Western Side of Big Island, Hawaii

I%26#39;m traveling with my family (3 kids in their 20%26#39;s) to the western side of the Big Island of Hawaii at the end of December/early January. I have been told that the surf on the beaches can be so rough at this time of year that it makes swimming and especially snorkeling difficult. Has this been other peoples%26#39; experience? Any comments about the area in general? We%26#39;re generally not into being in super-touristy areas, but would like to see the volacano and enjoy beautiful beaches and snorkeling, etc...

Thanks!

Western Side of Big Island, Hawaii

The ';western side'; of the Big Island is about 120 miles, so you need to be more specific about where you will stay. You shouldn%26#39;t have any problem snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach though. Beautiful beaches?! Not really found on the Big sland though, except A-Bay, Hapuna and the Beach at the Mauna Kea (limited access and the hotel is closed.)

Western Side of Big Island, Hawaii

Aloha,

The key word is ';can'; be rough, you just never know. There are days it is calm and days it is not.

In addition to Kahaluu for snorkeling Kealakekua Bay should be a great place to go that time of year.

Hapuna, A Bay and the Beach at Mauna Kea are the largest ones. There are some darling beaches that are smaller but still IMHO beautiful. They are:

Spencer Beach Park

White or Disappearing Sands Beach

Kuki%26#39;o Beach

Kua Bay

Have a great trip.

in addition to the previous advice --

remember that it%26#39;s winter. Hawai%26#39;i is a wonderful warm place to escape from mainland winter but we too have a winter, and along with it comes periodic northwest swells and high surf on shores facing that direction. Great season for surfing.

This swell affects the Kohala beaches and Kua Bay (which even loses its sand), whereas South Kona is more protected. A-Bay is reef-protected but not much to see there in the way of coral or fish. But many of our visitors only come at that time of year and have very enjoyable experiences. Just the contrast of escaping from winter is a good start.

You siad you don%26#39;t want to be in super-touristy areas. While we are not as touristy as Waikiki or Maui, this is the most touristy season of the year in Hawai%26#39;i, and it will be relatively touristy on the beautiful beaches and at the Volcano, as those are the #1 places our visitors like to go. It%26#39;s still going to be nice, and it hasn%26#39;t gotten to the point of being wall to wall people. Neither will you find it semi-deserted at this point. Ten years ago I went to A-Bay and there was almost no one on the beach -- not that way now.

The best time to do snorkeling from shore here is summer. I%26#39;m assured by the folks here that snorkel tours can find calm water most any time of year.

Joan, I definitely recommend you sit down and peruse a guidebook or two, which it doesn%26#39;t appear you%26#39;ve done yet or you would know that the ';west side'; encompasses quite the variety of microclimates, conditions, and attractions. Also read some Big Island trip reports posted in the forum here. This will help you ask more specific questions, which is where we can, I hope, be of some extra help.