Lydgate State Park

You can see that the internal area is well protected for general fish viewing. Take the entry just off the parking lot and explore the formations off to your right.

This is a great place for kids and families. We saw and took pictures of 1.5 ft long blue fish, not sure about the name.

04/06/2009 - Went to Lydgate to snorkel during a high surf day. Snorkeling was good, although the breaking surf reduced the visibility. An excellent place for beginners, and enough fish to interest most snorkelers.

This was one of our favorite beaches on Kauai! Since it was Mid-November it didn't seem super busy. We stayed in the protected area and walked around in the 3+ feet of water. Could see fish swim by without snorkel gear. School children were on the playground (guessing for lunch) when we arrived, once they left, it was less noisy. Pleasant even with them there. Would recommend this area for swimming & beginner snorkeling! Really not much surf to create waves in the reefed area.

Visibility was really bad.

Nice dive site! We dove here four times, two times out to the right side of the bay and two times out to the left side. Going to the right side we had a very long surface swim out, about 20 minutes but it was worth it. Nice sandy bottom, with lots of shells and stuff to find in the sand. Nice easy entry and exit to the water, the only draw back is that you have to get there early to get a parking spot. There is very limited parking there. Over all we had a great time diving at Koloa Landing. I can't wait to visit Kauai again.

I have MS and walk with Forearm crutches and enjoyed the climb down to snorkel. I had to go back for more! The time spent at Shark's cove will be remembered by myself and family.

This was an EXCELLENT place to introduce small children to snorkeling. The protective sea wall keeps the water very calm so there are no waves or currents, but within the wall there is quite a variety of fish for the little ones to see. There is also a nice sand beach and a second, smaller and shallower protected area for toddlers. There are bathroom facilities, a huge playground, and a snack bar nearby. A wonderful way for a young family to spend the day on Kauai. Experienced snorkelers and divers would probably not be interested in this area.

Can't evaluate the scuba, but the snorkeling here is great for beginners or people who are looking for an easy snorkeling experience. There are 2 man-made, protected pools; 1 with shallow water for small children and another with deeper (7'-8') for more experienced swimmers. There's a surprising variety of fish in the pools.

Snorkeling is easy here. A big breakwater surrounds the beach. Fish entertain the kids. Lydgate Park is set up for families. The park has great play structure, BBQ sites and restrooms. Easy parking.