Hi, would love to hear some feedback on where to stay with the best beaches for kids to snorkel and swim safely. We're travelling to Maui in February.
Thanks!

Note that all of these are in South Maui - which is the area that I'm most familiar with:

The 3 Kamaole beaches in Kihei are pretty decent and have lifeguard stations. There are some nice tidepools between Kamaole 2 and Kamaole 3 that are pretty cool at low tide.

Best snorkeling beach for kids (that we saw anyway) was definitely Mokapu Beach in front of the Renaissance Wailea. Fairly shallow with some small coral heads (and the fish that go with them) in waist-deep water on the south side.

Maluaka (also known as Makena)Beach in front of the Maui Prince was a good swimming beach for kids - with a gentle grade and a nice sandy bottom. Not much fish there though (at least not in the shallow water) so it's better for swimming than snorkeling.

Main thing to keep in mind is that the water is much calmer in the morning hours and that the waves kick up as the day warms. A nice safe beach at 9 AM can be quite a bit less so at noon.

Ken

I really can't say. We have had amazing snorkling in many areas of Maui. On my most recent trip the reef just right of Kea Lani was wonderful, as was Le Pouruse(sp) past Makena...rule of thumb is conditions are almost always best in the early morning. By noon the tradewinds often kick in, changing visibility and kicking up surf. Maui is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and because of that, conditions change seasonally and often unpredictably. You can search for the best beaches for kids, but much more important is to teach them about the ocean, rogue waves, riptides and respect of its force. Never allow them to swim alone in surf conditions, never allow them to snorkle alone.

It is an amazing island. I hope you enjoy it wisely.

Aloha Ken, have a wonderful day!

Aloha Gyppielou -

... or as I actually prefer - Kia Orana!

Ken

http://www.snorkeling-hawaii-insider...com/index.html

http://www.adigitaldreamer.com/snorkel/maps.htm

http://www.maui-vacation.net/snorkelmap.html

www.mauihawaii.org

www.snorkelbobs.com Scroll to the bottom and click on: Map'nTips

For snorkeling, we absolutely loved Honolua Bay when we were in Maui last June. Our group ranged in age from 7 yrs. to 64 yrs. Honolua Bay is north of Lahaina and is a marine preserve so there are lots of fish who are not too worried about people. We saw turtles, eels, and even squid/octopi (I don't know the difference). It is a cove so there was not a strong current when we were there. My guidebook says the snorkeling is best in the morning and calm spring, summer, & fall. My family all agreed that it was like being in a National Geographic special. Take hwy 30 north of Lahaina past D.T. Fleming Beach Park. You'll see a Mokuleia-Honolua Marine Reserve sign near a parking area. Go past this just a little ways and watch for a tiny dirt side road on the left. There will probably be other cars parked there. Park by the road and take the trail/dirt road in. The trail is an easy walk and absolutely lovely. The Snorkel Bob shops may even have a free print out map. We felt so pleased with ourselves for walking in for free when we saw one of those snorkel tour catamarans that people pay a tidy little sum for.

We stayed at a condo called the Hale Kai (www.halekai.com) and absolutely loved it. The Hale Kai is right next to a beachside park that has some playground equipment. The salt water pool was small but very nice and we were right next to the water.

We felt that the Hawaii entertainment book absolutely paid for itself with our family.

I'm going to second the vote for Honolua Bay. It is kind of hidden - we wouldn't have found it without the directions from the fellow at the snorkel shop. Have a great time!!

It's quite likely that Honolua Bay is not a safe kid destination in Feb. You may luck out, but wouldn't plan on it.

I have to really reinforce gyppielou's comments about the ever-changing conditions around Maui. What may appear to be a lovely safe place to swim and snorkle to one person at the time they are visiting can be a deadly dangerous place at other times. I have seen people pulled from the water at just about every beach on this island at one time or another. If you were here today you might think that the south and west beaches were calm, safe places with little surf, but last week, thanks to storm activity to the north of us, you would have seen Mother Nature at her best and a south swell so wicked that it caused beach and road closures, shoreline flooding and ate up huge chunks of beaches from Kapalua to Makena. Normal conditions fall somewhere in between.

Honolua can get rough in the winter and runoff from rains can make the water murky, and dangerous. There are so many factors that effect the conditions on any given day, especially in winter months like February. Your best bet is to check in with one of the dive shops before heading out. Just give Maui Dive Shop, Boss Frog or Snorkle Bob a call.

There is one place that is guaranteed to be safe for keiki in Lahaina, called Baby Beach. It is a very shallow lagoon protected by the reef. The waves break at the reef, and it is great for little ones. This is a great place for them to learn to snorkel.

Thanks so much to all of you for the information. I have heard to watch out for changing surf and riptides. I'm alittle concerned that Maui might not be the best island to visit for swimming in February.

February can be dicey for weather (rainy season), water conditions for snorkeling, and water temperature. If the beach and snorkeling scene is important to you, I'd suggest the Caribbean, where winter is the drier season and water temps are warmer than Hawaii (Caribbean water temp in winter is like Hawaii in summer). While the weather MAY be good for you, there could be several miserable days. Do you want to take the chance?

A very small and still cove, called Hanakeana Cove (sp?), was our favorite place a few years ago. It's at Napili Point condos, just at the south property line. Also a ver small condo complex, called Hanakeana condos or something like that, is there. Wonderful population of colorful fish, quiet waters in the protected cove. Rocky shore, though, not a beach. Just look for the couple of entry points.