So have yourselves a backup plan too. You didn%26#39;t give your child%26#39;s age. But if you%26#39;re staying in Poipu I%26#39;d really head over to the keiki swimming area at Poipu Beach Park. If you go out to the far perimeters of this swimming area , where the rock begins, your child might be able to see a few fish. If nothing else, she would get used to the whole concept of the mask and snorkel. also, the lifeguard stand is right there.

A lot will depend on the water conditions at each location when you%26#39;re there.