Kahekili Beach Park — Attraction in Maui

A wide, sandy beach gives easy access to a teaming coral reef just a few feet off shore. Kahekili was once known for its airport, which closed in 1986. Since then, resorts have sprouted up, along with a picnic pavilion with restrooms, a grassy lawn for sand-free lounging, and plenty of free parking.

Interestingly Kahekili Beach Park was until now not usually high on my list of places to snorkel when in Maui. I've mostly overlooked it in favor of nearby Black Rock with its so-named promontory protecting a coral-strewn volcanic cliff (watch for the human divers above!). Also, I'm a big fan of the idyllic locales of Napili and Kapalua.

Amid the splendid varieties of corals at Kahekili, I've encountered the usual array of reef inhabitants: schools of yellow tangs, lone parrotfish, bashful green sea turtles. But I've been impressed with unique finds too, like octopuses, eels, and, just recently, plenty of pink-tailed triggerfish.

Kahekili's reef is especially deep at its south end, creating a calm, attractive spot for beginner scuba divers. But unless you're skilled at freediving (I'm not), it's a tough location for a snorkeler to observe and photograph subjects more than twenty feet away. The north end is where the reef comes closer to the...

Great beach for families and beginning snorklers! We found this beach on the last day of our trip to Maui and I wish we had found it earlier! We were looking for a beach with calm waves and close reefs for our friends who are beginner snorklers. And this spot was perfect! The part of the beach in front of the hotel has reefs within 15-20ft of the shore, which were perfect for our beginner swimmers. We got to see many color schools of fish. And other people we saw that day said they saw sea turtles not too far out. We also had small children with us who really enjoyed the small waves and were even able to see small fish from the shore!

We went on a Sunday at 930am and the parking lot was 3/4 full already because of a birthday party. So get there early! We found a spot on the beach pretty easily. Recommend bringing an umbrella as there isn't a lot of shade. There are some umbrellas and chairs set up already for rent that I assume you can reserve thru the nearby hotel Recreation desk.

We went back at sunset and got to see a beautiful sunset view between the islands of Lanai and Molokai. Can't beat that!

Reminder to use mineral sunscreen so we can keep these amazing reefs safe and continue enjoying them for many...

This park is located off Hwy 30 on Kai Ala street. There is a traffic light at the intersection. It is also known as Airport Beach because it had a 2,600' runway untill the mid 1980's. We love this park adjacent to the Westin. It is a favorite of many tourists. There's usually enough parking for everyone, including handicapped spaces. It is a popular place to see the whales breeching during the winter months. The park is made up of a large grassy area, the beach, and the ocean. The waves are gentle in the mornings, and rougher in the afternoon when the wind comes up. There is a clean, well kept restroom with showers. There is a permanent shade structure over picnic tables and there are some charcoal BBQs. You can count on the park being most busy on sundays. Lana'i and Moloka'i are across the channel and well within view. Many people take advantage of the morning ocean to snorkel. There is lots of sea life to observe, including fish, sea turtles and occasionally, dolphins. Several scuba dive classes conduct their ocean dive by entering from this beach. There is a reef farther out with an even greater variety of...