Mokapu Beach

Mokapu Beach in the Wailea resort area of South Maui provides access to the reef systems of one of Maui's most exclusive coastal zones—the series of white sand beaches and rocky points that extend along the Wailea coast between the Kihei developed areas to the north and the wilder Makena territory to the south. Mokapu and adjacent Ulua Beach together form one of South Maui's most active snorkel and dive entry areas, their reliable calm conditions and rich reef systems making them the go-to shore diving access points for the resort area's guests and independent visitors alike. The reef immediately offshore from Mokapu Beach includes some of the South Maui coast's best coral development in accessible depths. The lava rock substrate that Hawaiian reef systems develop on has been colonized by massive corals, branching corals, and the encrusting species that form the architectural base of a mature Hawaiian reef community. Unlike the bleached and degraded coral systems that characterize overstressed reefs worldwide, the Wailea area's reefs—benefiting from the relatively low land-based pollution from the adjacent resort district and the protective value of Hawaii's broader marine management programs—maintain the coral cover that makes reef diving in this area genuinely impressive. The fish community at Mokapu Beach reflects the healthy reef ecosystem that good coral cover supports. Hawaiian endemic species—the Hawaiian cleaner wrasse, the Hawaiian reef triggerfish (humuhumunukunukuapua'a, Hawaii's state fish), and the various endemic damselfishes that compete for territories among coral heads—inhabit the reef alongside the Indo-Pacific widespread species that make up the bulk of Hawaii's reef fish community. Spotting the endemic species and distinguishing them from their nearest Indo-Pacific relatives provides the species identification challenge that motivates repeat dives at the same site. The turtle population of the Wailea-Mokapu area is one of the denser concentrations of Hawaiian green turtles accessible to shore divers on Maui. These animals, protected and recovering throughout Hawaii since the 1970s, have established themselves so thoroughly in the calm reef areas of South Maui's leeward coast that encounters are practically guaranteed—not because the turtles are habituated to food offerings, but because healthy turtle populations in productive reef habitats are simply present in the numbers that recovery from past hunting pressure has allowed. Observing a turtle feeding on the reef bottom at Mokapu, its powerful jaws efficiently cropping algae from the rock surface, is a window into the ecological role these animals play in reef systems. Mokapu Beach's position within the Wailea resort complex means that dive logistics are supported by adjacent hotel facilities, multiple nearby dive operations, and the access infrastructure of a developed resort area. For Wailea hotel guests who carry dive certification, Mokapu Beach provides one of the most convenient world-class shore dives available anywhere—exceptional tropical reef diving beginning thirty feet from the beach towel.