Honolua Bay

[FlyKaesan]

I tried to get to Honolua Bay but was not able to.
Parking space on Mekuleia made it easy to park there.
I parked on Mekule'ia Bay and went down but would prefer to goto Honolua Bay.
Is there easy way to get there? Is it better than Mekule'ia Bay for snorkeling?

 

[LisaRex]

From Kaanapali, drive north on Rt. 30 past Kapalua, etc. You'll pass the 32 mile marker and shortly thereafter see parking lots and roadside parking. You can use one of these free entrances if you prefer. We prefer to use "Uncle Jimmy's" entrance. It is marked "private property" and you have to pay $5 per party to use it. However, it's an easy walk at ground level through a nice shaded forest and dry creek way, as well as a nice way to meet up with some locals and ask them questions about the best snorkeling spots, etc.

To get to "Uncle Jimmy's", drive across a little bridge, directly before the 33 mile marker and across from the "Adopt A Highway - Ritz Carlton" sign.

Note that Honolua Bay is not a sandy beach. It has a ton of huge boulders which you can sit on, and more importantly, it has an old boat ramp which makes getting in and out of the water a cinch. The waters are usually calm, though not always, and visibility can be outstanding. Snorkeling companies also use this bay as their "turtle towns" because you'll usually see a turtle or two.

 

[FlyKaesan]

ok. thanks.
I might use the "Uncle Jimmy's".
I saw turtle as soon as I went in the water at Mekule'ia Bay.
I did see some snorkel company come to Mekule'ia Bay and used the right side wall to do the snorkeling. It rained so I came back home. Next time, I will try the place where snorkel company used for their customers.

 

[hibbeln]

I think a lot of people make the mistake at Honolua Bay of snorkelling straight out from the center of the beach. This is a very murky area with poor visibility, not too many fish, and gunky rocks on the bottom. Once you get past these you get to the center of the bay where there is a sand bottom, but nothing much to see.
INSTEAD.....snorkel either to the left (our favorite) or to the right along the shoreline, staying about 20-30 feet out from shore. When you get to the coral, it will be very obvious you have "arrived". You will think "OH! THIS is what all the fuss is about!" Turtles tend to hang out right where the coral drops off to the deeper center part of the bay, and also in the "fingers" of deeper water between the coral heads.
If it has been raining heavily or steadily and the river that runs into Honolua Bay is flowing, it probably isn't worth the bother as visibility is then poor from the run-off.