Olowalu Beaches
Last updated 01. Dec, 2010 by Mark in Beaches | West Maui, West Maui Beaches
Photo Credit: MTSphoto licensed under Creative Commons
Rating: 
In a nutshell: Long, narrow beach with shallow offshore reef. This is a good destination for snorkeling.
Minuses: Kiawe thorns & beach is marginal.
Sound-bite: “Don’t step on the reef!”
This article is scheduled for further development. There are multiple beaches in this area, and this is a more general summary.
Summary:
This is a go-to for snorkeling, possibly beginner surfing and boogie boarding – but be careful with the very shallow reef! Other uses are marginal and there are no facilities here.
Beach is narrow and there is shade, but the shade comes from kiawe, so watch for thorns where you walk and sit! The reef comes right up to the shoreline, and the bottom remains shallow well out into the ocean. Be careful to walk on one of the sandy underwater paths, and not on reef. The snorkeling is better the further out you go where dramatic columns of reef ascend from the sandy sea floor almost to the surface of the water.
Oh, and if you’re looking for shark encounters, you may just have one here – reef sharks are a fairly common sight under the ledges where the reef meets deeper ocean further out.
Key Info:
Mile Marker: #14 (Hwy 30 aka Honoapiilani Hwy)
GPS Coordinates: 20.810129,-156.611824
Facilities: None.
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View Shoreline: Ma’alaea to Lahaina in a larger map
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