South Maui Snorkeling

I made the decision a long time ago that when I visited Maui during whale season, I would stay in South Maui. So during my five-night visit last month, I chose a rental condo in South Kihei where from beaches like Kamaole One, right across the street, I could witness the spectacle of humpback whales breaching in the distance.

Another reason informing my decision was that I wanted to give Northwest Maui and Lahaina some space while they deal with the aftermath of last summer's tragic fire. While the resorts and beaches outside of the city proper were unaffected and are open for business, it was hard for me to imagine driving through the devastated landscape to have a day of fun in the surf.

The much more practical excuse for sticking to South Maui was that the winter season brings frequent swells to the northern shores of the Hawaiian Islands: great news for surfers but bad for snorkelers. In fact, the Snorkel Store's morning report was frequently advising against swimming in some of my favorite northwest spots like the bays at Kapalua and Honolua.

Charely Young Beach (Kamaole Beach Park One)

So I stuck to South Maui, visiting the beaches and reefs lining Kihei to the north, through Wailea and Makena, all the way to the lava fields of Ahihi-Kinau more than ten miles to the south. The closest beach to my rental was Charley Young Beach, at the far northern end of Kamaole Beach Park One, the first of three in a string of so-named long stretches of sand.

I didn't snorkel on the reef off the lava cliffs until the morning of my last day on the island. While the visibility wasn't excellent, I did see four green sea turtles within just a few minutes. I also witnessed something I don't see a lot of off Maui: a scrawled filefish, close to a yard in length. There was a lot of motion in the water that prevented me from getting too close to it or even to the coastline, and I was alone, so I didn't explore the reef very far from shore. In fact I might have been in and out of the water in as little as fifteen minutes.

Ulua

Down the coast, past the beaches at Kamaole Two and Three, might be South Maui's longest beach, Keawakapu. It lies in Wailea, famous for its five-star resorts like the Four Seasons. On the beach's south end is a rocky outcrop extending into the sea and marking the start of a much smaller beach, Ulua. I snorkeled there on my first day on Maui and found the reef as beautiful as the last time I was there two years ago. But like at Charley Young Beach, small waves caused a lot of movement in the sea, making it difficult to focus on the marine life. Nonetheless I snorkeled the entire length of the peninsula-type area, from Ulua to the start of Keawakapu, and back, enjoying the variety of butterflyfish, coronetfish, and triggerfish.

Polo Beach

Almost a mile down the coast, toward the southern end of Wailea and at the last fancy resort, the Fairmont Kea Lani, I snorkeled off of Polo Beach on my last afternoon in Maui. Winds were picking up and the surf looked a little rough, but when I noticed several people don their masks, snorkels, and fins, I ventured into the water too. Unfortunately the water was choppier than I'd yet experienced and the visibility was only fair. However I managed to observe two turtles on the attractive expanse of reef.

Makena Landing

The wind and surf were creating a theme to my South Maui snorkeling experience, a condition I wasn't accustomed to on the island. On my next venture south, at Makena Landing, clouds would be a third phenomenon. Since it was mercifully only a brief drizzle, I can't add rain to the mix. Nonetheless the reef might have been one of the most extensive I've snorkeled on the island, stretching several hundred yards out to sea on a long, underwater volcanic ridge. I even swam the entire distance, meeting up with a morning tour group splashing around off of a catamaran.

I enjoyed the variety of coral formations, listening to the humpback whale songs, and swimming with at least two green sea turtles. In fact, I discovered four resting out of the water, on a protected beach just below the site's parking lot. This might explain why Makena Landing and its environs are frequently called Turtle Town.

Maluaka

At the other end of Makena Bay, at Maluaka, I faced my biggest disappointment in the waters than at any time during this visit to Maui. Off the same beach last year, I swam for almost ten minutes with a spotted stingray. It was the first time I had seen one off the island and I had never, anywhere, gotten that close to the creature. The encounter was my Siren call to not only come back to the island but to that very beach again, and soon.

Alas on a cloudy morning eight months later when I revisited the beach, not only was the light low but yet more motion in the ocean stirred up a lot of sand obscuring all visibility near shore. Fortunately further out on the pristine reef where I had originally encountered the stingray the conditions improved dramatically. Alas, there were no rays, only numerous slate pencil sea urchins that the rays seemed fond of munching. However I was excited to photograph a saddleback butterflyfish, a species I don't frequently see.

Little Beach

Less than a mile south, is Makena Beach State Park, where Big Beach, is, no surprise, one of the largest undeveloped beaches on Maui. Adjacent to the popular site is Little Beach, nestled below Puʻu Olai, a distinctive cinder cone and landmark on South Maui's coast. I've snorkeled along the volcanic shoreline on previous trips during lulls in sometimes dicey summer conditions, and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I remember photographing my very first saddleback butterflyfish there along with an octopus.

Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve

Makena is the gateway to a unique region of Maui where the most recent lava eruptions on the volcanic island occurred over two hundred years ago. Besides the cone at Pu'u Olai, the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve bears testament to that event. Not only does the park protect my favorite snorkeling spot on Maui, it preserves the lava flow from those eruptions that cascade from a visible fissure on the lower slope of the Haleakala volcano above.

If I was beginning to wonder why I was snorkeling in Maui in the winter, my three stops at Ahihi-Kinau gave me the answer. There are extensive reefs and numerous sea creatures, all protected from the damage of fishermen and boat traffic. Just a few examples of the many fish, schools of tangs and a variety of parrotfish species dazzled me in the crystal clear water. Winter may well be the best time of year to visit the reserve.

While I wouldn't call it Turtle Town, I saw at least one turtle on each of my swims in the area. In fact let's not call Ahihi-Kinau anything except what it is: our little secret, please.