Keawakapu Beach is the beach that Kihei keeps and Wailea borrows: roughly seven-tenths of a mile of golden sand running along the seam where South Kihei runs out and the Wailea resorts begin, bookended by two low lava points and watched over at its north end by the Mana Kai Maui. Most visitors come here for the sand — the morning walks, the sunset, the long calm swim. The snorkeling is the beach’s quieter half, and it is almost always described as one spot. It is not. Keawakapu has two snorkel ends with two different characters, a sandy middle with essentially no reef at all, and a set of conditions rules that decide which end — if either — is worth your mask on a given morning.
Here is the honest version up front. The coral at Keawakapu is patchy and limited compared with the famous South Maui reefs further south. Nobody should fly to Maui for this reef. But if you are staying in Kihei or Wailea, Keawakapu offers something the destination reefs do not: a walk-in, no-drive, calm-morning snorkel at both ends of one of the prettiest beaches on this coast, with reef fish, feeding turtles and shallow water close to shore. This guide maps both ends, matches each parking lot to the end it serves, and gives you the checks that tell you whether today is a snorkel day here — or a day to drive ten minutes to Ulua Beach instead. Our wider Kihei snorkeling guide places Keawakapu among the town’s other shore entries; this page is the deep dive on this one beach.
Quick facts
- Location: South Kihei Road at Kilohana Drive, Kihei, HI 96753, on the Kihei–Wailea boundary, South Maui — a Maui County beach park in two parts, Keawakapu I (north) and Keawakapu II (south)
- Length: About 0.7 miles of golden sand between two lava points
- Snorkeling verdict: Two moderate shore reefs, one at each end. North end by the Mana Kai lava outcrop = the better-known and usually better reef; south end = a quieter, smaller reef by the access stairs. Middle = sand and swimming, no reef
- Best end overall: North end, on a calm morning
- Snorkeling depth: Roughly 2–12 feet over the reef flats at both ends (Boss Frog’s snorkel map).
- Lifeguard: None — Keawakapu has no lifeguards at either end
- Fees and reservations: None. Free county beach park, no reservation needed
- Parking: Free public lots at both ends plus a mid-beach lot at Kilohana Drive — all small, and they fill by mid-morning on weekends
- Park hours: 7 AM–7 PM daily, per Maui County’s Keawakapu I and Keawakapu II facility pages (one general County listing shows an 8 PM close — follow the signs posted at the lot on the day)
- Facilities: Outdoor showers and portable toilets at the county accesses; a grassy area at the north end. Nothing on the sand itself and no vendors on the beach
- Rentals: No rentals on the beach. Gear is available from shops at and near the Mana Kai at the north end and elsewhere in Kihei — rent before you walk down
- Best beginner move: A flat, windless morning at the north end’s shallow edge, with a buddy — this beach is unguarded, so beginners who want a lifeguard or a richer reef should start at Ulua instead
How to get to Keawakapu Beach
Keawakapu sits on South Kihei Road at Kilohana Drive, Kihei, HI 96753, on the seam where Kihei ends and Wailea begins — GPS 20.699399, -156.445934 if your maps app prefers coordinates. Driving from Kahului or the Kihei town centre, take Piilani Highway (Highway 31) south and turn off onto South Kihei Road near the south end of Kihei (the turn-off sits between mile markers 9.6 and 10.4); then follow South Kihei Road south along the coast and the beach is on your right, the ocean side.
Match your lot to the end you plan to snorkel, because the two ends are a 15–20 minute walk apart along the sand:
- North end (Keawakapu I, Mana Kai point): drive south on South Kihei Road past the Mana Kai Maui Resort and the 5 Palms Restaurant, turn right into the next driveway, then hard left and left again into the gravel county lot. The mid-beach paved lot off Kilohana Drive is the fallback when the north lot is full — it puts you in the sandy middle, a short walk from either end.
- South end (Keawakapu II, Wailea Ekahi stairs): keep going to the end of South Kihei Road. The small lot at 3274 South Kihei Road, beside the Wailea Ekahi condominiums, is the smallest of the set and goes first on weekend mornings.
Parking is free at all three lots and there is no entry fee or reservation — the planning currency here is timing, not booking, so arrive before about 9 AM and the lot question mostly answers itself. Our wider Kihei snorkeling guide places Keawakapu among the town’s other shore entries if you are building a Kihei snorkel day around it.
One beach, two reef ends, one sandy middle
Keawakapu’s shape explains its snorkeling. The beach is a crescent, and like most Maui crescents the sand sits in the middle while the structure — lava rock, coral patches, the habitat fish actually use — sits at the ends. The northern point, below the Mana Kai, is a lava outcropping with coral growing over and around it, shallow tidepools at its edge, and the most developed reef on the beach stretching out from it. The southern end, reached down the stairs at the Wailea Ekahi access, has its own smaller rock-and-reef area where the beach meets Wailea’s first headland. Between them: a long, gently sloping sand bottom that is lovely for swimming and wading and holds almost nothing for a snorkeler to look at.
That geography produces the mistake most first-timers make here: they set up in the middle — because that is where the mid-beach parking puts them — swim out, see sand, and conclude the snorkeling is poor. The snorkeling is at the ends, and the two ends are enough of a walk apart that you should choose yours before you park, not after. The Maui snorkeling hub shows where this beach sits in the island’s wider line-up.
Keawakapu Beach map: where the two reefs sit
Picture the beach as a 0.7-mile crescent running north to south. The snorkeling sits at the two ends and nowhere in between, so the map in your head matters more than any sign on the sand. At the north end, below the Mana Kai Maui, the lava point and its reef sit at about 20.7052, -156.4457 — park in the gravel lot just past the Mana Kai and walk down to the sand south of the rocks. At the south end, the smaller reef sits by the Wailea Ekahi access stairs at about 20.6960, -156.4444 — park in the small lot at 3274 South Kihei Road. Between them, the mid-beach lot off Kilohana Drive drops you in the sandy middle (about 20.6994, -156.4459), a 15–20 minute walk from either reef. If you are building a wider Maui day, Keawakapu’s pin is on our interactive Maui snorkeling map, with every spot on the island plotted the same way. One spelling note for searchers: you will also see the beach written as “Keawekapu” — same beach, same two reefs, just a misspelling.
How deep is the reef — and how far out do you swim?
The snorkeling at Keawakapu happens in shallow water close to shore. Boss Frog’s snorkel map rates the spot at a maximum depth of 2–12 feet, and that matches the two ends: coral heads and rock in shallow water close to shore, deepening gradually as you work along the point. You are over reef fish within a few fin-kicks of the sand at either end — there is no long surface swim to the reef here, and no boat or channel in the plan.
Stay over that shallow flat and keep your entry in sight. Beyond the reef edge the bottom drops away and the water turns into open coast — that is not snorkeling water, and it is the zone the safety warnings are about: the December 2022 incident happened about 50 yards off Keawakapu Point, well beyond the reef edge where this guide’s snorkeling happens. A calm-morning snorkel over the shallow north-point reef, with a buddy, is a very different proposition from a solo swim far offshore — which is why the buddy rule and the stay-close rule sit at the top of the safety section below.
Depth figure: Boss Frog’s Keawakapu snorkel map (maximum depth 2–12 feet).
The honest verdict: who should snorkel here — and who should not
Snorkel Keawakapu if: you are staying in Kihei or Wailea and want a reef without a drive; you can go in the morning before the wind; you are happy with a working reef-fish snorkel — tangs, butterflyfish, triggerfish, eels, turtles — rather than a coral garden; and you are a confident enough swimmer to snorkel an unguarded beach, or you are supervising strong-swimming older kids in flat conditions at the shallow edges.
Skip it — or just swim — if: the wind is already up and the surface is chopping (visibility here dies fast, because the reef is shallow); a winter swell is running into the south shore, which roughens both ends; you need a lifeguard; or the reef is the whole point of your morning — in which case the lava-point reef at Ulua, a few minutes south in Wailea, or the reserve reef in our Ahihi-Kinau and Olowalu guide will repay the short drive in a way Keawakapu honestly will not.
Zone 1: The north end — the Mana Kai point
The north end is Keawakapu’s main snorkel, and the one the guidebooks mean when they praise the beach. Below the Mana Kai Maui, a lava outcropping juts into the ocean, and the reef builds out from it: coral heads and rock in shallow water close to shore, deepening gradually as you work along the point. This is the end with the rentals nearby, the grassy park area and shade, the showers — and, not coincidentally, the most snorkelers.
Enter from the sand just south of the rocks rather than climbing over the point itself: wade in on sand, put your fins on once you are floating, and angle toward the rock edge where the fish gather. The snorkeling runs along the outcropping and the reef flat beyond it. Expect the standard South Maui shore cast in good variety for a patch reef — raccoon and ornate butterflyfish around the coral heads, schools of yellow tang and convict tang grazing the rock, triggerfish including the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, the occasional Achilles tang, and moray eels tucked into the ledges. Green sea turtles feed on algae over these rocks often enough that regulars treat them as residents; the statewide rule applies in full — stay at least 10 feet away, never touch, chase or crowd them, and let a feeding turtle set the distance. Our snorkeling with turtles guide has the full etiquette.
Two north-end cautions. First, the tidepools along the point are for looking, not for snorkeling — explore them on foot at low tide and keep fins off the shallow coral inside them. Second, this end faces the afternoon wind first and worst: the same openness that gives the north point its views gives the trade-wind chop a clean run at it, so a north-end snorkel is a morning appointment. On a genuinely flat morning, though, this is one of the easiest good snorkels in Kihei — walk down from the lot, gear up on the grass, and be over reef fish inside five minutes.
Zone 2: The south end — the Wailea Ekahi stairs
The south end is the locals’ end: quieter, smaller, and reached by its own county access at the end of South Kihei Road, by the Wailea Ekahi condominiums, where a path and stairs drop from the small lot to the sand. The snorkeling here works the rock and reef patches where the beach runs into Wailea’s first headland — a smaller stage than the north point, with the same reef-fish cast in miniature and, on the right morning, a fraction of the people.
The entry needs a sentence of its own. The access is by stairs, and the sand at the base of them moves with the seasons and the storms — after heavy weather, visitors have found the foot of the stairs rocky, with much of the sand temporarily gone and old concrete exposed. Sand comes and goes on this whole coast; what matters is checking the entry before you commit: if the stairs end on rock rather than sand that morning, enter carefully in reef shoes or walk up the beach to an easier entry rather than picking your way down wet rock in fins. Once in, stay oriented to the rocks on the Wailea side, keep your entry in sight as your exit, and let the north end have the crowds.
The south end is also the better sunset-and-after plan: the snorkel is a morning activity, but the beach faces west across to Kaho’olawe and the West Maui mountains, and this end stays comparatively peaceful into the evening. A morning snorkel at the north point, a beach day, and a sunset from the south end is the full Keawakapu day — and it asks nothing of you but two short walks.
The middle: swimming water, honestly labelled
Between the two points, Keawakapu is a swimming beach: a wide, gently sloping sand bottom, usually mild surf on calm days, and water that deepens gradually — the reason families rate it so highly. There is no reef structure to snorkel over, and swimming far out into the middle looking for one is how people tire themselves at unguarded beaches. Keep the middle for what it is good at — swimming parallel to shore, wading with small children in the shallows on calm mornings, paddleboarding before the wind — and walk to an end when the mask goes on. Note the constant across all three zones: no lifeguard watches any of this water, so every swim here is on your own judgement; our Hawaii snorkeling safety guide is the right pre-read for any unguarded beach.
Best time and conditions
Morning is the rule at Keawakapu, more than at most South Maui beaches, because the reef is shallow: even a moderate afternoon trade-wind chop stirs the water over the rock flats and turns a clear snorkel milky within the hour. Aim to be in the water before about 9 AM for the best combination of flat surface, clear water and empty parking lots. Seasonally, summer is this coast’s calmer half — the long, glassy mornings snorkelers hope for are a summer pattern here — while winter brings the swells that can roughen both ends, push surge across the shallow reef and cut visibility for days after a blow. Calm winter mornings do happen and can be excellent; the calendar proposes and the morning disposes, as everywhere on this site. Two checks decide the day: look at the surface from the lot before you gear up (white chop lines mean a swim day, not a snorkel day), and if surf is breaking on either point, keep the mask in the bag entirely. The island-wide pattern behind these local rules is in our best time to snorkel in Hawaii guide.
The winter rough spells usually arrive with south swell and Kona storms — southerly weather that pushes surf onto this south-facing coast and stirs the shallow reef, so visibility can stay poor for days after a blow. The same rule applies after any heavy rain or high surf: give the reef a calm morning to settle before you judge it.
Keawakapu Beach right now: the sand after the September 2026 storms
If you are visiting in late 2026, expect a different beach from the one in older photos — and plan around it. In early September 2026, Hurricane Lowell passed near Hawaii as a major hurricane and sent storm surge over South Kihei Road, pulling sand off Kihei’s beaches. Drone footage taken after the storms showed the washout along the road and exposed rock where sand used to be, and visitors through October reported Keawakapu much narrower than usual, with the south end near Ekahi the worst hit — the full end-to-end beach walk had become short laps around the rocks instead.
The sand is coming back, slowly. By late October and early November 2026, reports from the Mana Kai end said sand was beginning to return to the north end, but the beach is still rebuilding and the south-end stairs entry remains the most affected spot: check the sand at the base of the stairs before you commit, exactly as the south-end section above advises, and expect a narrower beach with rocky patches where older reviews describe wide sand. This is a normal cycle on this coast — storms take the sand, calmer swells bring it back over weeks and months — but it means pre-2026 photos and reviews describe a wider beach than the one you will walk onto this winter. Check the beach on arrival rather than trusting an old photo, and if the south end looks rocky, start at the north point instead. The island-wide seasonal pattern behind these local conditions is in our best time to snorkel in Hawaii guide.
What you might see
Keawakapu’s ends hold the working reef fish of the Kihei–Wailea coast rather than rarities, and honest expectations make for better snorkels here. Over the north point’s coral and rock: butterflyfish in pairs — raccoon and ornate are the regularly reported pair — yellow tang and convict tang in grazing schools, triggerfish including the reef triggerfish that Hawaii claims as its state fish, wrasses working the rock, and now and then an Achilles tang, the connoisseur’s spot on this coast. Moray eels hold the ledges; look into the cracks before concluding a rock is empty. Green sea turtles are the headline act — they graze algae on the shallow rocks at both ends, most reliably at the north, and surface around snorkelers with complete indifference provided the 10-foot rule is kept. Octopus are reported by the fishing guides over the shallow reef flat; a patient, slow hover over the rock-and-rubble patches is how you give yourself a chance at one.
What you will not reliably see is dense coral: the reef here is patch coral over lava, interesting and alive but broken by sand channels, and visibility runs with the weather — genuinely clear after calm spells, honestly poor after wind or swell has worked the shallows. In winter, humpback whales move along this coast and are regularly spotted from the beach itself, breaching beyond the reef; the snorkel is a summer-morning game, the whale show a winter one, and Keawakapu is one of the beaches that offers both halves of the year something. Divers occasionally work the water further offshore, but anything out there is boat-and-dive territory, not a shore-snorkel target — this guide covers the two ends you can walk to, and that is all a snorkeler needs here.
The artificial reef offshore: 150 cars under 60 feet of water
There is a second reef off Keawakapu that no snorkeler will ever reach — and it is the more famous one. In 1962 the state created Maui’s first official artificial reef on a 54-acre site about a half-mile offshore, in 60–70 feet of water, by sinking 150 junked cars (fluids drained, tires and batteries removed) onto open sand. Over the decades it grew: roughly 2,000 tire-and-concrete modules in 1979, 1989 and 1990, concrete slabs, about 1,400 concrete Z-modules in 2009, and the 65-foot fishing boat St. Anthony, sunk in 1997. Sixty years on, a few car frames and steering wheels are still visible down there. It is a dive site , not a snorkel target — far too deep and far too far out to swim to — and it is not part of the two shore reefs this guide covers. But it explains the fish: the structure holds life offshore, and the shore reefs sit in its shadow.
Sharks at Keawakapu: the honest answer
Yes, there are sharks in the water off South Maui — and the question deserves a straight answer, because Keawakapu has a real history here. On December 8, 2022, a 60-year-old visitor from Washington state was snorkeling with her husband about 50 yards off Keawakapu Point when she vanished; the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources investigated and concluded she had died in a fatal shark attack, and a 10–12-foot tiger shark was spotted in the area during the two-day search. Her body was never recovered. Warning signs went up, then came down after a follow-up survey found no shark in the area.
That is the incident behind the searches. The context that matters for your morning: shark incidents in Hawaii are rare — six were recorded statewide in 2022 — and tiger sharks range along this whole South Maui coast, with most encounters happening further offshore than the shallow reef this guide’s snorkeling covers. The 2022 couple was about 50 yards out, well beyond the reef edge where the snorkeling in this guide happens. Nobody can promise a shark-free ocean, and this page will not try; but a calm-morning snorkel over the shallow north-point reef, with a buddy, is a very different proposition from a solo swim far offshore.
The rules that follow from that: snorkel with a buddy and stay close to shore over the shallow reef; do not swim out alone to deep water; stay out of murky water and away from river mouths after rain; avoid dawn and dusk, when sharks feed closer to shore; and if shark-warning signs are posted, or anyone reports a shark sighting, stay out of the water until the signs come down. Our Hawaii snorkeling safety guide has the full pre-read for any unguarded beach.
Access, parking, fees and facilities
Keawakapu is a Maui County beach park in two parts, and the parking follows the same split — match your lot to the end you plan to snorkel:
- North end (Keawakapu I) — for the Mana Kai point snorkel. County lots sit by the Mana Kai Maui at South Kihei Road and Kilohana Drive, with a further lot at the Kilohana–South Kihei Road junction across the road, roughly mid-beach. Beach access paths run from the lots to the sand; the north end also has the park’s grassy area and shade.
- South end (Keawakapu II, Wailea Ekahi access) — for the stairs snorkel and the quieter sand. A small lot at 3274 South Kihei Road, at the end of the road, with the access path and stairs beside it. This lot is the smallest of the set; on weekend mornings it goes first.
Parking is free at all of them, and the park lots are posted 7 AM–7 PM per Maui County’s Keawakapu I and Keawakapu II facility pages (one general listing shows an 8 PM close — follow the signs on the day). All the lots are small relative to the beach’s popularity: by mid-morning on weekends, expect to circle or to park further up in Kihei and walk. Facilities are the county minimum done adequately — outdoor showers and portable toilets at the accesses, trash receptacles, and nothing at all on the sand: no shop, no vendor, no rentals on the beach. Snorkel rentals are available from the watersports shops at and around the Mana Kai at the north end and from Kihei’s rental shops a few minutes’ drive away; if you are snorkeling the south end, rent in town before you park, because there is nothing down there to rent from. Bring water and shade with you, and settle the family’s expectations with the snorkel gear checklist before the drive rather than after arrival. There are no fees and no reservations at any point — the planning currency here is timing, not booking.
Keawakapu vs the nearby alternatives
Keawakapu’s neighbours explain when it is the right call — and when the snorkeling you actually want is a few minutes away.
| Spot | Snorkeling quality | Who it’s for | Lifeguard | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keawakapu Beach — north end (this guide) | Patch reef off a lava point: good reef fish, turtles, shallow | Kihei/Wailea guests wanting a walk-in snorkel | No | Free county lots by the Mana Kai; fills mid-morning |
| Keawakapu Beach — south end (this guide) | Smaller reef patches by the headland, far fewer people | Quiet-morning snorkelers based at the Wailea end | No | Small lot at the end of S Kihei Rd; stairs entry, sand varies |
| Ulua Beach | A fuller lava-point reef, South Maui’s classic beginner reef | Reef-first mornings and careful beginners | No | Wailea beach-access lot and facilities, a few minutes south |
| Turtle Town (Maluaka Beach) | Turtle cleaning stations off a sandy Makena beach | Turtle seekers and intermediates | No | Makena, ~10 minutes south of Wailea |
The pattern to remember: Keawakapu is the convenience snorkel — the reef outside your Kihei condo or your Wailea beach walk, very good value at 8 AM on a flat morning and honestly skippable at noon in the wind. If you have one South Maui snorkel morning and a car, spend it at Ulua or further south; if you have a week on this coast, Keawakapu’s two ends will quietly become the snorkel you repeat. First-timers building up to unguarded beaches should read our beginners’ guide to snorkeling in Hawaii first, and treat a lifeguarded backup plan as part of the kit.
Keawakapu Beach beyond the snorkel: the trail, the sunset and what visitors say
Most people come to Keawakapu for the sand first and the snorkel second, and the beach earns its reputation on both counts. If you are staying nearby, the non-snorkel half of the beach is worth a morning or an evening of its own — a coastal walk south into Wailea, a sunset from the quiet end, and a beach that regular visitors rate among the best on this coast.
The Keawakapu Beach Trail and the Wailea Beach Path
The AllTrails-listed Keawakapu Beach Trail is a 4.6-mile out-and-back, rated easy, that takes about 1.5–2 hours: it starts as a stroll along the beach itself, then joins the paved Wailea Beach Path and runs south past Mokapu and Ulua beaches toward Polo Beach, and back the same way. AllTrails rates it 4.6 stars from more than 600 reviews. Go at low tide, when there is more beach to walk on and the lava-rock sections are easier to pass; dogs are not allowed on the trail. One honest caveat: this is not a single unbroken paved path from Kihei through Wailea — the route mixes sand, sidewalk, lawn and boardwalk, and the stretches north of Keawakapu toward Kamaole III can be uneven, so treat it as a beach walk with paved sections rather than a continuous trail. The walk south is the polished half: the Wailea Beach Path is paved boardwalk and sidewalk past the resorts, with public beach accesses along the way. Our Ulua Beach guide covers the reef at the next beach south, and our Polo Beach guide covers the far end of the walk.
Sunset at Keawakapu
Keawakapu faces west across the channel to Kaho’olawe and the West Maui mountains, and the sunset is the thing reviewers mention most after the water itself. The south end is the quieter place to watch it — the snorkel crowds are gone by then, and the beach stays comparatively peaceful into the evening, as the south-end section above notes. Come for the last hour of light rather than the last ten minutes: the colour builds over the water for a long time here, and the walk back to the lots is short from either end. Remember the park hours — the lots are posted 7 AM–7 PM — and do not leave gear on the sand after dark.
What visitors say: Keawakapu Beach reviews
As of November 2026, Keawakapu Beach holds 4.8 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from about 570 reviews, with a Travellers’ Choice award, and 4.5 out of 5 on Yelp from 65 reviews. The praise repeats the same themes: beautiful sunsets and clear water, calm morning walks with coffee, good snorkeling with plenty of fish, and the occasional turtle — or even a monk seal — swimming past. The recurring complaints are the honest ones this guide already warns about: windy afternoons that chop the surface, and days when the beach is crowded and the surf is up and the snorkeling disappoints. Read together, the reviews land where this guide does: Keawakapu is a superb beach and a good morning snorkel, and it is at its best before the wind gets up.
Frequently asked questions
Can you snorkel at Keawakapu Beach?
Yes — at the two ends of the beach, not the middle. The north end, off the lava outcropping below the Mana Kai Maui, is the better-known reef; the south end, by the Wailea Ekahi access stairs, has smaller reef patches and far fewer people. The long sandy middle is swimming water with essentially no reef. Go on a calm morning: the reef is shallow, so afternoon wind chop ruins visibility quickly.
Where is the best snorkeling at Keawakapu Beach?
At the north end. Enter from the sand just south of the Mana Kai lava point, put fins on once you are floating, and work along the rock edge and the coral patches beyond it — that is where the butterflyfish, tangs, triggerfish, eels and algae-grazing turtles concentrate. The south end is the pick when you value quiet over reef size.
Is Keawakapu Beach good for beginners?
On a flat, calm morning, careful beginners who can already swim can enjoy the shallow edge of the north-end reef — but this is an unguarded beach with no lifeguard at either end, and conditions change with the wind. Beginners who want an easier, richer first reef should start at Ulua Beach in Wailea and come to Keawakapu once they are comfortable in open water.
Is there parking at Keawakapu Beach, and does it cost anything?
Parking is free. Maui County runs lots at both ends — by the Mana Kai at the north (Keawakapu I, South Kihei Road and Kilohana Drive), with a mid-beach lot at the Kilohana junction, and a small lot at the south end at 3274 South Kihei Road (Keawakapu II, the Wailea Ekahi access). Park lots are posted 7 AM–7 PM. All are small and fill by mid-morning on weekends, so arrive early.
Are there lifeguards, restrooms and rentals at Keawakapu?
There are no lifeguards at either end. The county accesses have outdoor showers and portable toilets, with a grassy area at the north end; there is nothing on the sand itself. There are no rentals on the beach — rent from the watersports shops at and near the Mana Kai at the north end, or in Kihei before you come, especially if you plan to snorkel the south end.
Can you see turtles at Keawakapu Beach?
Yes, regularly. Green sea turtles graze on algae over the shallow rocks at both ends of the beach, most reliably at the north point. They are protected: stay at least 10 feet away at all times, never touch, chase or block them, and let the turtle decide how close the encounter gets.
When is the best time to snorkel at Keawakapu?
Early morning, ideally in the water before about 9 AM, and in summer when this coast is at its calmest. Winter swells can roughen both ends and stir the shallow reef, and the afternoon trade winds chop the surface almost daily — a windy afternoon here is a swimming-and-sunset plan, not a snorkel plan.
Do you need a reservation for Keawakapu Beach?
No. Keawakapu is a free Maui County beach park with no entry fee and no reservation system. The only scarce resource is parking in the small free lots, which is a reason to arrive in the morning rather than a booking to make.
Where is Keawakapu Beach?
On South Kihei Road at Kilohana Drive, Kihei, HI 96753, on the Kihei–Wailea boundary in South Maui — GPS 20.699399, -156.445934. The beach runs about 0.7 miles between two lava points, with the Mana Kai Maui at its north end and the Wailea Ekahi condominiums at its south end.
How do I get to Keawakapu Beach?
Drive Piilani Highway (Highway 31) south through Kihei and turn onto South Kihei Road, then follow it south along the coast. For the north-end snorkel, park in the gravel lot just past the Mana Kai Maui Resort; for the quieter south end, continue to the small lot at 3274 South Kihei Road. Parking is free and no reservation is needed — arrive before about 9 AM on weekends.
Are there sharks at Keawakapu Beach?
Sharks are present in South Maui waters, and the beach has one widely reported fatal incident: in December 2022 a snorkeler about 50 yards off Keawakapu Point died in a shark attack. Incidents are rare — six were recorded statewide in 2022 — and the shallow reef snorkeling in this guide happens much closer to shore than where that incident occurred. Snorkel with a buddy, stay over the shallow reef, avoid murky water and dawn and dusk, and stay out if warning signs are posted.
Has Keawakapu Beach recovered from the 2026 storms?
Partly, as of early November 2026. Hurricane Lowell stripped sand from the beach in early September 2026, worst at the south end near Ekahi; sand was beginning to return by late October, but the beach is still narrower than in older photos and the south-end stairs entry can be rocky. Check the beach on arrival and start at the north point if the south end looks rough.
How do you pronounce Keawakapu?
Kay-ah-va-kah-poo. The name comes from Hawaiian ke awa kapu — “the forbidden cove”, also given as “the forbidden landing”.
Is there an artificial reef off Keawakapu Beach?
Yes — about a half-mile offshore in 60–70 feet of water, created in 1962 from 150 junked cars and later expanded with tire-and-concrete modules and the sunken fishing boat St. Anthony. It is a dive site, not a shore-snorkel target; the snorkeling in this guide stays on the two shallow reefs at the ends of the beach.
Is there a map of Keawakapu Beach snorkeling?
The two reefs sit at the ends of the 0.7-mile beach: the north-point reef below the Mana Kai and the smaller reef by the Wailea Ekahi stairs at the south end, with sand and swimming water in between. See the “Keawakapu Beach map” section above for the GPS pins for each end, and find Keawakapu plotted alongside every other Maui spot on our interactive Maui snorkeling map.
How deep is the water for snorkeling at Keawakapu Beach? Roughly 2–12 feet over the reef flats at both ends, per Boss Frog’s snorkel map — shallow water close to shore, deepening gradually as you work along each point. The snorkeling in this guide stays over that shallow flat; beyond the reef edge the water opens up, so keep your entry in sight and stay with a buddy.
Can you walk from Keawakapu Beach to Polo Beach? Yes — the Keawakapu Beach Trail runs about 4.6 miles out and back, rated easy, in roughly 1.5–2 hours: beach first, then the paved Wailea Beach Path south past Mokapu and Ulua beaches to Polo Beach. Go at low tide, when there is more beach to walk on. Dogs are not allowed on the trail.
Is Keawakapu Beach good for sunset? Yes — it faces west across the channel to Kaho’olawe and the West Maui mountains, and sunset is the thing Tripadvisor reviewers mention most after the water itself. The south end is the quieter place to watch it. Arrive for the last hour of light, and remember the lots are posted 7 AM–7 PM.
What do visitors rate Keawakapu Beach? As of November 2026, 4.8 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from about 570 reviews (Travellers’ Choice) and 4.5 out of 5 on Yelp from 65 reviews. Reviewers praise the sunsets, clear water, morning walks and snorkeling; the common complaints are windy afternoons and crowded, rough days when the snorkeling disappoints.