where on the big island?
are you going to have a car?

>>1118185

We'll have a car. Our hotel is in Kona, but we will be making day trips to other parts of the island, like Waimea, Hilo and the east and south parts, so we'll go anywhere on the island if it's cool.

>>1118196
coastal canyons on the northern tip are awesome hikes, waterfalls near hilo are cool (hilo itself is pretty shitty, ghetto and unwelcoming), seeing actual molten lava in the southeast is fucking mindblowing, stand up paddle boarding out of the kona harbor sounds dumb but is actually amazing (go on a day with no chop if it's your first time), basically any beach near kona is going to be great. google map/google earth is your friend for scouting them before the trip.

Heya, big island resident here.
Best beaches for snorkeling are on the Kona coast, right in Kona town is kahaluu beach park, fucking amazing and awesome and crowded. Very shallow, very gentle swimming. Sometimes turtles are right there in the midst of everyone snacking on seaweed, fantastic place to take the kids. But crowded.
Up north there is lapakahi beach park, small cultural interpretive site, ruins and foundations of an old Hawaiian village, great reef, very clear waters. It may not actually be okay to swim there sometimes, seals like to hang out there and then you aren't allowed near them and it's a very small water access.
Just a mile or two north of that is a place called mahu Kona, it's a small beach park popular with the locals, an old harbor and barge dock gone to ruin. The fish are not as plentiful as lapakahi, as people like to fish right there, but it is easy water access on a very rocky coastline and has showers to rinse off at.
On the north shore of the island, basically forget snorkeling, it's all cliffs, and the cliffs continue underwater. It gets deep FAST. Great spear fishing in Hamakua if you are into that...
On the east side of the island you'll want to go to kapoho, parking sucks, snorkeling is awesome. At the end of kapoho a beach road is a small park and plaque scene right on the shore, several acres worth of deep and shallow tidal pools make for great puttering about and playing on small islands, great for kids. Wear fully closed flippers or good reef shoes, there are a ridiculous number of sea urchins.
I can't really speak to snorkeling options to the south, there is no beach access without overnight hiking on the volcanoes national park south east coastline.

>>1118226
*kapoho beach road*
Not sure where the 'a' came from.
It occurs to me to recommend a boat tour, there's lots, ocean sport adventures is a big player and has a very nice snorkel tour to a secluded bay with a good reef and a decent chance of spotting dolphins.
If you are wanting to do hiking, pololu valley in the north has fantastic views. Puu huluhulu up on the saddle road is a very neat cinder cone covered in trails, nice views of the mountains assuming the clouds haven't rolled in.
Hiking in volcanoes is always great, although you should do that in the morning as it tends to rain most afternoons. Check out Kilauea iki for a hike into and across a solidified lava lake, take a look down the throat of a volcanoe! Seriously, if you can hack the climb into and out of the crater do it, the trail goes literally to the edge of a hole that had been spewing magma fifty years ago.

>>1118226
>>1118210

Awesome, thank you guys.

What areas of the island would you recommend focusing on? We're into birdwatching/wildlife, and botany also.

>>1118318
How long are you staying? It's not a terribly big island, you can drive around the whole thing the long way in five hours.
Do volcanoe for sure, look up 'bird park', an easy forest trail that is through a (slightly messed up due to invasive species and a wind storm a few years ago) nice forest that is home to pheasants and numerous native birds. There are also small flocks of Hawaiian geese in the area, they tend to fly in the early dawn and late evening.
Kona has lots of birds, lots of lizards, lots of mongoose.
For a gentle hike that almost always has great views and winds through both raw lava fields and lush forest patches and everything in between look up the "Puu O'o" trail about twenty miles up the saddle road above Hilo town. Has a lot of native birds that haven't been completely decelerated by mosquitos, because it's at high elevation and can get quite cold. And wet. Bring a rain jacket and don't stay out on the lava fields if it gets dark or foggy. It is alarmingly easy to get turned around in some of the trail sections if you lose sight of the rock pile markers.
On the north coast, take the old Mamalahoa highway from Waimea to Honokaa, it's a little slower than the regular highway but it winds through cow pastures where native hawks and owls hunt and pheasants and turkeys wander. Also has some of the best views of kohala and Mauna Kea if you get a good day, best chances of views are before noon.

I would look into going down to Green beach. It is on the southwest corner of the island. It is about a 3 mile hike out there but they have some locals that will give you a ride out there for 10 dollars. Take my advise and take the shuttle. Then you down down a steep hill and you are at the water.

There is also an old port and railway station that is up on the northwest side of side of the island. I do not remember what it is called, mahukona state park I looked it up. There are stairs that go to the little bay, you will see hundreds of fish just looking over the side into the water. There was a group of little old ladies there in the AM and they go out snorkeling every day. Also the park is free and there are very few people there. I would recommend this place first, and you can look it up on google earth and you will see that it is perfect.
The little beach at the courtyard marriott is OK but you will be there with 100 other people unless there is a cruise ship in, in which case you will be there with 250 people.
You should also do volcano park and take a day to do that, stay until dark so you can see the red glow of the carter of the volcano.

>>1118181
If you want to hang out with locals I would recommend going to the welfare office, places that take food stamps, places to sign up for Obama care and shops that are giving away free Obama phones

>>1118497

Mahalo

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>>1118181

I know a few locals if you want to see some real shit. If you're interested reply back and I'll post an email.