Will arrive on Maui in March and are taking our two children 8 and 10. They have never been to the ocean before. We will be staying at the Sheraton. Wondering if life jackets are a good idea. Can you rent? Or is there some other flotation device that we can rent when we get snorkel gear? The Sun will also be a problem. I guess just lots of sun screen and a hat? Thanks!

anyone?

If I were going with my two kids (same age as yours fyi)..I probably would buy something there if the hotel didn't have it.Dont' be so cheap as to do without. You are talking about your kids here... THe ocean can be rough. I would keep an extra watch on them also--never let them go in the water by themselves. Never! Yes , wear sunscreen and hats...nothing wrong with that.
If you need to call the Sheraton, do so. YOu can speak to sales or the concierge before leaving for any questions you might have.

Definitely do NOT let them go in the water alone and yes - the life jackets would be a good idea unless they are very strong swimmers. The beach at the Sheraton is very nice, but there is wall of rock at the edge and they will need to be very careful. The currents in Hawaii can be extremely strong and unpredictable. We saw an adult drown on a Maui beach not far from the Sheraton while he was snorkeling - not a pretty sight.

Hi. We do a yearly Hawaii trip with our two kids and have learned that we really need to, in effect, assign one parent to one kid when we are playing in the surf. Our children are 4 and 8 and we need to contiually remind them that they always need to be watching the surf when they are playing on the shore. My eight-year-old loves to snorkle and we have considered a life vest or buoyancy vest (available at most snorkle rental spots) for her. We also only swim at fairly protected beaches without high surf and feel even better if there is a life guard at the beach. We are a little more comfortable in the hotel pools but again stay one on one with the kids. Re: the sun. We put both of our kids in "rash guards," one piece lycra body suits that were initally created for boogie boarders and body surfers, but are 100 spf and beat multiple (and dreaded) sunscreen applications. Lots of haole surfers wear them and my kids even wear them in our local pool to keep a little warmer. We have purchased them in surf shops in Hawaii and on-line on the mainland. Land's End has them in their most recent catalog and even has Hawaiian prints that my little girls think are especially great. We have grown to love them and have shirt versions that we wear snorkling and sea kayaking. They really cut down on the sun exposure.