Kapalua Bay

Started my day off with a great run down to the «Fish Bowl” — reminded me of why this is one of my favorite places to visit in Maui– the family can snorkel all day in the calm and safety of the cove– the Coral provides a lot of fish and sea life to look at while floating on top of the water–

This bay is very nice. Pretty much the whole bottom is coral so there are many fish. It is a great place for snorkeling! Many things too see when in the water. There are also fun water things to rent. Such as paddle boards. And you can also rent beach chairs and umbrellas. It does get very busy in the afternoon, so it is good to come in the morning!

This aqua blue bay on the west side of Maui is excellent for family fun including snorkeling, kiddie shore play and paddle boarding.
There are two places to park: 1. Near the Montage off Bay Drive you’ll find public shore access parking and a beautiful trail to Kapalua Bay. This is a great option especially if you don’t have a lot to carry. It’s about a five minute walk. Also great option if you want to take a long walk across multiple bays and beaches. And there’s a great cliff jumping here too just look behind you on trail to Kapalua bay. 2. Public parking near Merriman’s restaurant or street parking nearby.
You can rent excellent snorkel gear on the beach for $ 10 for half day. You can also rent a paddle board for a «Hawaii Hour» which was more like 3 hours for us.

How I didn’t get towed out to sea, but had my car towed across Maui!
We were disappointed with our snorkeling experiences at Kamaole Park III, and checked Unilocal for a better beach. Kapalua Bay Beach stood out.
Packing the car for this snorkeling was a big task, including all of our snorkel gear, change of clothes, my water proof lock sack, towels to dry off, and towels for sitting on in the car. My wife packed her wet suit as well.
We drove up from Kihei, through Lahaina, past Kaanapali, taking a left turn at Napili, just before Kapalua.
Hardest part is finding the place, with all these unpronounceable street names, etc.
Once we hit Lower Honoapiilani Rd, we drove north. Stretch of area with dozens of cars parked alongside the road, without a break. We drove past the parking lot without knowing it, taking in the scenic route.
845 am on a Wednesday, we drive into the parking lot, next to a restaurant, and all 44 parking spaces are taken, as are all parking alongside the road outside the parking lot.
We head up the road away from the beach parking lot, with a parking lot across the street. Sign says parking for golf and tennis players only. No where else to park, we circle the parking lot and park closest to the beach, 200 yards away.
We walk through the beach parking lot, to the small restrooms, and then over to the beach, my electronic car key in my water tight lock sack in my zippered back swim suit pocket .
Beautiful beach, in an isolated Bay, protected from the big waves, with plenty of rocks in the smooth shallows to watch the fish. Water is green and blue, crystal clear, calm, with minimal sand particles kicked up by the tides. Classic semi circular shaped beach, broad enough for hundreds of visitors to lie down.
The wife and I head on in, and see colorful fish almost immediately. Water is shallow enough to stand on the sand for a long distance. Farther off the beach in the deeper waters, we see a giant Hawaiian turtle, as long as an adult human. Now this is the time to have had an underwater camera!
The turtle comes right up to me, takes a few sniffs of my senior carcass, and goes elsewhere looking for fresher meat!
An hour later, we wash off the sand in the outdoor showers, and head for the restrooms to change. Only 1 stall for men and 2 stalls for women, and one guy rushes into the stall just before me to take a dump. 5 minutes later I’m changing clothes out of my wet top and trunks.
We walk back to the golf and tennis parking lot, and I punch the fob key, and nothing happens. I use the key to open the door, but this car has a keyless push button start. I open up the key, clean out the battery area, and push the start button on the car floor again –no response.
We end up calling the car rental company, who send out a flat bed tow truck. Difficult pulling the car up onto the tow truck in confined quarters of the parking lot.
Meanwhile all those people circling the tennis parking lot, who were going to the beach, see the tow truck, have a change of heart, and leave pronto!
After 6 years of use, the lok sac seal leaked, frying the chip in the electronic key, when the start button was pushed.
$ 242 key replacement says the airport car rental, plus the 38 mile towing charges! When it rains it pours!

One of the most beautiful beach in Maui! Great place to snorkel at and also very friendly with the little ones. The water is super clear and most of the time the wave are claim. Great for beginner snorkelers .
Parking: Space is very limited, so I recommend getting there early.
What will you see: You will definitely see a lot of big to small tropical fish and huge sea turtles hanging around the rocky around.
Overall a great place to hang out and snorkel. (NOTE) They also have a shower to rinse of and a restrooms.

Clear blue water, nice white sand beach, with a lovely inclosed bay feel. For those of us who are terrified of sharks, it was ideal. There was also a handy rental place on the beach for those interested in snorkeling, or paddle boarding.
Down side is its not very large, so sandy space will run out quickly. Parking lot was overflowing. We parked along the road parallel to the beach and walked about about .25 miles to get there. Worth a stop.

Kapalua Bay is one of our favorite location to snorkel in Maui. We absolutely love this place & you don’t have to swim far to see nice coral reefs, fishes & turtles. It’s good for beginners and water is pretty clear.
This location however, has very limited parking area and It might be hard to find the location if it’s your first time visiting. Must go early morning to secure a good spot. It can get hot and very crowded so we like to come here early. You’ll be surprise to see quite a few people at 8:00am.
…will recommend this place to anyone who likes to snorkel.

Kapalua Bay was the perfect spot for easy first time snorkeling for our 14yo. He and his dad swam all over the bay and saw a ton of fish. They absolutely loved it. Plus, it was easy for the beginner to stand in the water as he was adjusting to snorkel gear. It was also a nice beach with even a bit of shade for mom to relax. Somewhat crowded, but easy to see why.
They have public restrooms, foot shower and a small parking lot where we were lucky enough to grab a spot. If you pass Merriman’s (going north I believe), you’ve just missed it. The only reason we left is cause the guys got powerfully hungry with all that snorkeling. ;) There is a small rental stand at the far end of the beach but I didn’t check out what they had.

Another beautiful Maui Beach. Too bad that every time I visit it’s been gloomy. The weather in this part of Maui is never the best. This beach is great for snorkeling but I think its over-​rated. There are so many great snorkeling spots that I will pass this one up in the future.
I would personally stick to Mokapu and Ulua for snorkeling. If Im in the upper west side of the island, Id rather go to DT Fleming Beach over Kapalua.

Small hidden beach for snorkling!
The parking lot is pretty hidden so make sure you look out for the sign. Make sure you park in the beach parking area. I posted a picture of the sign to look out for.
I wish I saw turtles but snorkling was still really fun!