Warm Vacation Spots - Maui Snorkeling - Best Places and Tips

Some of the vendors also rent flotation devices and prescription goggles. Snorkel gear can be rented from beach vendors or dive shops for less than $10 per week. You'll find many spectacular snorkeling spots off Maui's beaches.

And the Wailea coastline, and the Kihei coastline, kaanapali Beach in front of the Sheraton, black Rock, among Maui's best snorkeling beaches are Kapalua Beach.

At the Maui Ocean Center or on the Big Island's Punalu'lu Beach, i prefer to see the turtles on a snorkel cruise. The problem though with swimming so far from shore here is that Olowalu is one of the more dangerous spots for sharks. Pretty awesome. But you have to swim about 150 to 225 feet from shore - here you'll find a turtle-cleaning station (where turtles line up to have small parasites removed by the cleaner wrasses), olowalu Beach is popular with snorkelers who want to see turtles.

Molokini Crater Snorkeling Tours

But it's worth it, it can get pretty crowded here! This is a partially sunken volcanic crater that consists of an amazing underwater sanctuary. You've probably seen pictures of it on Hawaii travel brochures or websites. Molokini Crater is another popular snorkeling spot and it is one of Maui's most popular attractions.

) (So Molokini is also popular with divers. Allowing for the astounding clarity that provides clear views up to 150 feet of the approximately 250 species of fish that swim here, and it is this crescent above the surface that protects the reef. The crescent shape of Molokini that we see above the water in all those travel brochures is created from the partially submerged crater.

The tour boats use mooring buoys instead of anchors to protect the reef, because the sanctuary is a designated Hawai'i State Marine Life and Bird Conservation District. So take that into consideration if looking at a kayaking tour, it is about 3 miles from shore. You can reach this famous Hawai'i snorkeling spot via a kayaking or snorkel cruise tour.

Mornings are best, for dolphin viewing. You may be able to work all this into a snorkel cruise, if you plan to see dolphins and/or whales.