I guess that will have to be a goal during my next visit as I cannot wait to check out the water here again…Īnd while I was snorkeling, Shauna was busy taking some great photos: I didn’t get the chance to compare the two sides though. But the visibility was quite good towards the end of our trip once the weather improved, with lots of fish and turtles.Īccording to the Maui Revealed guidebook, the rocks near the top of the photo are also good snorkeling. It had rained a quite a bit when we first arrived, so the water was a bit murky. I swam out starting from the rocks in the foreground and headed to the left. And if you are not a strong swimmer, then one of the charter tours is probably a better bet. I should also mention that there are no facilities or lifeguards here, so be sure to use your own facilities before you get there. As with anywhere, make sure not to leave any valuables in your car. Parking is along the roadside, and will be obvious once you see all the other cars parked. Palauea Beach is located on Makena Road, just south of the Fairmont Kea Lani. I had to swim out a bit farther at this beach before I saw any turtles, but there was certainly plenty to see along the way with lots of fish and coral to check out. It is another one of Maui’s Turtle Towns. My second favorite spot to snorkel was Palauea Beach, also known as White Rock. It turns out that portions of the Reserve Area will remain closed for an additional two years, until at least July 31, 2012.
But if you aren’t into reading all of that, all you need to know is that the area is closed and you may be issued a fine of up to $1000 and/or one year in jail if found there.
In case you would like to read the full story behind the closure, you can read the News Release here. Here is a photo looking back towards Big Beach. (The closure has since been extended to J– see link below) Luckily we found out about the closure on the Maui Revealed updates page, or we would definitely have gone back down there during our 2009 trip. So they shut it down until Jat the earliest. The government of Hawaii was worried about the impacts to the area because it was becoming so popular.
However we discovered that this area has since been closed. We went to the end of the road to La Perouse Bay and also checked out Ahihi Cove. The color of the black lava against the amazing blue ocean was unbelievable. One of our favorite places we visited on our 2008 trip was the Ahihi Kina’u Natural Area Reserve south of Makena State Park.