SOUTH MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 274

that houses green sea turtles. This area is often referred to as Turtle Town by many of the
snorkel boat operators, and unless you want to share the water with 200 other snorkelers,
try to be out here before 10am, when all of the Molokini charter boats begin mooring off-
shore. If you swim north from the South Finger, you will pass over lime green coral heads.
Keep an eye out for moray eels or the strange-looking flying gurnard. Eventually, you'll
come to the North Finger, another underwater lava formation that houses many turtles.
This finger is often covered in bright red slate-pencil urchins that the ancient Hawaiians
would use for red dye, and eagle rays and manta rays are sometimes seen off the deeper
end of the finger.
An alternate entry point for Makena Landing is via the north side at a spot known as
Five Graves. Parking is scarce here, and the entry can be challenging, but it's a much
shorter swim to reach the fingers. The beach access is tough to find, however, so you need
to pay close attention. Instead of turning into the parking lot on Makena Road, continue
driving up and over the hill. When the road drops back down to the shoreline, you'll no-
tice a dirt area on the right that can fit about five cars. Park here. On the other side of the
street you'll notice a small trail. You'll know this is the right path if you see five graves
in a small graveyard on the left. Follow this trail to the shoreline. The easiest place to get
in and out of the water is a protected nook in the rocks on your right. Although the beach
area to the left of the trail looks like it would be the easiest, it's shallow for a long way out,
and you don't want to contend with the breaking waves. On calm days this is the quickest
means of reaching the fingers.
Moving south, there are a few places which offer decent snorkeling inside Makena
State Park, the best of which is the point that separates Big Beach from Little Beach. The
best thing to do is to park in the first entrance to Big Beach and turn right when you hit
the sand. This will bring you to the far northern end of the beach where you can enter the
water to snorkel around the point. The surf can get big here in the summer, so this is only
possible on a flat day. For more direct access to the best part of the reef, clamber up and
over the hill to Little Beach and snorkel in the cove off the left side of the bay. If there are
waves in the bay, however, it's best to go elsewhere because this will put you right in the
path of oncoming boogie boarders.
Some say that the best snorkeling in South Maui is at Ahihi Kinau. But once popular
spots such as the Fishbowl and the Aquarium are closed to the general public until
2014—and potentially longer. The only place where you can still snorkel in the Ahihi
Kinau Natural Area Reserve is a small cove a mile past Pa'ako Beach (Secret Cove). Even
though the parking situation here can be abysmal, the snorkeling warrants the effort. If