Kapalua Tidepools — Attraction in Maui

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE GOING TO THIS PLACE! This place is very beautiful and definitely shows nature's power. When the waves hit the rocks, they create enormous showers of water where you can occasionally see a faint rainbow. However, it is very dangerous to climb down the rocks to the tidepools since the waves are so strong. We were walking around and saw a tidepool area that seemed fairly calm and easy to climb down to. The waves would hit the rocks, but they barely reached the tidepool. We saw some cute fishes, so we climbed down to take a closer look. However, not long after, some gigantic waves came crashing in, and before we could react, we were all swept far into the tidepools by them. There were three consecutive waves that became stronger and higher as time went on. Thankfully, we were able climb out of the rocks after the third wave hit with only a few lacerations and abrasions throughout our body. Someone helped us call 911, and we were able to be patched up a little before going to the hospital. We were all so shaken up. The tidepools actually looked so calm and quiet that we thought it would be fine to just stay down there for a short time. We did not know how unpredicatable the wave could be, especially during the winter. The park should put some warning signs for people to not go into the water, because we thought it was safe to see the tidepools based on its name and all the comments...

A must see for those who want to witness the power of the ocean (safely) on the North West Maui shoreline.

The Tidepools are a short hike from beach access parking. The hike is a relatively even with a couple of wet/narrow spots.

Be sure to stay on the designated trails until you get to the rocky area. There is a movement to revitalize sea bird habitats, which needs to be respected to be successful.

Once you hit the rocky area, make your way to the north side of the area and climb down to those tidepools. Anything wet is likely due to wave surges, so be mindful of your body positioning. Sea life thrives in these little pools but is usually well hidden, so sit patiently and observe.

A brief adventure around the lower pool area makes for good fun, as long as you have decent footwear. We did manage to find a spot to climb up to the upper area of the point and look around further.

The views from up top are amazing. Looking for the North, you can see Makalupuana Point, which is also well worth the visit.

Easily a...

Really cool place to see. You have to drive into a good resort to get to the parking area. There is a trail out to the ride pool area and it is kind of hidden in the right side behind a wall of lava rock. Really fun to see and had fish and sea urchins in the pools. We also saw a 3' eel that worked it's way back into the ocean. Definitely worth the trip to find it and take about 30 minutes to an hour to see. Very secluded and no one else was there when we were. It was mid day on a Monday in the summer at mid-tide. We also saw about 20 dolphins drinking...