Maui Snorkeling Beaches

We often use the beach as our launching point for snorkeling - the west Maui coastline offers excellent beaches and snorkeling areas.

But don't just go to any beach and expect to snorkel - beach snorkeling requires a shallow bay protected from waves, just the opposite of the ideal surfing or boogie boarding beach.

Maui Beach Snorkeling Gear

There are also many snorkel gear rental stores, such as Boss Frogs, Lahaina Divers, and Dive Maui where you can rent snorkel and scuba gear during your vacation.

If you want to do more than casual vacation snorkeling, they can also provide detailed Maui beach snorkeling maps.

Black Rock at Kaanapali

Because of all the activities available at Kaanapali, some of us can go snorkeling while the others sun or swim or shop. The north side of Black Rock is harder to access, but provides more isolated snorkeling.

Maui Snorkeling Beaches - Kapalua Bay

Beach access is easy from the nearby condos and hotels, and lots of families with children do beginners snorkeling here.

Maui Snorkeling Beaches - Honolua Bay Marine Sanctuary

You can also access Honolua Bay from its rocky beach for some of the best shore snorkeling in Maui. Park between mile markers 32 and 33 on highway 30, then walk down to the beach.

You want to avoid this bay for snorkeling in two situations:

• If there has been a recent rain, the red dirt runoff clouds up the water.

• North swells sometimes cause high waves (good for surfing at Lipoa Point!) in the winter.

To check for these two situations before before making the walk down to the bay, we first drive north just past the bay, then stop at Lipoa Point - the high cliffs provide good views of the snorkeling conditions below. That's what we are doing in the picture.

Some websites about Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point: http://www.savehonolua.org http://www.honoluabay.org

My Other Maui Snorkeling Pages