I first snorkeled in 2003 when Ed & Vonda Rankin took us with them on a vacation to Kauai, HI. and was immediately addicted.
The only negative was how cold the ocean was, and it's a testament to how much I loved those fish that I even stayed in the water, because cold is just painful for me. We talked about investing in a good wet suit so I could continue to enjoy breathing underwater and not get so cold. Imagine my sheer delight when we went to Maui 2 years later and learned that Kauai is in some of the coldest snorkel waters around, and I could swim with the fish and sea turtles in comfort.
Where the waters were warmer was crucial information, so was the time of the day we went (mornings are best, aaugh) and lots of other info I'll share here. We spent time talking to dive shop staff and I read everything I could. We got Paul his own gear and while he was simply indulgent to my obsession at first, he soon came to be a snorkeler too.