UPDATE 2/26 We decided to come a little farther and return here. Parking is limited Snorkel here is really nice. Calm clear water and good sealife and 2 green sea turtles. We found partial shade in a grass overlook. Bathrooms and beach showers close by. Nice place to come. read more

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This is such a great place to snorkle and kayak or just sit and enjoy watching the ocean, no picnic tables so bring your chair. There is a small parking lot. Has a hobo shower and a nice bathroom. No much of a beach to sit on but easy access to the ocean. Can get crowded. read more

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Pluses: easy parking in the lot right next to the boat ramp. It has bathrooms right next to the ramp. Easy entry and gentle waves. In the summer, clear water and a lot of fish to see while snorkeling. Minuses: sand erosion has narrowed the already small beach and exposed a lot of rocks on the ramp; so wear your water shoes. On a summer Friday this spot was jammed packed with tourists. Like "coney island" 1940 jammed packed! Also there were some big dive boats working the resorts bringing guests in great flocks at a time from off shore too. (Tip: spot the dive flags and snorkel where they go. Their guides know where the fish are.) This used to be a very quiet boat landing with a small sandy beach popular with local families with toddlers for BBQ and relaxation. In the past year or so, it has been overrun with tourists. Best to get in and get out. This is not for a relaxing beach experience, it's an active boat landing with good snorkeling. No recommendation, decide for yourself. read more

A great spot for snorkeling beginners, as the "beach" area slopes directly into the water for easy access to swimming. There are lots of areas to park your beach chairs around the landing, and a little grass field for lounging. Parking lot isn't big but can fit about a dozen cars. Restrooms are small but clean and decently maintained, and there is a rinsing fountain nearby. Supposedly, it's a great spot for seeing turtles along the right side of the landing near the cliffs, especially since Turtle Town is further down from Makena Landing, but due to the Lahaina fires, sadly there wasn't much to see this time. read more

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Ok folks don't tell anyone but this Franks go to place for a chill afternoon in Maui. This hidden cover really has it all for the person with no desire to be found. Defiantly a local only chill zone! The natural cove has some white sandy beach strip beach and a wonderful park with grass strip overlooking the water. Parking is a 10ft away so the ability to dump you beach gear off and not go far is excellent. Sea life watching is spiritual with plenty of sea turtles and a hidden cover sanctuary where the rest on the best. It's protected so don't mess with them or else... An optimum place to tan the body & chill is why you should come to gather a taste of Maui! read more

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Makena Landing Beach Park is a nice hidden gem located within the residential area of Wailea-Makena. Also a wonderful place to catch the sunset. There are small stretches of sand, but most of the coastline is rocky and grassy. read more

We love it here! The only bummer is how much tours happen out of this bay and there's hardly ever parking in the parking lot. We love that there's a bathroom and shower and it's very kid friendly allowing our little one to go off to the shore and play in the water without any worry of large waves. We got to watch the beautiful sunset here and it was great! read more

Makena Landing - Sunset - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

The pin on the map in Yelp is wrong, but the posted pictures are right. Super small beach, but best snorkeling and great views. Not a place for sunset. Small parking lot. Lots of sea turtles read more

My dad used to take me here when I was a little kid and first learning how to snorkel. It was a great spot for a beginner and my cousin and I always saw lots of fish. As I got older we branched out and we found other favorite spots to go snorkeling and for some reason forgot all about our "old favorite" Makena Landing. This trip while driving around Makena we happened to pass by and saw that there is now a nice paved parking lot as well as showers and a restroom here which is always nice to have nearby and decided to revisit this old favorite. Wow!!! I guess because when I was younger we were there to snorkel I never really paid much attention to the beach as a swim spot. Let me tell you it is really lovely here, it's a small beach that is protected on one side by a large outcropping of rocks which typically makes for gentle waves and easy entry into the water with a smooth sandy bottom. Snorkeling here is great too and you can typically see a nice variety of fish, turtles, and even the occasional reef shark. A lot of the snorkel tours will even stop by here with groups of snorkelers and divers! This is also a popular spot for the kayaking groups to launch their kayaks, but they are really considerate and park on the street and head out from a small beach to the left of Makena Landing, so you don't have to worry about bumping into someones kayak as you negotiate your way into the water. The only downside is that the parking lot is not very big and this is a small beach with limited space for setting up a beach mat or chairs. Most people tend to set up their mats and chairs on the grassy areas that are adjacent to either the parking lot or the restroom and showers. If you are coming on a weekday you should find parking fairly easily either in the lot, or if it is full on the street. However, if you plan on going on the weekend parking can be hit or miss, so it's best to arrive early. So glad we've rediscovered Makena Landing, it's definitely a favorite for our family! read more

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A fantastic little beach, unique and worth visiting. It's mostly a rocky cliff with a teeny, tiny strip of sand at the bottom. What you're here for, though, is some great swimming and snorkeling. I saw many fish, and a final dive under the surface revealed numerous long-spined sea urchins (wana) and a few gorgeous red slate pencil urchins (ha'uke'uke 'ula'ula). Wild chickens roam the grass by the parking lot. read more

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In my opinion this is the best place to go snorkeling in Maui. It is a hidden gem, a small beach that is frequented more by the locals. We were able to spot a great variety of fishes along with some sea turtles as well. We would come here again in a heartbeat. read more

The beach at dawn after a storm. It's a great place to rent a kayak or go snorkeling. Usually sandy but the rocks came in with the storm.

Turtles galore! We got here early, and it is beautiful. The sun was rising behind us, turtles were playing close to the shore. Not much of a beach area, but we sat in chairs up on the grass and sipped our coffee and watched the turtles. There are bathrooms and showers, but not a ton of parking. It was getting pretty "peopley" around 7 am so we moved on. It seems like a popular scuba diving and kayaking destination, while leaving a lady approached our car asking if we wanted to rent kayaks. There were vendors parked on the outskirts with their racks of kayaks to rent if you are interested in that! We are kayakers at home in the Pacific Northwest but haven't had the desire to attempt ocean kayaking yet. read more

Mellow snorkeling area with small patch of sand and grass. Bathrooms and shower conveniently located. Small parking lot. Lots of fish by coral reefs. No turtle sighting today at 2 but still nice read more

I decided to add this entry since Makena Landing is very different from most of the beaches in this area. The snorkeling here is hit or miss based on visibility. I went the other day and you couldn't see anything. I went to day and visibility was excellent. Within a couple of minutes of being in the water I saw a giant sea turtle. I saw a total of 4 turtles when snorkeling there (2 huge ones and 2 big ones). The fish variety here is fairly good but Ahihi has a better variety. The parking lot is not very big. Maybe between 12-20 spots and dive companies typically get there early and take them. Some locals do as well and they stay there all day. Come here early. -1 because this isn't really a lay out kind of beach due to the beach being small and somewhat rocky. Do your snorkeling, and then head to a bigger beach. read more

You an almost always end up seeing turtles here. We have been here 1/2 dozen of times and each time we were able to see turtles either on the land or in the water. So we often recommend this place if someone asks where to see turtles locally in South Maui. read more