BEACHES
Maui has the best beaches in the world. Going to the beach is everyone's favorite activity (visitors and locals alike.)
It's human nature to think the grass is greener (or the beach is whiter) on the other side of the fence. But you'll find the very best beaches are right in front of the hotels - probably the hotel at which you are staying.
Safety
 Kanaha Beach (Windsurfer's Paradise) |
Don't ever turn your back on the waves. Every once in a while, a larger wave hits the shore unexpectedly. Those signs warning about shore break and current? They are for real. You'll see locals boogie boarding and body surfing at beaches like Big Beach (One Loa in Makena) and Baldwin. |
Don't be lulled into thinking it is safe for you to go into this water! Both of these beaches have severe rip tides and bad shore breaks. (A shore break is a wave that tends to slam you into the beach.)
The locals have been surfing in dangerous conditions for decades. They are usually wearing fins so that they have a better chance against riptides. Notice, too, that as the wave breaks, they twist their body to the side. After years of practice, they avoid breaking their neck in the shore break.
Every year several visitors are paralyzed or experience bad injuries because the wave slams them into the beach. Even many of us locals have dislocated shoulders from the shore break.
Beach Etiquette
- Do not bring valuables to the beach. There are a few "bad guys" and they tend to steal from cars and beach bags. Leave all your valuables in the hotel safe. Locking your car is no deterrent. It just means they'll punch the lock.
- Slippers (the local term for flip flops) may be left on the beach. Until recently, anything placed on the beach was safe because people respected that someone was out in the ocean and would come back for it. This is still true (except for the "bad guys") so leave slippers etc. where you find them.
- Sunscreen is absolutely necessary. You don't want your skin so red and irritated that you can't wear your favorite hawaiian attire tonight! Wear sunscreen and you'll still get a tan.
- Don't place items on or sit on outrigger canoes. These canoes are very expensive, owned usually by a nonprofit club (which scrimped and saved to buy it) and not meant to bear weight on land. Also Hawaiian tradition is to give the canoe respect. (e.g. don't hang towels on it, etc.) Especially, don't let the kids play on the outrigger since it is fragile.
- If you see locals in the water body surfing or boogie boarding, you know that is not a good place to swim. It will be too rough unless you are an expert. Best not to place yourself between surfers and the beach or within 20 feet of a surfer. Some of the body surfers have hand boards with sharp skags (fins) and you don't want a close encounter with that!
- Place your cigarette butts into your beverage container . Cigarette butts left on the beach wash into the ocean and are eaten by turtles. This is not good for the honu (turtles).
- Be careful at non-hotel beaches. Local people are by and large friendly and will keep to themselves. Being "akamai" (smart) about your interactions will often result in an enriching experience in local culture. Maui may be listed as one of the United States, but the culture is much, much different. A humble, respectful attitude is admired and will open many doors for you.
- Stay out of the ocean at dawn and dusk or when the water is murky. This is when sharks feed. Although most sharks don't bite people and even Tiger sharks don't intentionally bite people, they sometimes make mistakes - most often when they can't see well and think they are munching something more tastey than you. See more info on the wildlife page.
