MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Kapalua Bay Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Sun 11:35 (HST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Sun 11:35 (HST)

Kapalua Bay looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Sun 13:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Fair · 3.7/10

Sun 12:00 (HST)

Later today

Poor · 3.4/10

Sun 13:00 (HST)

Next three days

Fair · 4.3/10

Tue 11:00 (HST)

Model estimates using Open-Meteo; not observations or safety guarantees. Check official advisories and conditions at the beach.

Score: 3.4/10

Best time: Sun 13:00

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Sun 13:00 (Poor). Peak afternoon wind is about 7.6 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Molokini Crater 4.7/10 Fair · Sun 13:00 Ahihi Kinau 4.7/10 Fair · Sun 13:00 Maluaka Turtle Town 4.7/10 Fair · Sun 13:00

Weakest nearby later today

Honolua Bay Napili Bay

Read the Maui snorkeling guide for coast, access and best-month guidance.

Plan your visit

These notes help with planning. Rules and closures can change.

Open map

AccessSandy shore entry with reef along both points. Start in the water only when the bay is calm.

ParkingParking near the bay is limited. Arrive early, use marked spaces, and never block residents or access roads.

ReservationsNo bay-wide snorkel reservation is listed. Check current beach signs and county notices.

ClosuresSkip the entry when waves break across the bay or local officials post a closure.

Marine lifeReef fish and green turtles are common reasons people visit. Keep distance and do not touch wildlife.

Hawaiʻi beach and marine notices

Sunrise

06:23

Sunset

17:59

Water

27.2°C

Max air

28.5°C

Sky

Partly cloudy

66% cloud

No good model 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

Sunday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

  • Tue 11:00: Fair (0.43) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Tue 10:00: Fair (0.41) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Tue 12:00: Fair (0.40) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (70 hours)
  • Wind (70 hours)
  • Tide/current (62 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low peak drift risk around Mon 01:00.

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

Next early morning high tide: Tue 00:00

Mon 11:00, Tue 00:00, Tue 11:00, Wed 00:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

Compare nearby spot forecasts for later today before choosing a beach.

Molokini Crater Fair · Sun 13:00 4.7/10 Ahihi Kinau Fair · Sun 13:00 4.7/10 Maluaka Turtle Town Fair · Sun 13:00 4.7/10 Ulua Mokapu Fair · Sun 13:00 4.6/10 Kaanapali Beach Fair · Sun 13:00 3.6/10 Kaanapali Black Rock Fair · Sun 13:00 3.6/10 Honolua Bay Poor · Sun 13:00 3.4/10 Napili Bay Poor · Sun 13:00 3.4/10

Forecast spot map

Use the map to see where the compared spots sit. Open a card for the hourly forecast.

Molokini Crater Ahihi Kinau Maluaka Turtle Town Ulua Mokapu Kaanapali Beach Kaanapali Black Rock Honolua Bay Napili Bay
  1. Molokini Crater
  2. Ahihi Kinau
  3. Maluaka Turtle Town
  4. Ulua Mokapu
  5. Kaanapali Beach
  6. Kaanapali Black Rock
  7. Honolua Bay
  8. Napili Bay

This is a location diagram, not a marine chart. Check the shore and local signs in person.

Nearby alternatives in USA

Napili Bay

0 km away

❌ Poor

Honolua Bay

3 km away

⚠️ Fair

Kaanapali Beach

9 km away

⚠️ Fair

Kaanapali Black Rock

9 km away

⚠️ Fair

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Sat 12:00 – Tue 12:00 (HST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.24 around Sun 10:00; 0 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 2.34m to 2.74m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 10.83 to 12.27m/s).

Tides range from 0.25m to 0.89m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
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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 is better in daylight, so night hours score lower.
Detailed hourly data table
Time Wave (m) Wind (m/s) Sea temp (°C) Status
Sat 12:00 2.74 · high 10.99 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 13:00 2.70 · high 11.09 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 14:00 2.64 · high 11.99 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 15:00 2.64 · high 11.90 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 16:00 2.62 · high 11.48 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 17:00 2.62 · high 11.68 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 18:00 2.62 · high 11.10 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 19:00 2.60 · high 11.74 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 2.60 · high 11.87 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 2.58 · high 11.94 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 2.56 · high 12.22 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 2.54 · high 12.16 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 2.48 · high 12.27 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 2.68 · high 12.00 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 2.66 · high 11.22 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 2.48 · high 10.99 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 2.44 · high 10.83 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 2.42 · high 10.85 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 06:00 2.40 · high 11.15 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 07:00 2.38 · high 11.33 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 08:00 2.36 · high 11.34 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 09:00 2.36 · high 11.16 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 10:00 2.34 · high 11.76 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 11:00 2.34 · high 11.63 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 12:00 2.32 · high 11.30 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 13:00 2.32 · high 11.57 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 14:00 2.30 · high 11.50 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 15:00 2.24 · high 10.87 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 16:00 2.20 · high 10.78 · high 27.50 · good Poor
Sun 17:00 2.14 · high 10.52 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 18:00 2.10 · high 10.61 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 19:00 2.04 · high 10.30 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 20:00 2.00 · high 10.06 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Sun 21:00 1.98 · high 9.78 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sun 22:00 1.98 · high 9.52 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Sun 23:00 1.96 · high 9.64 · high 27.30 · good Poor
Mon 00:00 1.92 · high 10.14 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Mon 01:00 1.88 · high 8.81 · high 27.20 · good Poor
Mon 02:00 1.84 · high 7.70 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 1.84 · high 6.49 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 1.86 · high 4.86 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 1.66 · high 6.38 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 1.62 · high 6.08 · high 27.40 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 1.60 · high 5.94 · high 27.40 · good Fair
Mon 08:00 1.56 · high 5.15 · good 27.40 · good Fair
Mon 09:00 1.56 · high 5.09 · good 27.40 · good Fair
Mon 10:00 1.58 · high 5.75 · high 27.40 · good Fair
Mon 11:00 1.58 · high 6.18 · high 27.50 · good Fair
Mon 12:00 1.58 · high 6.49 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 13:00 1.58 · high 6.80 · high 27.60 · good Fair
Mon 14:00 1.58 · high 7.37 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 15:00 1.56 · high 7.28 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 16:00 1.52 · high 6.45 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 17:00 1.50 · high 5.78 · high 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 18:00 1.46 · high 5.33 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 19:00 1.42 · high 4.91 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 20:00 1.38 · high 4.53 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 21:00 1.36 · high 4.23 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Mon 22:00 1.32 · high 3.91 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Mon 23:00 1.30 · high 2.93 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Tue 00:00 1.28 · high 1.00 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Tue 01:00 1.24 · high 0.42 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Tue 02:00 1.24 · high 0.51 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Tue 03:00 1.22 · high 0.16 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Tue 04:00 1.18 · high 0.54 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Tue 05:00 1.14 · high 0.51 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Tue 06:00 1.12 · high 0.16 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Tue 07:00 1.12 · high 0.38 · good 27.30 · good Fair
Tue 08:00 1.10 · high 1.56 · good 27.30 · good Fair
Tue 09:00 1.08 · high 2.23 · good 27.30 · good Fair
Tue 10:00 1.08 · high 2.25 · good 27.40 · good Fair
Tue 11:00 1.06 · high 2.66 · good 27.40 · good Fair