Travel guides often say that some travel magazine or other voted this the most beautiful beach in the US. It may have been at one time, but now it's backed by a big resort which means the beach is surrounded by over-manicured, astro turf-looking grounds. It's also small and very crowded. The good thing about it is that it's very protected from waves by long reefs that curve out from each point, almost enclosing the bay. Since during a few of the days that we were on Maui, the swells were crashing in from all directions around the island making the water a stirred-up, brown mess. This was one of the few spots where it was possible to get in the water. When we showed up in the morning it wasn't too crowded yet. By the time we decided to leave there were actually people standing next to us staring and waiting for us to leave so they could take our spot since the beach was so full. It was pretty awkward.
First we swam out along the left side of the bay. We didn't go all the way to the end of the reef since the waves were crashing around it and the water was stirred-up. Visibility wasn't great, but still much better than most other places on the island when the waves are rolling in. Another drawback to this beach is that there's a lifeguard. They were constantly yelling through a loudspeaker at people. We couldn't really make out what he was saying since our ears were in the water, but we had to keep lifting up our heads to try and hear just in case he was yelling at us for doing something wrong.
Despite the resort atmosphere on the surface, this is a pretty good place to snorkel, with a good amount of fish and coral. This is an especially-valuable spot when the rest of the island's coastline is blown out. Just arrive early to avoid the crowds.
