We hiked down, which took us about 45 minutes. Once there, you'll encounter a beautiful bay with crystal clear water. I forgot my snorkel gear, but my sister-in-law didn't, so she went out and said it was great. It's a destination spot for kayakers and tour boats, so there will be other people around. To enter the water and out is a little tricky as well, so be prepared. Here's the fun part. The hike back up. It's TOUGH! Sign said 2000ft elevation gain, and it's nearly straight up with no switchbacks. You better have good shoes since you'll be on mostly lava rocks, you'll be exposed to the sun most of the time, bring a lot of water, and be in decent shape. I wouldn't hike it again, but will look into a kayak or boat tour.

Good snorkeling. A very long walk to get there. I found going down with the loose lava worse then going up. Do not hike this trail unless you plan on snorkeling. Shocked by the number of people hiking with kids without snorkeling, and then trying to ask the tours to sell them snorkel gear. Be prepared. The mongoose will open your pack, very talented and eat your sandwich. I’m glad we did it, but the snorkeling at 2 step was amazing and a lot less effort to get there. I wouldn’t personally go back

This is the second time making the hike. First time was solo. This time I was joined by my wife. I'm 49 years old and in pretty good shape for my age. The hike was much easier for me than 4 years ago due to being able to work out this year. Last time I was coming off a knee injury. It still is not an easy hike. The downhill is more difficult than the return climb. It is shaded for about the first half of the hike. The rest has no shade. It took us about an hour each way but we stopped for pictures/video a few times. The snorkeling at the end is great. I saw a pretty large eel but no dolphins. Beware that there are a lot of loose rocks. It would be very easy to injure a knee or ankle on the rocks. A majority of the hike is over loose terrain. It is a steady decline/incline with pretty much no flat stretches. I worked at the IRONMAN triathlon from 7am to 1 pm the day of our hike so we didn't start until after 2. The heat was fine for us but may not be for others. Take plenty of water and a pair of dry shorts for after you swim. I saw people into their 60's that were making the hike with frequent breaks. We also saw people not make it. It's worth it though