Swimming with Wild Dolphins!

Guest Post by Amazing Girl Traveler ~

Emma Bertram, 7-years old!

Hi!  My name is Emma, & I’m so excited to be writing this post for you about one of my favorite places….HAWAII!!  I love Hawaii, & I love animals too ~ & this secret snorkeling spot I’ll tell you about has WILD DOLPHINS ~ can you believe it??!?  You get to swim with wild dolphins…can you THINK of anything more cool than that?!  

I don’t think I can.

Anyway, I’ve been to the Big Island twice.  I wouldn’t call myself a Hawaii expert or anything ~ but I’ve definitely found some cool snorkeling spots I want to tell you about!  In this post, I’ll tell you about my very favorite, secret snorkeling spot (where the wild dolphins are!) on Big Island Hawaii that not many tourists know about.  So keep reading to find out all about it!

But first off, let me introduce myself ~ so you know just exactly who your Hawaii guide is!  This is me snorkeling in Hawaii!

snorkeling with wild dolphins hawaii

Yup – that’s me!  Emma!  I love snorkeling more than almost anything…& it’s definitely my favorite thing to do outside ~ especially when I’m in Hawaii!  And especially when there are dolphins around…I just love dolphins ~ can you tell?!  Okay, so let’s get started!  We’re off to the Big Island!  But first, let’s make sure you’ve packed what you really need for your “Hawaiian Snorkeling Adventure!”  

Top 5 Things You Need in Hawaii!

  1. Sunscreen ~ The sun is so strong in Hawaii!  Sunscreen is the #1 thing you need in Hawaii ~ especially if you want to be in the water a lot like I do!  My mom likes Blue Lizard sunscreen because it doesn’t have a bunch of yucky chemicals in it…gross!  It goes on a little bit white, but once you rub it in the white goes away.  Good thing! 

  2. Great Bathing Suit ~ Of course you need a cute bathing suit for snorkeling in Hawaii, & personally ~ I like leopard suits!  Leopard goes with everything : )  Mainly, you want a suit you feel comfortable swimming in, because you may be in the water for hours…you never know!  

  3. Rash Guard  Why do you need a rash guard?  I can think of 2 reasons!  First, it protects your back & arms from the sun while you’re snorkeling.  When the light reflects off the water ~ you can really get burned!  Second, it protects you from getting a rash…just like the name says!  Especially if you’re surfing, these really come in handy.  Plus in pink, they’re really cute!

  4. Snorkeling Gear ~ You can rent snorkeling gear in Hawaii…or you can bring your own!  The problem with kids snorkeling gear is that sometimes the sizes don’t fit right ~ so I think it’s easier to just bring your own.  The set I brought had a mask, a snorkel, & even my own cute pink fins….winning!  Don’t forget fins when you’re snorkeling ~ otherwise you can’t keep up with all of the cute animals you find!  

  5. Sea Drops What are Sea Drops?  Don’t worry ~ I didn’t know what they were either until my mom told me!  You put them in your underwater mask to stop it from getting fogged up!  It’s no fun to be underwater in a foggy mask!  I want to enjoy my time with the animals when I’m underwater, & not worry about taking my mask off all the time to clean it when it gets fogged up!  These drops are perfect for that : )

  6. Underwater Camera ~ This is an absolute MUST!  If you go underwater & find all these cool animals ~ you want to remember it & keep the memories, don’t you?!  I can’t imagine going on this adventure without having memories to look at aftwerwards.  Especially if you’re an animal lover like me!  So don’t forget to tell your parents to pack a great underwater camera!

  7. Kid’s Sunglasses ~ I don’t travel anywhere without my kid’sssssss sunglasses!  Especially in Hawaii, where it’s always sunny & the sun is so strong!  Unless you want to be squinting all the time, you definitely need to have a great pair of your favorite kid’s sunglasses!

  8. Kid’s Baseball Hat ~ This one’s a no-brainer!  All we keep talking about is how strong the sun is in Hawaii ~ so of course you’re going to need to bring along your favorite hat to protect your face & even your ears!  Sometimes, the top of your head can even get burned & believe me ~ you don’t want that to happen!  (Plus, it’s really hard to put sunscreen on the top of your head ~ trust me ; )  So pack your coolest hat & you won’t need to worry about silly things like putting sunscreen on your head!

Okay…Now Let’s Go Snorkeling!

Okay, we’ve got our gear ~ now let’s get out there!  I think we need a map of Big Island Hawaii to look at, so we know where to go.  Click on this link here to find a map!  Once you pull up the map, you should see two volcanoes in the center of the island: Mauna Kea is the northern one, Mauna Loa is the southern volcano.  On the left side of the island (west side), you’ll find some cities like: Kailua-Kona (the main city on the Big Island), Waikoloa Village (this is where we stayed!), & Captain Cook below Kona…which is near our secret snorkeling spot!  

Yay!

Snorkeling with Wild Dolphins Hawaii

Okay….so how do we get to this crazy secret snorkeling spot, you wonder?!  Well, let me tell you!  Click here for a map of exactly where to go!  The name of the beach you’re looking for is called: Pae’a (in Hawaiian), or Two Step (in English).  Two Step Beach is about ten minutes south of Captain Cook, & is very close to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau Park & Burial Site.  What does that mean?!  It means that’s where cool ancient Hawaiian chiefs are buried!  The day we visited, there was even a local festival & parade going on, which was very cool to stop & see.  Any time I can learn about another culture…I just love it!

Why would we want to go to a secret snorkeling spot in Hawaii?  Well, you can go on a boat tour ~ which is kind of cool, because there are fun slides on the boat for kids, & they serve you lots of food.  And they have a great diving board that’s fun to jump off!  BUT ~ the problem with the boat tour, is it’s filled with tourists!  If you want to find a place that’s a little more special, & where you’ll see more animals (who aren’t scared off by a bunch of tourists!) ~ then that’s why we’re going to show you about this secret snorkeling spot, where there are millions & millions of wild dolphins!  Okay, maybe not millions ~ but you get the idea : )  

Please note: You’re going to have to walk along some rocks to get to Two Step ~ it’s not a sandy beach.  So if you have really little kids who aren’t comfortable with swimming yet & walking along the rocks, save this trip until they’re a little older!

Snorkeling with Wild Dolphins Hawaii

Dolphins are one of my favorite animals….EVER!!!  And to be able to swim them is one of the coolest things I’ve EVER done!!  Plus, there are so many other kinds of cool fish to see, once you’re under the water.  You can stay up at the surface if you want ~ but it’s also fun to free dive, & get closer to the bottom of the ocean, because that’s where you’ll see all kinds of cool animals & creatures.  

Hold your breath…..and…..DIVE!!!

snorkeling with wild dolphins in Hawaii

Look at all the cool fish we get to see while we’re down here!  I love how colorful they are!

Snorkeling with Wild Dolphins in Hawaii

I even saw a trumpet fish while I was down there!  They look different than any other fish I’ve ever seen ~ so long & skinny!

Snorkeling with Wild Dolphins in Hawaii, Trumpet Fish

And whatever you do ~ don’t forget to take a “karate chop” picture underwater…you won’t regret it! 

Snorkeling with Wild Dolphins in Hawaii

Thank you for joining me on this special underwater Hawaiian Adventure ~ & join me on my next post where I’ll be talking about more fun stuff to do on the Big Island of Hawaii!  I hope you see as many animals as I did at Two Step Beach, especially the beautiful wild dolphins!  

Tell me all about it in the comments below ~ especially if you’re another kid like me!  But most importantly…

Enjoy Your Hawaiian Adventure!