Best Snorkeling In Maui – Self-Guided And Boat Tours

If you’re planning a trip to the island of Maui in Hawaii, no doubt a dip into the warm turquoise waters is on your mind. What better way to explore the underwater oasis than to know where you can find the best snorkeling in Maui.

Whether these are self-guided spots on the island you can jump in yourself or guided experience, we’re going to show you must-do spots from well-known to secret.

Best Snorkeling in Maui

Created from volcanic eruptions 20,000 years ago, the surrounding waters of Maui are teeming with aquatic life, colourful reef, and crystalline waters.

In between walking the streets of Lahaina and waking up early in the morning to see the sun rise from Haleakala, snorkeling is right up there when it comes to the top things to do in Maui.

With each location, we’ll jump straight into the need-to-know details including a handy summary.

Self-Guided Snorkeling in Maui

There are so many good snorkeling spots in Maui but since you won’t be able to go to them all, lets focus on the best snorkeling locations.

Kapalua Bay Beach

As one of the most popular beaches on the island and regularly named “best beach in the world”, this crescent shaped cove is ideal for snorkeling.

Here, you’ll find excellent swimming conditions, sandy beach, and tons of marine life. Chances of seeing sea turtles is good, just make sure you’re on the look out.

Beyond snorkeling, the large beach is also just great for kicking back and relaxing. Depending on the time of day, there can be some shade here but you might be better off bringing a beach umbrella.

The only challenge here is that it gets really busy so most people recommend that you come here early before the rush or late in the day closer to sunset.

Lastly, combine your time here with a bit of hiking along the spectacular Kapalua Coastal Trail.

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve

This area is believed to be one of the youngest eco-reef zones on Maui. With its jagged coastline, lava rock, and coral reef, this is a natural haven for tropical fish.

You won’t need to venture out too far here as most of the fish tend to hang out in the shallow water. There are also plenty of coves (Ahihi Cove) to explore here, making this a top spot for anyone visiting Maui.

As a reserve, not only will you see plenty of fish and turtles, but you might also be lucky enough to spot octopus, eel, and lobster.

One thing to note is that there is no real sandy beach here so this is not the kind of spot where you’ll be able to comfortably lay out your towel and umbrella.

To keep you safe, the reserve has signs featuring a Tang fish that show you where it’s safe to enter.

With its volcanic rock, it’s highly recommended that you wear swim socks or water shoes.

Honolua Bay

There’s something magical about this place. This used to be a hidden spot best known as a killer surfing spot but it’s becoming more and more popular for snorkeling as well.

The experience starts from the access trail where you descend into a tropical enchanted forest. After the short walk (5-10 minutes), you’ll arrive at the rocky bay surrounded by high rocky cliffs.

On the right side of the bay is the renowned surf break but it’s pretty far out that it shouldn’t affect your snorkeling.

In terms of entering into the water, don’t go in near the center. Instead, go either to the right hand side (north) where there’s more coral and fish. Alternatively, the left side (south) is also a hot spot for sightings.

While not necessarily for advanced snorkelers, the current, rocks, and the crashing of waves on both sides of the bay means you need to be careful. When the weather causes rough water conditions, this isn’t a great spot to be.

There’s almost no sand here so this is the kind of place where you come specifically for the snorkeling. Bring your own gear and snacks!

You’ll also commonly find boats moored here for as part of guided snorkel experiences.

Napili Beach

Nestled between Kahana and Kapalua is this residential community, this is a comfortable and peaceful beach.

Great places to snorkel here are near the edges of the bay where you’ll find some of the reef. Here, you’ll see needlefish, surgeonfish, and Humuhumunukunukuapua’a. If you’re lucky, you’ll also encounter green sea turtles that usually make their appearance near sunrise and sunset.

This beach is great for families because of the sandy shoreline, making it great for lounging, using the boogie board, digging in the sand, and running around.

The sunsets here are absolutely stunning.

Black Rock on Ka’anapali Beach

Ka’anapali Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Maui. With its close proximity to Lahaina, white sandy beach, boardwalk, resorts, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, it’s a great place to stay for awhile.

While the whole of Ka’anapali Beach is somewhere that is great to sunbathe on the sand but a bit of a hidden gem is on the far north side of the beach – Black Rock.

Typically known for “that rock you jump off of”, the secret is that there is quite the cluster of reefs right below. Combine that with crystal clear waters, diverse sightings of fish, and Hawaiian green sea turtles, it’s no wonder that people keep coming back here.

To find the best snorkel spots, swim along the lava rock’s edge.

The beach is perfect for families and kids but I’d say that the snorkeling is better for those that have snorkelled a couple of times before.

Five Caves

Now this is the kind of place that you’d never stumble upon because it’s so off the beaten path (it doesn’t even have a TripAdvisor listing). Typically, this is a spot for scuba divers but experienced snorkelers can come here as well.

This spot is ominously also known as Five Graves for the small graveyard that’s located next to the beach. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with the snorkel site.

North of Turtle Town, there’s a plethora of unique fish, turtles, eagle rays, and even reef sharks to see here.

Again, we should stress that this is for experienced explorers as the variable ocean conditions and long snorkel distances can make this tricky to so make sure you go with a buddy.

You’re probably wondering about the caves. Unfortunately, most of the caves are out of reach for snorkelers.

Guided Snorkeling Maui Tours

So far we’ve listed all of the best snorkeling spots on the island of Maui that you can get to from land but I haven’t been able to touch on the most well-known spots like Turtle Town and Molokini and that’s because you can only access those by boat.

Let’s get into the best tours you can book for some incredible snorkeling in Maui.

Molokini and Turtle Town Boat Tours

This is unquestionably the most popular tour to book in Maui. This tour starts with the crescent-shaped crater that’s 2.5 miles off of Maui’s south shore – Molokini Crater.

As a Marine Life Conservation District Seabird Sanctuary, you’ll have an incredible view of the volcanic crater as you make your approach by boat (15 minute ride) but where you’ll be exploring is the submerged volcano islet (one of very few in the world).

Snorkeling here will allow you to see a sample of the 250 species of endemic Hawaiian tropical fish and colorful reef formations in superbly clear waters.

To set expectations, I will say that these are large group boat tours and so when you’re dropped into the water, you’ll want to find your own space to explore but at the same time, keep an eye on your group so you don’t get left behind. You’ll also be around other boat tours dropping in.

The second spot you’ll visit is Turtle Town. As the name aptly describes, this is the place to be if you want to see Hawaiian green sea turtles.

Before jumping in, you’ll learn about why these turtles are protected, why they are endangered, and the importance of things like reef safe sunscreen.

There are typically two options for this tour. One is to go in the morning where continental breakfast and deli lunch is included. The second departs slightly later in the morning and includes a buffet lunch.

This entire experience is family friendly and hands-down the best tour you can do while you’re in Maui.

Dolphins and Snorkeling Cruise to Lanai

A lesser known snorkeling cruise is this one that takes you out to the neighbouring small island of Lanai.

After a relaxing 45 minute boat ride to the isolated coast of Lanai, you’ll be able to spend 1.5 to 2 hours snorkeling to see a variety of fish, sea turtles, and if you’re lucky, dolphins that swim circles above the reef.

Some of the sites you’ll be able to snorkel are Shark Fin Rock and Manele Bay.

Included in the journey is breakfast and lunch.

What I like about this experience is that it departs from Lahaina which can be a huge bonus for many if you’re staying in the area.

This tour is also great for kids with the water slide off the boat and the water toys that are included.

Kayak and Snorkel Tour

If you’re looking for the unique combination of kayaking and snorkeling all-in-one, this is it.

With this guided experience, you’ll be able to explore Maui’s West Shore. In either a single or tandem kayak, you’ll paddle with views of Ukumehame Valley while your instructor provides commentary.

For the snorkel portion of the tour, you’ll jump straight into the water from your kayak where you’ll have a chance to see coral, schools of fish, and turtles.

SUP and Snorkel Turtle Town

If stand-up paddleboarding is your thing or if you’re looking to learn and try it for the first time, you’ll love this tour that brings you right into Turtle Town.

This experience is made for everyone from 3 years to 83 years old. As a small and private tour, you’ll have the advantage of having a guide teach you how to paddleboard and also take you to the best spots to snorkel.

For many, this is the highlight of their time in Maui with extremely high chances of seeing green sea turtles. You’ll probably lose count of how many you’ll encounter.

If you’re travelling with a small child, they can be your “ocean babysitter” with your child sitting safely in front of the paddleboard with the guide.

• Use reef safe sunscreen – This is something we learned from our Molokini snorkel cruise. Aerosol sunscreen is the worst offender here but essentially when you enter the water, those chemicals mix with the water and they interact with all the aquatic life. Science has proven that this leads to coral bleaching and also tumors on turtles.
• Don’t leave anything behind – Keep the beaches and waters clean from garbage.
• Look but don’t touch – Especially when it comes to turtles, don’t touch them because it is straight up illegal as they are federally and state protected creatures. Beyond that, touch them causes unwanted stress and sets a bad example for others. Keep a respectful distance.
• Tread lightly – When snorkeling, it’s easy to not watch where you fins and hands are. Avoid hitting the coral.
• Don’t feed the fish – Marine life have their own diets. Feeding them bread and other human food is not a good thing.
• Leave what you find – Don’t take or pick coral, sand, or volcanic rock. This destroys the natural ecosystem no matter how small.

Frequently Asked Questions

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There’s so much snorkeling in Maui you can do. This gives you all of the best places you need to incorporate into your itinerary. If you have a favorite snorkeling spot in Maui and would love to see it added, make sure to drop a comment below!

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