Snorkeling was one of the things I knew I wanted to do while we were in Hawaii, I had done some brief snorkeling in Chania on Crete and at Coco Kay in the Bahamas and really enjoyed those. We had heard that Shark’s Cove was a great easy place to snorkel on Oahu’s North Shore, and it did not disappoint.

How to get to Shark’s Cove

Like most things on the North Shore, Shark’s Cove is just off of Highway 83. You can come around the north point of the Island through Laie or you can come up the middle of the island on H2 and then through Hale’iwa. Which way you come really just depends on where you are coming from.

Shark’s Cove is just a short ways north of Waimea Valley and Waimea Bay. Look for signs for Shark’s Cove and try to find parking as close as possible, which might not be very close. Like most beaches there is not nearly enough places to park. There is a tiny parking lot at the beach itself, but most of the parking is along the road. Be careful walking back to the beach.

From the beach you can easily walk into the water of the cove after crossing the rocky area.

What You will See at Shark’s Cove

Despite its name there are no sharks at Shark’s Cove. Nor could there be, it is pretty shallow and is essentially walled in completely by a lava rock reef all the way around. You will, however, see lots of other fish and marine life if you go snorkeling here.

I was amazed at how many different kinds of fish we saw while we were here. There are different depths all over the cove, but even if you are standing in just a couple feet of water, if you stick your face under the water you will see fish swimming everywhere.

There is a lot to explore at Shark’s Cove. I didn’t keep track, but I would guess that I only saw about half of it while we were there. It is easier to snorkel when you get out the the deeper parts where you can float and swim more comfortably.

Sum Up

Shark’s Cove is an awesome place to go snorkeling and see some amazing fish and animals. We would recommend this to anyone visiting the North Shore, and I would also definitely recommend bringing a GoPro type camera with you to get underwater video and photos.

There are restrooms and showers located at the beach park. We had snorkel gear provided at the house where we were staying, but there are also plenty of places you can rent or buy gear along the North Shore.