Saltpond:

 Named for its traditional Hawaiian salt collecting ponds, this beach is protected by an outside reef with potential good winter snorkeling, fishing and swimming (conditions vary). It also has bathrooms and showers.
Looking towards the Saltpond area.  They weren't making salt at this time, the water in the ponds now are from the winter rains.  They need to have long dry periods to make salt.

from the main beach by the paved parking lot and bathrooms.

following the beach all the way to the left to where we like to snorkel.

 the snorkel area at the far left of the main beach.  Requires driving past the little airport and a short distance over a dirt road to a sand parking lot or swimming over from the beach by the paved parking lot.  A couple times we came out here the dirt road was too bad to drive on. 

To the left of the above picture and more of the area we like to snorkel.

Doesn't look like much for snorkeling, but when the conditions are right, it can be fun.

 It's deceivingly roomy and relatively deep.  Usually there's a pretty good current running to the right by the beach, but it's usually calm or has a current running slightly to the left nearer the rocks.

Looking from our snorkel area beach towards the main park.

 The bay is quite large and we often see swimmers in there.

Back to the snorkel area --- in front of the reef.  We've never swam around to the other side.  Usually there are pretty good waves bashing into the rocks from the other side.   Putting on your snorkel gear is really easy here.  Here I like to sit in water about waist deep and put on my mask and fins, then roll face first into the water and I'm off.

We usually see a lot of juvenile fish here.
female spotted box fish

school of juveniles

school of yellow stripe goatfish--- the water is often somewhat cloudy due to the current and sand and gunk that accumulates in the inside of the reef area. 

 flounder --- this time the water was very calm and clear.

Magnificent snake eel.

 Milletseed butterflyfish and a convict tang.

Trumpet fish--- for many years, this was the only place we saw a trumpet fish.  But in the past few years we've also seen an occasional one other places around Kauai.

 Moorish Idol

But what makes Saltpond interesting to snorkel is the really weird stuff you can find here!
This is the first place I've seen these guys--- Sea Hare. Have since seen a couple at Anini in the past couple years.

And these weird things---Kefersteini sea cucumber?

 a year of so after seeing these guys at Saltpond, I saw a couple of them at Anini, too.

 the shell of an urchin.

Another odd type of Sea cucumber--- Stubborn Sea Cucumber?

 Light-spotted Sea Cucumber.

I believe this is a type of sea cucumber, too.

 another light spotted one

an idea of how big these sea hares are---this is my husbands hand.

Flying Gunard.  Since this sighting, I've seen one at Waikiki Beach and one at Lawai.

 look really close and you may see strange fish like this spotfin scorpion fish.

and this small Leaf Scorpionfish

a Convict tang with a black tail.

 And once there were these underneath some rocks.

When we're not snorkeling, we like to sit on the beautiful beach and watch what's going on--- like people fishing at Saltpond.

Usually when we're done snorkeling, we like to go to the main park where the restrooms and showers are and clean up.  Then we'll stay and enjoy the beautiful sunsets from there.

One of my favorite places to catch a sunset on Kauai.