The savvy reader knows that you should never leave your valuables unattended on the beach. So what are you to do with your money, phone, car keys, room keys, license, credit cards, etc? How will you keep them dry when you snorkel, kayak or snorkel? Store them in a floating waterproof carry case or a type of dry sack.
You can search for waterproof cases and dry sacks online. Check REI or Amazon.
Since we originally wrote this article in 2008, several new solutions have become available. Waterproof pouches with straps have become popular and they’re reasonably-priced, too. For example, here’s a popular waterproof pouch (or fanny pack) from Amazon that holds the essentials.
You can also check in your local stores like Wal-Mart and Target. As summer swimming gear is arriving in stores, this is a good time to look for waterproof cases. Oddly enough I found the floating waterproof case shown in the above photo at my local Kroger grocery store.
Sheila Beal
17 comments
This was one of the concerns we had when we went snorkeling on our own at Captain Cook’s monument on the Big Island (great snorkeling, but it’s quite a hike unless you take a canoe in), but we left ours sitting out and no one hassled it. After all the scary stories about car breakins, I’m glad nothing happened.
Jim – I’m glad you didn’t have a problem. We’ve not either, but I have heard many horror stories. So, now I don’t take any risks.
I’ve heard great things about snorkeling at Captain Cook’s monument. I’ll definitely put that on my itinerary for next time!
I just don’t take anything valuable to the beach… :-/ I also Hide my car keys somewhere….
@ Joe – just don’t do what I sometimes do…I’m so good at hiding things that I sometimes hide them from myself. 😛
I’ve been subscribing to Go Visit Hawaii of the past month or so , preparing for my first trip to the Islands. Your information is first rate,according to my brother who’s been there many times. I’ve been forwarding some articles I saw that pertained to what we’ll be doing and we’re all benefitting from your postings. Thanks for helping make my first trip a well planned one!
Hi Joanne – Oh my goodness! I am so grateful for your kind words! I’m happy to hear that the articles at Go Visit Hawaii are helping you with your plans. That’s why I write this site. I have a sincere desire to help people make the most of their time in Hawaii.
Please tell your brother that I appreciate his approval, too! 🙂
Thank you for your comment and have a wonderful time in Hawaii!
My sister Joanne is fast becoming the #1 expert on Maui and Hawaii with all the info she has gathered, much of it from this site. The warning on safeguarding your valuables has to be taken seriously, and we all need to be careful not to expose ourselves (unless we are at Little Beach in Makena).
I love this website!
Shelia is a WHIZ with the knowledge of a true islander!
I appreciate her wisdom & letting me be able to plan my 25th anniversary trip with ease!
I recommend that you read EVERY single post she has ever written before you travel! Heck Shelia why don’t you make your own travel guide!
It would be the BEST out there! would whoop all over the pretty blue book and give true, honest feedback of what is ok & not ok to do in the beautiful islands!
Aloha Tom, the brother! 🙂 Thank you for your first time comment and the laugh on exposing ourselves at Little Beach.
You are right, we do need to take safeguarding our valuables seriously. It’s easy when you are on vacation to let your guard down and get distracted by the scenery. So, it’s best to plan ahead for how you are going to keep your valuables with you.
Since Joanne is becoming a Maui and Hawaii expert and it sounds like you are already an expert, perhaps we could persuade you and Joanne to write a guest post (or posts) after the trip…perhaps a trip report or list of favorite experiences/restaurants/beaches/etc. Hmmm…..what do you think of that? 🙂
Hi Lauri B – Gosh, I’m really starting to blush now. When I first started writing Go Visit Hawaii a little over a year ago, hardly anyone knew about the website. For a while, I think I might have been the only reader. 🙂 So, it’s so very nice to know that the articles I’ve been writing are being a true help with your vacation planning.
I’m hoping that you might want to write a guest post, too. 🙂
I would LOVE to write a Hawaii travel guidebook! I think I’ll just have to dream about that, since it would cost me a fortune stay at all the hotels and go to all the restaurants and do all the activities. But, wouldn’t that be fun!
Thank you for your first time comment and for all the kind words which motivate me even more to continue this project of aloha.
I’m going to Hawaii in June and it will be my first trip. Both my husband and I plan to try snorkeling and we hadn’t given a thought as to what we would do with our keys.
We usually end up vacationing in the mountains and we rarely end up near the ocean; so I appreciate the advice about needing a waterproof pack that’s small enough to go in the water with us.
We’re used to needing a dry sack when we canoe or even just crossing streams or getting caught in the rain. But our sacks are large (our cameras fit in them) they are not what I’d take into the ocean.
We’ll definitely look into them for this trip…and who knows maybe I’ll even win one!
Thanks for the advice,
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen – We’ve learned lots of tips and tricks from our trips and these waterproof containers are one of the tips we’ve learned by experience. I’m glad you’ll benefit by knowing that now. 🙂 Thanks for your first time comment!
I’ve learned so much from reading this website. I can’t even remember how many articles I’ve printed out for my husband and I to use when finalizing plans for this trip.
So far we have our airfare and hotel arranged everything else is up in the air. We’ll be staying in Oahu for one week, which doesn’t give us much time. Although we’d love to see lava flow it’s just not going to happen on this trip. Unless, of course, there is an active volcano on Oahu, and from this question you can see how uninformed we are about the islands.
My in-laws have a time share condo in Oahu which they are planning to sell soon. We’re just taking advantage of it one time before they put it on the market.
Thanks to everyone who makes this site so interesting as well as informative.
Kathleen – prepare to be bitten by the Hawaii bug that will make you want to return again and again. 🙂
As you guessed, Oahu doesn’t have an active volcano. Only the Big Island has an active volcano. By the way, from Oahu, it’s pretty easy to take a day trip over to the Big Island to see the lava flow.
Hey Sheila, check out a new product called DRYFOB. It is a waterproof car key container rated to 330 ft depth made out of anodized aluminum with dual o-rings and neutrally buoyant. Some local dive shops in Hawaii carry them now. It’s also available from Amazon or dryfob.com. It came out last year, and really works well for diving and snorkeling.
I bought a waterproof fanny pack to wear – here’s hoping it works well! (I’m going to Kona in March 2023.)
Let us know how it works for you. Fingers crossed!