Our Favorite Local Beaches

Our Favorite Local Beaches
Kamaole II Beach Park
Directly north of Kamaole Point, this beach is a favorite for the seniors and the early risers.
You'll find them walking, swimming, exercising, and talking in the cool of the morning before the
heat sets in.
Kamaole III Beach Park
Directly across the street, life-guarded Kam III is divided by rocks into two sections: a small
cove and a broader beach good for boogie boarding when the trade wind swell is up. Good
snorkeling at Kamaole Point at the north end of Kam III. Usually very calm in the morning hours.
Keawapaku
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Our Favorite Local Beaches
A picture postcard perfect beach just south of the Five Palms Grille. Three parking lots.
Ulua
Good snorkeling and shore dive spot but very popular and often crowded. Very limited
parking--arrive at 8 (yes, 8) or you’ll wait for a spot. If the crowds bother you, just move south a
few yards. Snorkeling is good only at the north end.
Wailea
Another wonderful spot with more parking. Fair snorkeling.
Polo
Nice beach in front of the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort with lots of parking. Enter the parking lot at
the side road adjacent to the south end of the resort. There is a small park with restrooms,
showers, tables and grilles. Snorkeling can be good.
Makena Landing Beach Park
Favored by snorklers and large groups of kayakers, the shoreline is mostly rocky with little sand.
South of the landing are two small pockets of white sand, which are popular picnicking spots.
The ocean bottom here slopes gently, making it a good swimming beach for children and novice
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Our Favorite Local Beaches
swimmers. Accessed off of Makena Alanui Road at the "Makena Landing" sign.
Mala’aku
Drive past the Maui Prince resort a ways and then make a sharp right back to the parking lot.
Fair snorkeling on the reef to the left. When the reef gets too shallow to swim, turn right and
swim into deep water past the under-water arch. Bear left in deep water and look for turtles and
perhaps a manta ray. Don’t attempt the swim unless the water is calm and the trades are calm.
If you do swim out, swim back if the wind line (white caps in the distance) approaches.
Oneuli (Big Beach
Maui’s most popular “local” beach. Don’t think of body surfing Paraplegic Beach here unless
you have good medical insurance. The waves are slammers, due to the quick drop-off in the
water. If you must body surf, head south toward the end of this long and beautiful beach. Little
Beach over the lava flow at the right side of the beach has much gentler waves and is Maui’s
unofficial (and illegal) clothing optional beach. There is good snorkeling between Big and Little
Beach, and at the south end of Big Beach. There is also a reef about 100 feet off-shore that
provides interesting snorkeling. Two parking lots. The beach closes at sunset.
Po'olenalena Beach
This secluded beach on the way to La Perouse Bay is often missed due to its rock wall
enclosure. Its unofficial name is "Secret Beach". Since it is heavily used for weddings and
renewal of vows, think twice before laying out your beach mat! But it is great for picture-taking.
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Our Favorite Local Beaches
To access the beach, drive past Big Beach and look for a rock wall with a small opening next to
some homes that sit at the road's edge.
Review of Maui's Beaches Maui's Current Beach Conditions
Sands of Maui
A popular Maui souvenir is a bottle filled with layers of Maui sands of different color. You can
collect the sand and do the same thing, except using larger decorator Italian tapered bottles.
Each of the beaches listed has a different color.
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Makena Beach--Oneloa Beach (Makena) | light tan sand
Wai'anapanapa Beach Park--Pa'iloa Beach (Hana) | black sand
Kamaole Beach Park III (Kihei) | an sand
Little Black Sand Beach--Oneuli Beach (Makena) | two shades of gray & peppered sand
Red Sand Beach--Kaihalulu Beach (Hana) | beautiful red cinder sand The Little Black Sand Beach is on the north side of the Puu Olai cinder cone. It is accessed by a
rutted dirt road just south of the paved access road to Mala’aku Beach. (This access road is
past the Maui Prince turn-off). The rutted road will be a right turn in the Kiawe trees. If you miss
the road, you will be at the Makena Beach parking lot access. Although the dirt road seems
nearly impassable, and many cars park up front near the road, you can drive the road all the
way to the beach. One color sand is to the right, the other to the left.
The Red Sand Beach is accessed near the community center and the graveyard in back of the
Hana Hotel bungalows. Just park at the dead end road near the graveyard (but not on hotel
property). The trail is slippery in spots and signs warn visitors that they risk their lives using the
trail. The trail has some wonderful spots to admire the seascape. Notice the Japanese grave
stones that have tumbled into the ocean or are slipping downhill. Do you wonder what
happened to the graves?
Collect the sand in plastic bags and when you get home, dry it out and layer the sand, tilting the
bottle one way, then another, for the best effect. Multiple layers of each color work best! The
inexpensive Italian tapered bottles are wonderful for displaying the sand. It is best to make sure
to settle each layer before adding the next. The finer sand has a tendency to fill the spaces
between the coarser sand. The filled bottles do not ship very well, as the colors seem to merge
together.
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Our Favorite Local Beaches
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