Snorkel Maui's Best Spots

Maui's clear water and mostly sunny skies make it a natural for snorkeling. Add to that the fact that the island is home to four marine preserves where the waters and marine life are protected. As a result, there's an abundance of life in these underwater wonderlands. Go and feast your eyes, but remember that neither fishing nor collecting is allowed. And please do your part to protect the reefs. Never walk or stand on coral. Coral is a living animal that could be killed or injured by contact.

Maui's four preserves are Honolua Bay, Ahihi Bay, part of La Perouse Bay, and Molokini Crater. All but Molokini can be reached by car. Honolua Bay is just north of Kapalua on route 30. Look for a narrow dirt road on the left as you travel north. It will take you to an old boat ramp and a very small beach. The snorkeling at Honolua is best in the summer when the ocean is at its calmest. Winter swells are better suited to surfing than snorkeling. Snorkeling is a great way to get your head in the water without the inconvenience of holding your breath. You wear a mask and fins and breathe through a tube called a snorkel. Maui's clear water and mostly sunny skies make it easy to spot marine life, which is generally the objective. People of all ages can participate, and there are plenty of good spots—many of them just offshore—to practice the moves.

Snorkeling is best when the waves are calm and the sun is out. Some of the best spots include Black Rock, on Hwy. 30 in Ka'anapali; Olowalu, on Hwy. 30 about 10 miles south of Lahaina; and Kamaole Beaches 1, 2 and 3, on South Kihei Road. Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Preserve is also good: private, secluded, a SCUBA and snorkel paradise. Ahihi Bay is located just south of Makena Big Beach, or Oneloa, about 1-1/2 miles south of the Maui Prince Hotel, well south of Makena and worth the drive. Your trek is rewarded with some of the clearest water around Maui and an unspoiled underwater preserve. The land facilities are non-existent but the clear water and the mixture of coral and lava make for memorable underwater vistas. Consider avoiding Honolua Bay where over use is causing reef damage.

La Perouse Bay, about 4 miles south of the Maui Prince Hotel and past Ahihi Bay, is another opportunity for primo snorkeling. In 1786, the French navigator, Jean Francois de Galaup, Compte de La Perouse became the first westerner to set foot on Maui. His view of the area was very different from what we see today. Haleakala erupted several years after the navigator's arrival and the lava flows that surround the bay are a testimony to the power of a volcano. Over 200 years later the land is still barren, but just offshore is a show of ocean life that is well worth seeing.

Some of the island's best snorkeling spots are better accessed by cruise boat. Molokini Crater, for example, cannot be reached by car. This popular destination is a volcanic cinder cone that has eroded over time and is now a Marine Life Conservation District Seabird Sanctuary and world-class dive location. It is known for its clear water and high visibility giving view to brightly colored tropical fish and an assortment of other marine life including the occasional monk seal, manta ray and whale shark. Molokini is just three miles offshore and the daily destination of many cruise boats.

As you go in the water to explore the reefs, be very careful; sea urchins live among the coral. Their sting is very painful. Should you be unfortunate enough to step on one, apply vinegar to the wound and see a doctor if the pain persists.