Maui Beaches
The island of Maui has a coastline of about 120 miles (193 km). Maui beaches come in all forms and colors – there are gorgeous white sand beaches, black sand beaches and even red sand beaches offering great swimming, snorkeling, surfing, scuba diving, windsurfing and kayaking opportunities. Generally speaking, the beaches on Maui's south and west shore are best for swimming and snorkeling. Beach sand in Hawaii comes in all kinds of shapes and colors. Read more about Hawaiian beach sand composition.
Ka'anapali Beach, Napili Bay and Wailea Beach are some of the most popular among visitors, while Ho'okipa Beach is known as one of the world's windsurfing meccas. Then there is Jaws (Pe'ahi), one of the most popular big wave surfing spots, located on Maui's north shore, where waves frequently reach monstrous heights up to 70 feet (21 m) in the winter months.
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Ahihi Cove is one of the best snorkeling spots on Maui. It is home to an abundance of marine life, which probably has to do with the area being protected within the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve.
As its name implies, Big Beach really has plenty of sand for everyone. At almost two-thirds of a mile (1 km) long and over 100 feet (30 m) wide, it is one of the most popular beaches on Maui.
Black Rock divides Ka'anapali Beach in half. The large black rock sits in the nearshore waters on the beach. The area around the rock is a popular snorkeling spot. Many corals grow on and around it.
Chang's Beach is a popular bodyboarding location when the surf is up. When the ocean is calm, snorkeling is good here as well. The small cove has a marvelous offshore reef.
This is a great spot for family picnics, conveniently located off the main road in Kihei. The ocean bottom drops off gently here, and the snorkeling conditions can be good when the ocean is calm.
Cove Park has a small sandy beach and is a nice spot to just hang out, read a book and enjoy the surroundings. It is also a good surfing beach, and surf lessons are given here.
D.T. Fleming Beach Park on Maui's northwestern shore offers plenty of space. It's a nice beach park for a picnic. Tall ironwood and palm tress provide plenty of shade and picnic tables are available.
H.A. Baldwin Beach is a picturesque community beach park. The main attraction here is the surf that breaks along the entire length of the park's long, sandy beach.
Hamoa Beach has already made an impression on popular author James Michener, who called it the most beautiful in the Pacific. The salt-and-pepper sand beach is backed by 30-foot (9 m) high sea cliffs and lush vegetation.
Located within Hana Bay is Hana Beach Park, which has a long black-sand beach and is the safest swimming beach along the East Maui coast. The beach park has a grassy area with picnic tables.
Honokohau Bay is a remote boulder beach in West Maui, popular among surfers in the winter. The bay's ocean bottom is rocky and rip currents are common, so the bay is not suitable for swimming.
The beach at Honolua Bay is quite small and primarily made up of boulders with a few scattered patches of sand, so surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving are the main activities here. The bay is a favorite spot among experienced surfers.
This picturesque bay along the popular Road to Hana has black sand and rocks that contrast sharply against the blue ocean and lush vegetation. It is mainly visited by surfers and fishermen because the beach itself is rocky.
Ho'okipa is one of the best beaches in the world for windsurfing. Two world-class competitions take place here each year. Surfers come from all corners of the earth to ride the challenging break.
Ka'anapali Beach is one of Maui's most popular beaches, fronting the Ka'anapali resort hotels and restaurants. The beach is perfect for all kinds of water activities, and a paved path runs along the entire stretch of the beach.
Protected by an offshore reef, Kahana Beach is located in front of the Kahana Beach Resort. The swimming and snorkeling conditions are good, but watch out for small rocks in the shorebreak.
Kaihalulu Beach has red-black sand, a product of the cinder cone hill that surrounds the cove. The blue ocean, the red sand, the green trees and the black lava sea wall make for a unique sight.
There is no sandy beach here, but everything else to keep the whole family entertained, including a basketball and tennis court, an inline skating rink, a skateboard park, a baseball field and a playground for children.
Kama'ole Beach is divided into three sections. Kama'ole I Beach has the largest beach of the three. Kama'ole II, located a little further south, has a smaller white-sand beach while Kama'ole III has a nice big grassy area.
Kanaha Beach Park is one of the best locations on Maui for windsurfers or kiteboarders. The conditions are almost always perfect. Most wind- and kitesufers stick to the western end of the beach.
Kapalua Bay is one of the prettiest white-sand beaches on Maui. Swimming is good here because a coral reef and long rocky outcrops at both sides of the bay protect the beach from strong currents.
Divers frequent this beach for a reason that may sound strange at first. There is an underwater junkyard consisting of about 150 cars, forming a man-made offshore reef.
Koki Beach has a mixture of black, white and red sand. The dark reddish sand comes from the nearby red cinder hill, named Ka Iwi o Pele. Although the beach is not suitable for swimming, it is a scenic place for a picnic.
Bring your camera. The stark, barren lava rocks, the bright blue ocean, the coral beaches and the waves crashing against the cliffs provide the perfect scenery for some great shots.
Lelekea Bay is located in a remote area on Maui's east shore, near the sleepy little community of Kipahulu. It is a pebble beach. Look toward the southwest and you'll see Kalepa Point.
Little Beach is the only unofficial clothing optional beach on Maui. It is also known as Puu Olai Beach, named after the lava outcropping over which you'll have to hike to get to it.
Makena Landing Beach Park is located in Makena, a small town of which many people say it is Maui untamed. The shoreline at Makena Landing is mostly rocky with little sand.
This beautiful golden-sand beach offers good swimming and snorkeling conditions when the ocean is calm. The offshore waters are one of the "turtle towns" along this coast where sea turtles can often times be seen.
The word mokapu is short for moku kapu, meaning "sacred island" in the Hawaiian language. It takes its name from a small rock island that used to be visible offshore before it was bombed out during World War II as a practice target.
Truly off the beaten path! Nahiku Cove is a remote and secluded bay off of Hana Highway. It's not much of a swimming beach, but a great place to get away from the crowds.
There is no sandy beach here, only a rocky shoreline which is popular among young cliff jumpers who jump from the cliffs into the crystal clear waters below. There's a ladder from where one can climb up again.
Napili Bay is known for its fine white sand. It lies between two rocky points and is an excellent beach for swimming and other water activities. There are many hotels and vacation rentals on Napili Bay, so it's a rather busy beach.
A wide sandy beach that is never crowded, Oneloa (also known as Ironwoods Beach) is backed by resort villas and golf greens. On calm days, the snorkeling can be good here, especially at the west end of the beach.
One'uli Beach lies just to the north of Pu'u Ola'i (Earthquake Hill), a 360-foot-high cinder cone with gorgeous red cliffs. If you look closely, the sand of this beach has three colors – black, white and red.
Even though this beach is also known as Secret Cove, it's actually not so secret, but rather a popular spot for weddings. The beach probably got this name because it is hidden between homes in Makena.
Also known as White Rock, Palauea Beach is a lesser-known South Maui beach that's a little hard to find if you don't know where it is. The beach is accessible by walking on a short path between the trees.
This is a narrow roadside park with a long, but narrow sandy beach. It is located on a busy highway. When the surf is up, the beach attracts beginning surfers and bodyboarders.
Polo Beach is one of the beaches in the Wailea area, a large resort complex that encompasses two miles of shoreline. This is a nice picnicking beach with picnic tables, BBQ grills and a small park with a grassy area.
This half-mile long sandy beach in South Maui has good swimming and snorkeling conditions when the ocean is calm. The ocean bottom is mostly sandy and has a gentle slope.
Puamana is a narrow detrital sand beach, located just south of downtown Lahaina. The beach has a shallow nearshore ocean bottom that extends all the way out to the edge of the reef.
This beach has a name that truly doesn't sound appealing, but don't judge it by this name, which it got from a slaughterhouse that used to be in this area. It is a nice beach with a large pocket of white sand.
At 2.5 miles (4 km) long, this sandy stretch of shoreline is perfect for a long beach stroll. When the conditions are right, Sugar Beach is also a good spot for windsurfing or kayaking.
This is a narrow roadside park. The narrow beach is made up of detrital sand. Because the nearshore ocean bottom is shallow and rocky, the swimming conditions are poor.
Ulua Beach is one of the beaches in the Wailea resort complex development on Maui's south shore. During calm days, the snorkeling and diving here is excellent. There are many colorful corals and fish.
Wai'anapanapa State Park lives up to its Hawaiian name meaning "glistening water." Right off Hana Highway, this beautiful black-sand beach is a must-see and the perfect spot for an unparalleled photo opportunity.
Wailea Beach fronts the Grand Wailea Resort and has good swimming conditions. The nearshore ocean bottom drops off gently, and the usually small shorebreak attracts beginning bodyboarders.
Waipu'ilani Park is a nice, large beachfront park with lawns and shady areas, ideal for a picnic. The swimming conditions are rather poor on this beach because it has some rocks. But it's a good area to windsurf.
