Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay (pronounced "ha-NOW-mah", not "ha-NAH-mah" or "ha-nah-OOMAH") is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone or crater and located along the southeast coast of the Island of O‘ahu (just east of Honolulu) in the Hawaiian Islands. Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Island and has suffered somewhat from overuse (at one time accommodating over three million visitors per year). The Park is open every day except Tuesday.

Hanauma is both a Nature Preserve and a Marine Life Conservation District (the first of several established in the State of Hawai‘i). Visitors are required by law to refrain from mistreating marine animals or from touching, walking, or otherwise having contact with coral heads, which appear much like large rocks on the ocean floor (here, mostly seaward of the shallow fringing reef off the beach). It is always recommended to avoid contacting coral or marine rocks as cuts to the skin can result and neglecting such wounds may bring medical problems.