Can you snorkel in Kapalua Bay today?

Conditions look marginal right now — no clearly safe snorkeling window is forecast in Kapalua Bay over the next 72 hours. Check the hourly table for the calmest period.

What is the best time of day to snorkel in Kapalua Bay?

Snorkel during daylight, ideally in the morning before the wind picks up, and around high slack tide when water is clearest and currents are weakest. SnorkelForecast scores every daylight hour in Kapalua Bay so you can pick the calmest window.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide — within about an hour of the high-tide peak when currents are weakest — is the safest, clearest window. Strong low tides, strong tidal flow near channels or headlands, and large tidal-range days reduce score.

Where are the best snorkeling conditions near Kapalua Bay today?

The best nearby spots right now are Ahihi Kinau, Maluaka Turtle Town, Ulua Mokapu. Check each spot page for hourly wind, wave, tide and water temperature detail.

Kapalua Bay Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Sat 05:02 (HST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Report Sat 10:51

Kapalua Bay looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Sun 06:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Score: 4.7/10

Best time: Sun 06:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Sat 11:00 (Poor).

Best afternoon signal: Sat 12:00 (Poor). Peak afternoon wind is about 7.7 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots Tours & water activities

Best nearby spots

Ahihi Kinau 5.1/10 Fair · Sat 21:00 Maluaka Turtle Town 5.1/10 Fair · Sat 21:00 Ulua Mokapu 4.9/10 Fair · Sat 23:00

Sunrise

05:55

Sunset

19:10

Water

26.7°C

Max air

28.9°C

Sky

Clear

9% cloud

No safe window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Saturday

❌ poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Sunday

⚠️ fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

⚠️ fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Sun 16:00 — Fair (0.47) · still limited by waves, wind
Sun 17:00 — Fair (0.46) · still limited by waves, wind
Sun 18:00 — Fair (0.46) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (56 hours)
Tide/current (46 hours)
Wind (42 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 34/100

Low drift risk now.

warm water supports seasonal jellyfish activity; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Mon 04:00

Tours and water activities near Kapalua Bay

Local operators found via Tripadvisor. Check conditions before you book.

Maui Snorkel Tours

4.9/5 490 reviews

Guided Maui snorkeling tours from Kihei with a long-running local operator.

Learn more

Quicksilver Maui Snorkeling Charters

4.5/5 3354 reviews

Large-boat snorkeling charters with Lanai and Maui reef trips.

Learn more

Maui Snorkeling

4.7/5 811 reviews

Family-friendly Maui snorkeling trips from Maalaea.

Learn more

West Maui Kayak Tours

4.8/5 13 reviews

West Maui kayak tours that fit calmer nearshore days.

Learn more

Nearby snorkel spot map

Compare nearby spots by score, forecast window and exposure before choosing a beach.

Ahihi Kinau Fair · Sat 21:00 5.1/10 Maluaka Turtle Town Fair · Sat 21:00 5.1/10 Ulua Mokapu Fair · Sat 23:00 4.9/10 Honolua Bay Fair · Sun 16:00 4.7/10 Molokini Crater Fair · Sun 19:00 4.6/10 Kaanapali Beach Fair · Sat 22:00 4.4/10 Kaanapali Black Rock Fair · Sat 22:00 4.4/10 Napili Bay Fair · Sun 17:00 4.0/10

Nearby alternatives in USA

Napili Bay

0 km away

❌ Poor

Honolua Bay

3 km away

❌ Poor

Kaanapali Beach

9 km away

⚠️ Fair

Kaanapali Black Rock

9 km away

⚠️ Fair

Advanced forecast data

Viewing live forecast

Sat 20:00 – Tue 20:00 (HST)

Previous day Yesterday

Snorkel Score (next 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.47 around Sun 06:00; 5 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.04m to 1.32m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 5.75 to 7.7m/s).

Tides range from 0.31m to 0.8m; 0 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour forecast overview

Sat 21:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 22:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 16:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 17:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 18:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 19:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 20:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 21:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 22:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 16:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 17:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 18:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 19:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 20:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 21:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 22:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
Daylight (10%): visibility and safety gate (outside daylight scores lower).

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Sat 21:00	1.30 · high	7.70 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sat 22:00	1.30 · high	7.70 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sat 23:00	1.32 · high	7.56 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 00:00	1.32 · high	7.31 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 01:00	1.30 · high	7.05 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 02:00	1.30 · high	6.99 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 03:00	1.28 · high	6.84 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 04:00	1.26 · high	6.80 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 05:00	1.24 · high	6.67 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 06:00	1.22 · high	6.88 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 07:00	1.20 · high	7.10 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 08:00	1.18 · high	7.30 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 09:00	1.16 · high	7.40 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Sun 10:00	1.14 · high	7.27 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 11:00	1.14 · high	7.29 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 12:00	1.12 · high	6.93 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 13:00	1.10 · high	6.58 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 14:00	1.08 · high	6.31 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 15:00	1.06 · high	6.10 · high	26.70 · good	poor
Sun 16:00	1.06 · high	5.82 · high	26.70 · good	fair
Sun 17:00	1.04 · high	5.75 · high	26.70 · good	fair
Sun 18:00	1.04 · high	5.94 · high	26.70 · good	fair
Sun 19:00	1.06 · high	6.20 · high	26.80 · good	fair
Sun 20:00	1.08 · high	6.49 · high	26.80 · good	fair
Sun 21:00	1.10 · high	6.78 · high	26.90 · good	fair
Sun 22:00	1.10 · high	6.50 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Sun 23:00	1.10 · high	6.32 · high	27.00 · good	poor
Mon 00:00	1.10 · high	6.13 · high	27.00 · good	poor
Mon 01:00	1.10 · high	6.18 · high	27.00 · good	poor
Mon 02:00	1.08 · high	6.29 · high	27.00 · good	poor
Mon 03:00	1.08 · high	6.27 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 04:00	1.06 · high	6.28 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 05:00	1.06 · high	5.95 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 06:00	1.04 · high	5.96 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 07:00	1.04 · high	6.06 · high	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 08:00	1.02 · high	5.63 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 09:00	1.02 · high	5.69 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 10:00	1.00 · high	5.60 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 11:00	1.00 · high	5.30 · good	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 12:00	0.98 · high	5.22 · good	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 13:00	0.98 · high	5.17 · good	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 14:00	1.00 · high	5.43 · high	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 15:00	1.00 · high	5.19 · good	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 16:00	1.00 · high	4.93 · good	26.70 · good	fair
Mon 17:00	1.02 · high	4.71 · good	26.80 · good	fair
Mon 18:00	1.02 · high	4.95 · good	26.80 · good	fair
Mon 19:00	1.02 · high	5.17 · good	26.80 · good	poor
Mon 20:00	1.04 · high	5.39 · good	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 21:00	1.04 · high	5.35 · good	26.90 · good	poor
Mon 22:00	1.04 · high	5.16 · good	27.00 · good	fair
Mon 23:00	1.04 · high	5.06 · good	27.00 · good	poor
Tue 00:00	1.04 · high	5.28 · good	27.10 · good	poor
Tue 01:00	1.04 · high	5.53 · high	27.10 · good	poor
Tue 02:00	1.04 · high	5.60 · high	27.10 · good	poor
Tue 03:00	1.04 · high	5.64 · high	27.10 · good	poor
Tue 04:00	1.04 · high	5.30 · good	27.10 · good	poor