Maui - Hawaii with Kids - page 293

daily in a fleet of dive boats. Molokini is accessible only by boat; see “Boating,”
above, for outfitters that can take you here. Expect crowds in the high season.
AHIHI-KINAU NATURAL PRESERVE In Ahihi Bay, you can't miss
this 2,000-acre state natural area reserve in the lee of Cape Kinau, on Maui's
rugged south coast where, in 1790, Haleakala spilled red-hot lava that ran into
the sea. Fishing is strictly forbidden here, and the fish know it; they're every-
where in this series of rocky coves and black-lava tide pools. To get here, drive
south of Makena past Puu Olai to Ahihi Bay, where the road turns to gravel (and
sometimes seems like it will disappear under the waves). At Cape Kinau, three
four-wheel-drive trails lead across the lava flow; take the shortest one, nearest La
Pérouse Bay. If you have a standard car, drive as far as you can, park, and walk
the remainder of the way. Après-snorkel, check out La Pérouse Bay on the south
side of Cape Kinau, where the French admiral La Pérouse became the first Euro-
pean to set foot on Maui. A lava-rock pyramid known as Pérouse Monument
marks the spot.
When the whales aren't around, Capt. Steve's Rafting Excursions ( & 808/
667-5565; www.captainsteves.com) offers 7-hour snorkel trips from Mala
Wharf in Lahaina to the waters around Lanai. (You don't actually land on the
island.) Rates of $130 for adults and $95 for children 12 and under include
breakfast, lunch, snorkel gear, and wet suits. I wouldn't recommend it for kids
under 5 years old (too long a day and a little too bumpy).
SUBMARINE DIVES
Plunging 100 feet below the surface of the sea in a state-of-the-art, high-tech
submarine is a great way to experience Maui's magnificent underwater world,
especially if you're not a swimmer. Atlantis Submarines , 658 Front St.,
Lahaina ( & 800/548-6262 or 808/667-2224; www.goatlantis.com), offers trips
out of Lahaina Harbor every hour on the hour from 9am to 2pm. The fee is $80
for adults and $40 for children under 12. (Children must be at least 3 ft. tall.)
Allow 2 hours for this underwater adventure. This is not a good choice if you're
claustrophobic.
SURFING
Expert surfers visit Maui in winter, when the surf 's really up. The best surfing
beaches include Honolua Bay, north of the Kapalua Resort (the third bay past
the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, off the Honoapiilani Hwy., or Hwy. 30); Lahaina
Harbor (in summer, there'll be waves just off the channel entrance with a south
swell); Maalaea, just outside the breakwall of the Maalaea Harbor (a clean,
world-class left); and Hookipa Beach, where surfers get the waves until noon
(after that—in a carefully worked-out compromise to share this prized surf
spot—the windsurfers take over).
Always wanted to learn to surf, but didn't know whom to ask? Call the Nancy
Emerson School of Surfing, 358 Papa Place, Suite F, Kahului ( & 808/244-
SURF or 808/662-4445; www.surfclinics.com). Nancy has been surfing since
1961, and has even been a stunt performer for various movies, including Water-
world. She's pioneered a new instructional technique called “Learn to Surf in
One Lesson”—you can, really. It's $75 per person for a 2-hour group lesson; pri-
vate 2-hour classes are $160. Since all students must be able to float and be com-
fortable in the water, generally kids 5 and under are too young.
In Hana, Hana-Maui Sea Sports ( & 808/248-7711; www.hana-maui-
seasports.com) has 2-hour long-board lessons taught by a certified ocean life-
guard for $89.