Hanauma Bay

I know a lot about visiting Hanauma Bay because I worked there for almost two years.  As of December 2013, the park is open every day except for Tuesdays.  Their hours are from 6am to 6pm in the winter months and 6am to 7pm in the summer months.  A little secret is that if you come in before 7am, you don't have to pay for parking or admission.  Parking is $1 and they take cash only so be sure you have some handy before you get there.  On busy days, the parking lot fills up early and you will have to wait until someone leaves before they'll let you in.  Admission is $7.50 and kids 12 and under are free.  There are lots of extra costs once you get inside the bay.  They have snorkel gear to rent, but if you are planning on snorkeling more than once during your trip, definitely bring your own or rent from a company that does weekly rentals.  There is a tram that takes you up and down the hill for a fee.  When I worked there, it was $2.00 for an all day pass.  There are also food concessions that are rather overpriced, and a gift shop.  People always ask me where the best place is to snorkel.  It really is about the same everywhere inside the reef.  If the water is calm, and you are a good swimmer, I recommend going out the channels and exploring outside the reef.  (Talk to a lifeguard before you go out.)  Please do not go in deeper than your knees if you can't swim.  People drown here all the time in water that they can stand up in.  For reals.  Ambulances are a weekly occurrence during the busy summer month.  Of course, this beach isn't a dangerous one, in fact it's one of the safest.  It just has a higher number of tourists who don't know what they're doing.  If you want to know more, ask me about it.  Let me know if you want to know more about what it's like to work at a touristy beach, I have lots of stories. :)

Octopus

Outside the reef

Outside the reef

There are tons of wild chickens here, and often chicks!

Monk seals sometimes hang out on this beach

Hanauma Bay was closed down because of jellyfish once when we worked there

This chicken liked to catch rides on our tram

I did not take this picture, one of the regular visitors did

Sea turtle rescue in progress

Kualoa Ranch

Kualoa Ranch was one of my favorite things we did in Hawaii.  We were able to find a Groupon that made it very affordable.  Their current prices and offerings are on their website: http://www.kualoa.com/.  We chose to do the 1-hr ATV tour, the movie sites tour, the catamaran ride, and Secret Beach.  We loved all of it.  At Secret Beach, they have paddle boards, canoes, hammocks, and pretty much anything else you'd want at a beach.  It had been a dream of mine to sit in a hammock on the beach, so I was pleased.  The movie sites tour was really fun, and I loved how our tour guide snuck a dinosaur into a picture of us with the tree from Jurassic Park.  He was a really fun tour guide.  The catamaran ride was beautiful, and we got to see breathtaking views of Kaneohe Bay.  The ATV tour was fun, and just the right amount of time, because my hands were starting to get tired by the end.  If you get a chance to visit Kualoa Ranch and can fit it in your budget, I highly recommend it.

Sea Life Park

Sea Life Park was one of my favorite things to do when we lived in Hawaii.  It was very close to our house so I could just pop in for the 12:30 Dolphin Cove show thanks to our season passes.  You can see their current hours and prices on their website: http://sealifeparkhawaii.com/.  They have three big shows, each of which are fun.  One is dolphins, one is seals, and one is a mix of several kinds of animals.  My favorite is of course the dolphin show.  They also have displays of many kinds of sea animals and birds.  They offer animal encounters for an extra fee.  I was lucky enough to be spoiled by my husband on our anniversary when he booked me a dolphin adventure.  I had done one at Sea World many years ago, but this one was more fun because you got to get in the water with the dolphins and even take a ride on them.  Of course this park doesn't really compare to Sea World, in both size and in how nice it is, but it makes for a fun day and I really enjoyed it.