Maui is home to incredible wildlife—from sea turtles and reef fish to whales, birds, and native land animals. This guide covers what you can see on Maui, where to find wildlife, and how to experience it responsibly.
Dive into Your 2026 New Year’s Resolutions: Unforgettable Snorkeling Adventures with Maui Snorkeling!
Kick off 2026 with an ocean adventure—Molokini mornings, crowd-free afternoons, or a private charter with Maui Snorkeling!
New Year’s Week Snorkeling In Maui: 3 Itineraries (Calm/Windy/Backup)
New Year’s week on Maui? Use this 3‑itinerary snorkel game plan—Calm Day, Windy Day, or Backup Day—plus tour links and local tips.
5 Ocean‑Safe Ways to Have the Best Maui Snorkel on a Windy Day
Christmas week is one of the best times to be in Maui… and one of the busiest!
It’s also “winter ocean mood” season: trade winds, shifting swell, and days where the water is gorgeous in one bay and totally wrong in another.
Here are 5 ocean‑safe ways to still have an amazing snorkel day on those windy days—without forcing conditions.
Maui Snorkel Scavenger Hunt for Kids: 12 Days of Snorkel‑mas (Printable Checklist)
Want a Christmas-week snorkel activity that works for boat OR shore,
kids OR adults, and turns “What am I looking at?” into a fun win?
Welcome to 12 Days of Snorkel-mas: A Maui Snorkel Scavenger Hunt — a simple activity that helps you spot Maui reef creatures without turning your snorkel into a biology lecture.
Shopping in Maui: Best Shopping Centers, Local Shops & Souvenirs (By Area)
Shopping in Maui is more than just souvenirs—it’s a great way to explore local culture, support small businesses, and fill rainy or windy days when ocean conditions aren’t ideal. From luxury boutiques in Wailea to handmade art in Paia and practical shopping in Kahului, Maui offers something for every style, budget, and itinerary!
This guide breaks down the best shopping in Maui by where visitors actually stay, with quick decision helpers so you don’t waste vacation time figuring out where to go.
Long, Skinny Fish You’ll See in Maui (And How to Tell Them Apart)
If you’ve ever gone snorkeling in Maui and thought, “What was that long, skinny fish?” — you’re not alone!
Guests regularly ask our crew about three look-alike reef fish that often get confused:
Needlefish
Trumpetfish
Cornetfish
While they may all be long and narrow, each one behaves differently, lives in different parts of the reef, and has unique features that make identification easy once you know what to look for.
No Whistling On A Boat: The Maui Boat Superstition Explained
You’re out on the water off Maui, the sun’s shining, the boat’s cruising, and someone lets out a cheerful whistle.
Then you hear it.
A deckhand laughs and says, “Eh—no whistling on the boat!”
A captain grins but still shakes their head like you just triggered a decades-old rule.
If you’ve ever wondered why whistling on a boat is considered bad luck, especially on fishing boats or ocean charters in Hawaiʻi, this No Whistling on a Boat guide breaks down where the belief comes from, why crews still honor it, and how it shows up on Maui snorkeling and fishing trips today.
How to Visit Maui Responsibly in 2026
Maui remains one of the most beautiful places in the world, and 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for travel to Hawaiʻi. But along with the excitement, visitors are also hearing more about regenerative tourism—a growing movement highlighted by The Washington Post and Hawaii Public Radio that encourages travelers not only to enjoy the islands but also to help protect them.
Top 10 Maui Snorkeling “Wow” Moments from 2025
Every year on the boat, we hear a lot of:
“WOW. Did that really just happen?”
In 2025, those moments came fast and often: surprise whale breaches on the way to Molokini, glass‑calm mornings, turtles cruising past snorkelers, rainbows over Haleakalā, kids taking their first-ever breaths through a snorkel.
