Maui Snorkeling
Hawaii Guide
We have had some fantastic Maui snorkeling experiences, on several different trips. Maui snorkeling is kind of interesting because it is all located on the west side of the island, unlike all the other islands that have at least some snorkeling all around them.
Maui's most famous snorkeling spot, Molokini, is actually not even on Maui, it is a little tiny island about ten miles offshore by boat. And while we have had some wonderful snorkeling experiences at Molokini, there are some places that are not as popular on Maui itself that we actually like equally, if not better, for different reasons.
One thing we have noted about Maui, is that it tends to be windy. You have to do your snorkeling in the morning if you don't want to be in wavy water.
Speaking of windy, on our last trip to Maui we flew in from the Big Island on a tiny little 8 seat prop plane. And that was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. When we got in the plane our pilot made the joke that because of regulations could we please not enter the flight cabin!
We had about 25 knots of headwind, and as we came around the south end of the island, making our way towards the airport, we were bucking and bouncing around like no tomorrow. It is the first time that I have ever landed in a plane where we were flying sideways to the airstrip until right before we touched down. The pilot said it is always like that. Maui is windy.
When you're snorkeling Maui, there is a stretch of beach in the Kihei area you should probably avoid swimming in. We had heard that there is a discharge tube of human waste that goes into the ocean north of Charley Young Beach, and the currents carry it north all the way along the rest of the Kihei area. It is supposed the make the water nasty. And unfortunately we can confirm this. The discharge encourages the growth of algae and seaweed. And we could easily see this from the airplane as we flew over, and later on we found that the water was full of seaweed all along this area, and only in this area. So maybe think twice before swimming in that zone.
Another thing we noticed about snorkeling in Maui is that there are few protected bays that you snorkel in. Most of the best snorkeling is actually between beaches around rocky points. And boy are those areas great, and there are tons of them. But it is more exposed water, so if it is windy it can be kind of wavy and you have to be cautious.
So have fun checking out our Maui snorkeling locations below. There are tons of pictures, videos and suggestions about what we like best.
And after you get done exploring what we have done, don't forget to share with us your Maui snorkeling stories, favorite locations, and pictures
here.
Pick Your Maui
Hawaii Snorkeling Spot
Click on the Maui snorkeling locations (below the map) to read detailed information about each location and to see our pictures, videos and travel stories.
We start with the northwest tip of the island, called West Maui:
South Maui Beaches:
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