1. Before you jump in the ocean to swim or snorkel, observe it first and make sure the waves are not big. Our currents and waves are very powerful. You could drown or get swept out to sea easily if you don’t know these two.
2. If you are not a good swimmer please use a life jacket when going out in the ocean.
3. Do not swim in brown waters. Its dangerous for your health and its a sharks favorite place to be.
4. Surf and snorkel don’t mix. Where there are waves, the water will be turbulent and the visibility poor due to the waves.
5. Do not swim or snorkel out towards the deep blue, the deeper it gets the bigger the critters. Stay close to shore.
6. Do not touch any marine creatures. They are wild animals and by nature, unpredictable. Just be an observer.
7. Stay out of the water on rainy days. Visibility and conditions are usually not favorable for swimming when its raining.
8. Do not stand on our reefs. They are living creatures and stepping on them will kill them. Our reef fish depend on our reefs for survival.
9. Do not feed any marine creature.
10. If you are snorkeling and you see spear fisherman at work, please keep your distance from them or leave the water. Spear fisherman attract sharks. Sharks are opportunistic feeders and are known to steal fish from fisherman. You don’t want to be near them if this is to happen. Same goes for fisherman on Kayaks near you.
11. Keep a safe distance from basking sea turtles and monk seals. They are both protected by federal law and fines can go as high as 50,000 dollars. They come to our beaches to rest, so please respect and honor them.
12. Winds in can reach high speeds making it unsafe for kayaking, swimming, SUP and any other ocean related activity. Please check on wind conditions before engaging in any ocean activity.
13. Do not litter our beaches and please help by picking up any trash you see. It all helps.
14. Do not snorkel or do any ocean activity alone, specially if you are a beginner.
15. Have fun
FUN FACTS AND NOT SO FUN FACTS ABOUT MAUI, HAWAII
1. Wailea is known as a shark breeding area. It is there that most of the fatal shark attacks have occurred in the past.
2. Trade Winds are the predominant winds on our islands and they can reach high speed levels on all shores. Trade winds start to pick up at around 11 am.
Please consider this when planning your ocean activities.
3. Best snorkel spots on the island are in Wailea, Oluwalu, and Lahaina Please make sure you stay close to the shore by the reef. Snorkeling on the North Shore of any of the Hawaiian islands is not recommended for beginners or even advanced snorkelers.
4. Kayaking in the afternoon is not recommended. Many have been swept out to sea in the areas from Ma’alaea to Ka’anapali.