Ahihi Cove

You can drop your gear off here, then park up above. Be quiet and considerate of the residents nearby. There is just a small lava beach area on this side, with the entry on the other side. The cove is to the North of here-- just 100 yards to hike. It's a simple walk into the water. For an aerial view, take a look at the next site, Ahihi Bay. The cove is just North (to the left) of the Bay site.

Rocky entry in a modest surf. Saw a spotted eagle ray within the first 5 minutes of the dive. Also found a turtle cleaning station and about 6 or 7 turtles. One was huge. Also saw an octopus. A lot of the usual reef suspects. Next time will have to try off to the right. A couple of divers leaving while we were gearing up said they found some caves off to the right.

Dove Feb 12, 2011 Did 2 dives here, mid day, sunny weather. 1st dive down to 28 ft. and 60 ft.viz. Lots of fish and coral turtles. 2nd dive went way out, and got down to 80 ft. viz and down to 40 ft. Love both dives and will be back.

Aloha, Ahihi cove/bay is an excellent spot for snorkelers and divers alike. The shear numbers, as well as varieties of fish are incredible. Even those who are not comfortable with venturing too far out will see an abundance of fish in the three to ten foot depths. Beginner divers as well as advanced snorkelers can stay within the confines of the cove where depths barely reach thirty feet. More advanced divers can snorkel out to the Bay's outer reefs prior to descending. These reefs hit sand bottom at a depth of around fifty feet. Multiple varieties of many species including grouper, snapper, parrot fish, trumpet fish, butterfly fish, trevally, octopus, eels, etc., etc., can be seen, along with the possibility of many others. Several days prior to writing this my eleven year old daughter and I were snorkeling 40 yards out in a depth of fifteen feet. We were lying motionless on the surface observing a group of several species of small fish feeding around the bottom of a large lone rock/coral formation. Seemingly without reason the small group of fish instantly scattered, being the hunter that I am, I instinctively knew this meant one thing: predator! As I quickly turned to look back expecting to see a shark, a huge Blue fin Trevally, locally known as a 'Omilu', of at least four ft. in length and approximately thirty pounds or more came rushing in at lightning speed trying to catch one of the small fish. His attempt was unsuccessful, and he swam around and around the lone formation directly under us a number of times. It was a heart pounding experience which my daughter and I will always cherish. While fairly well protected from the trade winds, beware of the swells here. When large waves are coming in, stay out. It is always best if not necessary to make all dives on Maui in the mornings prior to the intense trade winds. For a great book on the dive sites in Maui, purchase 'THE DIVERS' GUIDE TO MAUI' by Chuck Thorne. It provides sites, maps, instructions on finding the site, entries, precautions, facilities, basically everything you need to know. Enjoy Maui's diving, mahalo.

Ahihi Cove 37 ft. There are no facilities here but this cove has an easy entrance on the right side. Best to dive early in the morning before the waves pick up. Visibility of 30-75 ft. This is a popular site for Kayakers. Four stars.

What a great site. Fairly easy entry and only a short swim to divable depths. Head anywhere remotely near the center to drop your dive flag off in the sand with a weight (there are several large sand channels near the center). Do not tie your flag to coral (at any site please). Great marine life here. My first impression was the tons of peacock groupers present. Several types of butterfly fish and large parrotfish can be found here too. My personal favorite route is to head out right and follow the reef out to 40 feet or so where many mini-reefs can be found. Turtles (we saw 12) can usually be found more or less in the center of the cove at the edge of the reef (a short swim off shore). Great dive, and what a pleasure to do an hour and half dive and not find any fishing gear!

Dove Ahihi Cove on 11/4. Got to dive with a pod of 20+ spinner dolphins including 2 juniors. It was a lifetime experience, and I'm still awed by it. We spent 10-15 minutes at the bottom with them, and when we had to surface because I was running low on air, they were leaving. We joked about the snorkel back, but it was worth it! As we were joking, the pod returned and "played" around for almost a 1/2 hour. Took pics and videos of them until my case lens fogged up. Can't wait to go back and find them again! The pod was a bit out for snorkelers, but there were some who swam out, and one guy was talking about how tired he was on the swim back. I worry about some people!

We've free dived this area a dozen times over the last 8 years and stop here every visit to Maui. This is the best coral and visibility on Maui in the summer other than Honolua Bay much further to the north. Counted 11 turtles in 45 minutes, and several schools of triggers and goat fish. We had to swim out 200 yards to the south before visibility opened up to +50' in a 20' - 30' deep reef. Visibility within 100 yards of shore was 5'. Most other south shore dive/snorkel sites have been murked up with the small swell from the SW this week ;-(

Ahihi Cove is a marine life preserve, so fish, shells and coral are protected. You can find plenty of fish, sea turtles, eels and occasionally dolphins and Tritons Trumpet. Definitely go early in the morning (7ish) so you can get a good parking spot and do not go if there is a south swell or waves over a foot, otherwise vis will be low. The coral heads are amazing at this location and the turtle cleaning station is an awesome experience. On the south end, just around the cove, there is a large school of blue stripped snapper that you can swim through. Take your UW camera!

I have done a lot of snorkeling around the islands of Oahu and Maui and this is a small cove, but has twice the amount of fish than Hanauma bay has. They swarm around you and even poke at you thinking that they are going to get fed. Great for all levels of snorkeling. Best to go when there is little surf activity.

Ahihi is terrific. Bring some cash for the food vendors along the road on the way to the site. You actually can step from the road into the water. Couldn’t be easier! Tons of turtles. The entry is a little rocky in the shallows.

If parking had been easier we would have dived it again. We had a great dive because the folks coming out told us where the turtle cleaning station was. (Straight out of the cove and a little to the left, at 10m) Very healthy reef and very clean turtles. Lots of 'em. The best Maui shore dive we did (others were Makena, 5 caves, Ulua Beach).

10/21/03-1100-Easy sandy, pebble entry. Headed north out of cove and dropped required dive flag in 17' FSW. Followed coastline north but not much happening and vis only about 40'. Turned west until we hit the sand but still didn't find a whole lot. Definitely preferred first dive to the south better. Back near buoy, we did get to see an octopus. No facilities so bring drinking water and fresh water to rinse with. A nice safe place for a 2 tank dive.

I preferred this spot above Kapalua because it seemed to have as much sea life and was more wide open. Getting to Ahihi is tough for anyone without a Jeep and good hiking boots. There is no good place to comfortably sit or lie so it is hard to get your gear on. Entry is simple and there is wildlife right off the bat. Schools of fish hugging the shores. Angelfish and triggerfish are also abundant. We saw eels and turtles, but that was the extent of rare wildlife.

Ahihi Bay and Cove is my overall favorite Maui dive site. I've dove here more than 100 times, and rarely lose interest. Just to the south of the cove, is a popular (for snorkelers, turtles and kayakers) turtle cleaning station. This is a reserve and you are likely to see large trumpet shells foraging through the sand. Occasional eagle rays and spinner dolphins cruise overhead. Eels are commonplace. The corals and fish are in great shape here, and once outside the cove, you will see few other divers. Go south for diversity and deeper water (up to 55 feet).