Snorkel Bob's — Attraction in Honolulu

I considered various options for renting snorkeling equipment prior to our trip but decided on Snorkel Bob's because it seemed a lot less stressful than other options. We just wanted to rent for one day rather than a week. They do a 24 hour rental so we could pick up towards the end of the day (4 pm) the day before we needed them, snorkel the next morning, and get them returned by 4 pm the next day. (Some of the other options were same day pickup and not being sure how parking was going to work at Hanauma Bay, I didn't want to take any chances with delays.) The shop is convenient to hotels and condos in Waikiki. We rented four sets (mask, fins, snorkel), one of which had vision correction for $60. We added $7 for insurance at the shop, which ended up not being needed, but we weren't sure how Hanauma Bay was going to be - would probably pass on it next time. They emailed me ahead of time for my prescription information for the set with vision correction. We had a FANTASTIC experience. The young lady at the shop was patient with us as we tried out the masks and fins. I could not believe how perfectly I could see out of the vision corrected mask. I love that they can do that now. Everything was good quality; we paid for the nice stuff. It was totally the right decision and so glad we chose this company. Would do it all over again.

We snorkeled in Hanauma Bay and I would definitely recommend that as well. We were there in October and had a 10 a.m. reservation. We were there early, probably 9:15 or so. We were able to secure parking, no problem. (We had purchased our tickets two days before at 7 a.m. online when they went on sale - definitely be online in time to purchase right at 7 a.m. as they sell out quickly). You can also rent your snorkel equipment directly at the bay but with the long lines, I was glad we had already done so. It was also great to have had the time in the shop ahead of time to make sure everything fit well and was good quality. At the shop they also give you a bottle of anti-fog liquid which we used and worked great.

Would definitely recommend Snorkel Bob's and...

Was excited to come rent gear as it was my first time getting good snorkel gear for Hanauma bay and the associate that helped us was rude from beginning to end of the transaction. I told her we were renting gear for a few people, some of them weren’t at the rental but I knew their shoe sizes. She rolled her eyes and asked what time was our appointment for the bay and she asked me if I was okay with paying $200 if we lost the gear. I stared at her appalled at how rude she asked the question and said “yes, isn’t that a risk with renting, if you lose the gear? Is this a question you ask before renting typically?” And she condescendingly goes, “Are you sure you’re okay with paying $200 for EACH package lost?” And continued to give a reasonable explanation “Well, if the fins don’t fit and they slip you need to be aware that you have to pay for the replacement. Some people have gotten upset” which is probably what she should’ve started off with rather than some weird line of questioning. We didn’t even save that much compared to rentals at the bay. What a poor business interaction, there are disclaimers and waivers for a reason, this is common practice, not a unique situation from not having all parties present for a fitting. Based on this interaction I wouldn’t recommend going here for rentals unless you bring everyone in your party and are willing to roll the dice with...

Today I went right at 8am to rent snorkel equipment. The woman asked where I was headed. I told her I was headed to the north shore and east shore for the day with plans to stop at sharks cove. She then gave me a rude look, and said I won't be able to snorkel or swim anywhere up there due to 10 ft waves. Confused, I told her that I already spoke with several locals who spear fish/snorkel and they recommended I head up there as there are still some areas to snorkel. She again was rude and condescending, exclaiming that the red flags are out and I'd need a surf board. She also said the tide was rising too. She said I could still rent it if I want but she's a local and knows best. So I did not end up getting snorkel gear here because of her.

I took off to the north shore anyways. There were MANY areas to snorkel up on the north shore w/ calm waters. Many people were in shark's cove from 9am -5pm still with calm waters. Many people were swimming in Waimea bay, Waialua bay and multiple beaches on the east shore. I was frustrated as her misinformation wasted much of my time so I did not get to snorkel at all. I felt she saw two non-native girls and judged us. She did not believe us when we told her the contradictory information we received from other locals. She shrugged us off and was rude when we were skeptical of her...