Snorkeling Maui

[Werbo]

I am off to Maui in the near future. I could pretty much spend the whole day every day snorkeling. Can anyone tell me what are the best beaches for snorkeling? Where is the healthiest reefs with lots of coral? Are the tours to Molokini worth it or is the beach snorkeling just as good. Thanks.

[Delphinus]

Molokini probably has the nicest reef around that island. Anywhere close to shore has more turbidity but there are a few spots where snorkelling is still pretty good. When I was there (been a couple years now) Honolua Bay (north of Kanapa'ali) and the "Fish Bowl" (south of Wailea) were regarded as the better spots off the shore, but I think I heard that the Fish Bowl has been closed off to public access to allow the area to recover or something. Off Kihei there are three beaches, Kama'ole Beaches 1, 2, and 3 and I seem to recall these have lava reefs on the sides with good fish and turtle spotting opportunities.

I am starting to forget most of the names of the places I snorkelled but truthfully anywhere you see people snorkelling it's a sure bet there's something to see.

There are some coral formations, mostly Pocillipora and other hardy type SPS. The water is a little chilly for serious reef formations like you get further south in Fiji and etc. Molokini again probably the best bet for that sort of thing.

I wish I could remember more details but up the NE coast we found a little swimming hole river/ravine that was just off the highway a few miles up. Looked sketchy to park on the side of the highway and then traipse through some scrub brush but then suddenly it was like a waterpark made out of lava with a small waterfall and everything. The water had channeled the rock so smooth it was like a waterslide.

First time to Maui? If so outside of the beaches and snorkeling, couple other things you'll want to do: Iao Needle, the Aquarium (seriously very nice aquarium, small, but truly one of the nicest around anywhere), Haleakala (go see the sunrise up there, it's a bucket list item, trust me, although you have to get up VERY early!!), Hana (but expect to spend the whole day in the car getting there and back - if I ever go back, I'm going to spend a night or two there just so that I don't have to waste the whole day in the car and can spend more time around there. It's a VERY scenic drive though, probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Black Sand Beach is a worthwhile stop along the way there.). Lahaina is kinda neat, lots of restaurants and clubs there, not really my bag of tea but the Banyon Tree is worth seeing, and getting a burger at Cheeseburger in Paradise (although there's one in Wailea as well). Ho'okipa and watch the insane windsurfers catch 20' of air..

There's a guide book called "Maui Revealed" I suggest heading over to Chapters and picking it up, it's the best $20 (or whatever it is) you'll spend on the trip. The waterslide swimming hole was an idea out of that book, for example.

Edit/PS - it's this book: http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/maui.html

[Ya Dude]

Honolua Bay.swim north to the point thats where all the corals are.Tons of fish too.Waves might be too big right now though

[Ross]

http://www.mauiinfosource.com/Maui%2...g_map_main.htm

Places I've been...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossmct...7627931218725/
-Olowalu / mile marker 14 south of Lahania, shallow reef, lots of variety of fish and coral.
-Ulua beach in south Wailea lots of convict tangs, turtles, urchines
-Sugar Beach tons of turtles and Manta rays. Open water at this beach so stay out when water is cloudy.
-Black rock lots of fish, lots of people.
-Molokini is worth it simply because of the sure quantity of corals and triggers that one can see at a single time. Go early since the sea gets rough later in the day. If you extremely lucky a whale shark may come in for a visit

I went to the Maui Dive Shop in south Kihei since its the closest departure point to molokini. The boats that leave from Lahania have the same duration trip, but half of it is spent traveling.

If you go Dec - April, its calfing season for whales. I highly recommend http://www.aliinuimaui.com/maui-whale-watch.htm. The staff is far more knowledgable and informative than the other tours. (our guide was also a biologist or similar from the ocean center)

From what I've heard from several sources don't waste your time on the "submarines" they travel the same path out in the sea and a diver shows off dead sea shells, and not much more.

If out snorkeling during the above months, make sure to listen for whales. you can hear there calls for miles.

Hope this helps,

[Carmen]

OMG! Thank You guys for the incredible information! Great post! I am headed to Maui too and I after reading your posts I am so excited I have tears in my eyes!

[Stones]

I was just in Maui earlier this July and I agree with what the others above have stated.

I can also confirm that the "Fishbowl" and the "Aquarium" have been closed to the public due to excessive damage to the reef from tourists. The state has now directed all snorkeling and diving in south Maui to a new area aptly named "The Dumps" which is just north of the Aquarium and Fishbowl with much easier access. I only snorkeled there once but I wish I had gone more times as there were different species of fish and very tall coral mounds present that I didn't see anywhere else around Maui. There was also a large pod of dolphins spotted at the dumps daily.

Molokini is definatley worth the money to go check out. Underwater visibility is often greater than 100 feet and it was the only place in Maui that I saw Achilles tangs and blue throat triggers. Probably the healthiest reef there as well but not nearly as much structure as the Dumps or Honolua Bay. If you hit up a "Tickets on the Rock" booth in any one of the towns in Maui (there is at least a half dozen in Lahaina alone) you can get a better price on a trip out to Molokini. Don't believe the signs out front though as the only way you can go to Molokini for the $18 advertised price is to sit through some sort of painful time share.

I also snorkeled Honolua bay every day except for one while it was raining. Definately worth checking out, especially if you are staying in the Honokawai area. Don't bother going here if it rained alot the previous day as a creek takes all the runoff out into the bay leaving a 12-18" thick layer of silty and cold fresh water on the surface of the bay reducing visibility to near zero unless you are diving.

Parking at black rock is terrible as it resides infront of the Sheraton Hotel. I tried to go there on several occasions and was unable to find a parking spot in the free area (only 6 stalls) or in the mini mall parking lot. Go very early if you plan to snorkel this area.

Here's a link to some pics I took while I was there:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=76942

Enjoy your trip!

[Dez]

Definitely check out Ahihi Bay. This was Jacques Cousteau's favourite place to snorkel in the world. It is right by Oprah Winfrey's old vacation home. I stayed with a friend who has lived there for 6 years and is a scuba diver. I was just there 3 weeks ago. Ahihi bay was by far my favourite spot. You won't see tour boats there, but there are people that snorkel there. You just drive up and park. By far the most life/corals other than Molokini. We went snorkelling/scuba diving almost every day we were there (11 days). Ask any local where Ahihi Bay is and they'll know.

Ross mentioned Olowalu. I did a Scuba shore dive off the Olowalu camp ground and we ran into a Hawaiian Monk seal, it was amazing. There are less than 1300 left and are very endangered. If you snorkel there, look to see if you see a dive boat or snorkel boat, you have to swim out probably a football field to get to the good stuff, usually people go by boat, but a shore dive is way cheaper. The locals call it the "maze" because if it's low tide, then you can't swim over the reef, but have to maze your way around it. At first it looked like there was nothing to see cause you can basically wade out for 50 yards waist deep, but if you keep swimming, it's amazing. Like I said, if there is a boat, just swim toward it, that's what we did.

Mackena Landing is a good place to snorkel as well. We saw a couple of octopi there and they were changing colours. My friend saw a white tip shark there, but I didn't catch a glimpse of it. Oh, there are tons of turtles there too.

Always be on a lookout for a dive or snorkel boat from the shore as your are driving. Where ever there is a boat, it's usually clear and there is stuff to see.

Hope this helps. I was there from beginning of October to mid October this year, so this is pretty current info.

Oh, and if you want to try spear fishing or lobster hunting, it's a ton of fun and yummy. Just look at the signs as some places restrict you to fish only certain kinds of fish, and some places like Ahihi are a nature reserve, so you can't fish.

Hope this helps.

[Werbo]

Great info. Glad to hear that a Molokini tour is worth the money.

[Ross]

Here is the information that is in pretty much all the brochures.

Very informative descriptions and useful tips.

http://www.maui-vacation.net/snorkelmap.html

[s.tan]

Great info from the other members posting. Just to add a couple of things. The "Maui Revealed" book has got to be the best. We use the whole series (there's one for each of the major islands) when we go to Hawaii. In particular, read the section on snorkel tours to Molokini. Each of the boats have a designated mooring spot and some tours have better spots than others. If you do get a chance to do an interisland trip to the Big Island, Captain Cook's monument (Kealakekua Bay) is comparable and I dare say actually "nicer" than Molokini (here's a good reason to go back to Hawaii ). The other book that we use almost exclusively is the series called "Snorkel (insert name of Island)", by Judy and Mel Malinowski. Their maps and directions are great. Besides that, have a great trip and take lots of pictures to share with the rest of us.