Kapalua Bay is another popular snorkeling place at Maui. It is like the Hanauma Bay on Oahu where the bay is protected by the rocks on the 2 sides extending all the way out into the ocean. Thus it prevents big waves from crashing in into the bay. There are also a lot of coral reefs at the bottom of the bay and thus many sea turtles venture into the bay for food.
We got to Kapalua Bay early in the morning around 7:30AM. We got here early because the public parking at Kapalua Bay beach had very limited amount of parking spaces. We first had a walk along the coastal trail to wait for the temperature to warm up a bit more. While we were taking a walk, we saw a beautiful rainbow on the far side of the ocean. The rainbow was a full arc and was very clear and bright.
By 8:30AM, we went back to the car to pick up our snorkeling gears. When we were there, the parking lot was completely full. We were glad to get here early. Now the later comers would have to park far out on the street.
After putting our beach towel and bags down on the beach, we were ready to go into the water. The middle of the bay was full of rocks, so it was safer to enter the water from the sides. When we entered the water, the water was a bit chill but our body got used to it soon enough. The clarity of the water was not the best due to the sand, but we still saw a lot of fish along the coral reef at the bottom.
As we swam further out towards the side, there were even more variety of fish. Then as we swam around, we suddenly saw some soft patty paper like thing floating. As we approach closer, we realized that it was a leg of a turtle. There was a turtle lying at the bottom of the reef feeding on the seaweed.
It was our first time seeing the sea turtle in the ocean right beside us. We were so excited. We kept our distance from the turtle and swam around the turtle to see how it navigate through the ocean. Sometimes when there was a strong current, the turtle might get too close to us and we had to swim away. We stayed by the turtle's side for a very long time, but we really enjoyed it.
We really enjoyed Kapalua Bay. The water was calm and the beach was nicely maintained. There was also washroom and shower right by the parking lot, which was quite convenient. It was definitely a must visit place at Maui.
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