Kamaole 3

The rugged point offers the best fish viewing. You can choose diving between any of the three Kamaole parks.

great spot with lifeguards!

Kamaole Beach Park III, June 18, 2018, 10:30 am. Very windy, 3' waves, advised by lifeguards that swimming and splashing and wake boarding would be great but snorkeling would be bad. Went anyway. A rock outcropping separates Kamaole Beach II from Kamaole Beach III. Our intention was to snorkel the north side of the outcropping on the K2 side but since the strong wind and current were pushing into the rocks, the lifeguards told us to go to K3 and snorkel it from the leeward side. The waves break around 50 feet from the dry sand beach and all the water in between was turbid and sandy. Once we got out past the crest of the big waves the visibility was no longer an issue. Lots of rocks, lots of hard coral, lots of spiny sea urchins in the crevices, not many fish at all. The star of the show was a ginormous green sea turtle who appeared out of nowhere while I was swimming back to shore through the low-viz sandy churn. Was practically nose-to-nose with him when I finally saw him. Startling at first, but I very soon recognized the magic of the moment and admired him until he disappeared again the liquid sandstorm.

I just dove this site two weeks ago. It's great for snorkeling, but stick to the right. Conditions can be awful if you encounter a flowing stream crossing the trail on your hike to the beach. And be careful of the surfers out to the right.

This site is a good navigation practice dive. You swim from reef to reef (many of them are small). Trade winds make this a very exposed site to choppy surf, but underwater it is clear. I think many divers skip this site, and to be honest it is a little boring compared to many other Maui dives.

Lots of schooling fish near the rocky point on the North side. Good for both snorkeling and diving. There is a nice reef with several cleaning stations running SW from the rocks on the South end of the beach. It can be a bit tricky to find unless you snorkel around to orient yourself first. Nice mini-wall with about 10' relief, 30' depth. Lifeguards insist on the use of a dive flag. It's a good idea because of the proximity to Kihei boat ramp. My primary reason for diving this reef is that my condo is across the street, and I'll dive while family and visitors hang out on the beach and/or snorkel.

This site is not commonly dove by scuba divers, although I have a few friends who like to dive here. Mostly patch reef diving. There are occasionally things that make it worthwhile like dolphins and rays, but these are usually few and far between. Long surface swim. Without a guide, you may have a hard time even finding the reef!