In the morning of June 17, 2007 we headed to Ahihi Cove to snorkel. We arrived there at 7:30 am and were lucky to park the car right across the road. It was a Sunday, and we were met by volunteers from Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. They had a stand full of information and were glad to answer any questions about the wild life. We learned that sunscreen is harmful to fish and coral, and one should apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before swimming, this way it get absorbed by the skin and not washed out into the water.

Ahihi Cove has a pebble beach with no place to comfortably sit on, so it’s best to bring a beach chair if you plan to sit on the beach. The entry is very shallow. There is a cement block from which one should launch. You are not supposed to touch the bottom beyond that block.

The water was a bit murky during our visit due to the south swell. We learned that one should pay attention to weather reports and generally avoid snorkeling/diving in southern waters during the south swell. But we did see lots of fish, and some turtles. The best diving/snorkeling is just to the south of the cove, where there is a turtle cleaning station – a place where turtles hang around while various fish clean their backs of the algae.

Directions from Wailea: Go south on Wailea Alanui Drive, which becomes Makena Alanui Road. You will pass a large hill near the ocean – Pu’u Ola’i (Red Hill), then Big Beach, and then will see a sign “Ahihi-Kina’u Natural Area Reserve”. The first bay after that sign is Ahihi Cove. It’s about 5 miles from the Shops in Wailea to Ahihi cove.