Snorkeling at Honolua Bay on the Northwest side of Maui

Honolua Bay is located on the northwest side of Maui and has some amazing snorkeling!

There is free street side parking. There are two trail entrances. One on the south side and one on the north side.

We took the south trail. We crossed an empty stream bed, but sometimes during the year it is flowing with water. The trail on the north end runs along the stream so you don't have to worry about crossing it, but it's a bit longer.

This is an aerial view of the forest you walk through to get to the bay.

You can see the parking area on the side of the road. We parked and walked up to the southern entrance to the trail.

This dirt trail is wide and easy to follow. We were blown away at how beautiful this hike was. These trees are amazing.

After crossing the dry stream bed, we veered to the left and that took us to the boat ramp entrance to Honolua Bay.

At the end of the boat ramp, we decided to go to the left side. It's all rocks so you need to watch your step. We put down our bags and towels and then made our way over to the water to get in.

As you look out at the bay there are two main reefs. The smaller reef is on the left hand side or south side. The larger reef where we saw the octopus and lots of sea turtles was on the right side of the bay.

This aerial view is of the south side or smaller reef.

This aerial view is of right side of the bay or the north side. This is where the larger reef is located. You have to swim farther out, but it is worth it.

We got into the water and started snorkeling over to the right side of the bay. This is what we saw.

After exploring the right side of the bay, we swam across to the left side and explored the smaller reef. We didn't see as much sea life on this side and the water was rougher on this side too. It was still fun to explore and this is what it looked like.

Overall, we had a great time snorkeling at Honolua Bay and would highly recommend it on your next trip to Maui.

Honolua Bay, Maui - Hawaii Map:

(Click on the map above to go to a Google Maps larger view.)

Street side parking is free: $0

Total cost: $0

These are the checklist items I recommend:

• Bring plenty of water and some snacks
• There are no public bathrooms here.
• Bring a hat to keep the sun off of your face.
• Bring reef-safe sunscreen
• Bring a beach towel
• Bring your own mask, snorkel, and fins.
• Bring water shoes or booties to get into the water. Mine fit into my fins.