Snorkelling Maui

Scuba diving is something I have wanted to do for a long time but I honestly only ever considered snorkelling once and that was when I was in Oahu.

That being said, I was really sure I wanted to do a snorkel “tour” (and pay $100+ for it) in Maui that would take us out to the Molokini crater and turtle town. Of course, I’m not crazy about that price but I was willing to pay it for the experience. Ryan was not so keen on this excursion and I reluctantly accepted defeat, but with 1 condition; we rent snorkels and explore the shores on our own.

Fortunately Maui is absolutely covered in rental shops that accommodate all the water sports. We got snorkel, mask and fins for $27 each and got to keep them for the full week to use whenever and wherever we liked. The man working at the shop also gave us a full tutorial on how to properly use the equipment and a map highlighting all the best places to snorkel around the island.

In a fit of excitement we drove directly from the shop to one of the recommend beaches and got right in the water! And by that I actually mean we drove directly to the area where the beach can be accessed from and then drove around and around and around looking for somewhere to park. Eventually we decided that it would be ok to park several blocks away and walk over, it was a beautiful Hawaiian day after all.

Having finally found the beach and a good spot to leave our towels we prepared ourselves to get in the water. I have to admit that it was much more difficult than I expected to breathe from the snorkel tube and it took several minutes practicing above water before I was ready to go under.

The joy I feel in the water is topped by little else. Being able to see and breathe is a beautiful bonus and something I would like to do again and again.

We chose not to wear our flippers for our first time out so we could adjust easier and keep our feet on the ground for a while. It turned out to be a good idea because it wasn’t long before I was running up the beach to get my GoPro camera to try capturing our first turtle sighting! I didn’t get back in time to take a photo but we saw many more over the course of our trip.

Among all the other things we did we were able to go snorkelling 4 times and every time was an amazing experience. Floating above all the different fish and getting excited when we saw a new one, spotting tiny starfish sitting in the sand and trying to avoid being bashed into the coral and rocks when waves came up provided endless enjoyment for me, I could have stayed for hours.

My two favorite parts of being underwater were the new experiences I had. Swimming with very large Green Sea Turtles was an experience I’ll never forget. I can’t think of many other things that excite me the way that did. Every time I would watch them swim, near or far, I couldn’t help thinking that the way they move must be the way angels would move through clouds. They are very gentle and serene and seem to move in slow motion without a care in the world. On several occasions they came and swam within inches of me, unfazed by my fascination with them.

On a side note, I wouldn’t recommend allowing a turtle between yourself and a wave, especially in shallow water. I spotted a turtle swimming near shore and walked into the water to see it. In less than 2 feet of perfectly clear water it’s a great way to see a bit more details on the turtles back. I had no intention of getting very close but it swam directly over to my feet, its head within 2 inches of my toes. As it was turning to swim away a wave came and shoved its shell directly into my leg, and then a second time. Turtles are very heavy and very hard and it was quite painful, I have the bruise to prove it.

My other favorite part of being able to see underwater was getting to see the Coral. When I think about scuba diving I always imagine exploring brightly colored coral and all the life that surrounds it. Seeing all the wiggly things, the iridescent glow, fish darting in and out and massive urchins were so pleasing to my eye, I wanted to swim through every piece and take in all it had to offer.

Our first snorkel experience was at Napili beach on the northwest coast of Maui and all of the other times we went were at Maluaka Beach in Wailea.

Maluaka Beach is also referred to as “Turtle Town.” We went looking specifically for Turtle Town, couldn’t find it and ended up here. I didn’t find out until a few days later while looking at a post on Pinterest that this beach is actually exactly where we were meant to be and I’m happy to say, it really lived up to its name! During our time here we saw about 10 turtles, many many fish and so much beautiful coral. 

I’m so happy that we decided to do this on our own instead of paying for a tour that would only allow for 2 hours of snorkel time. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Maui!