I am planning to go snorkeling while in Maui but don't really want to pay to go on a snorkeling cruise. I understand there are some beaches in the North Maui where you can snorkel right on the coast. What about in the South Maui area? Excluding Le Perouse Bay which seems too complicated to get to.

You can snorkel off some of the Kamaole Beach Parks (in the morning, afternoon can be windy/rougher seas) and Wailea area Beaches. I would suggest the Maui Revealed-Ultimate Guidebook published by Wizard. I find it to be a good source of info.

South Maui-Go to the Maui Prince Hotel and snorkel to the South of the hotel-Lots of turtles and eels

For an easy shore entry dive spot, try Ahihi Cove in So. Maui. We dove the right side of the cove and really enjoyed ourselves. The water visibility and coral growth will improve dramatically as you get farther away from the shore.

I would also recommend the Maui Revealed book. It was great resource. BTW....La Perouse Bay is easy to get to with any rental car. Once again, the water visibility is poor until you get out near the mouth of the bay. We rented Kayaks, stowed our snorkel gear and paddled across the bay and had an excellent time.

I didn't know that about Le Perouse Bay; I thought it required like a 4WD or something.

Thanks for all the tips!