Can you help with a perfect snorkeling spot for a non...

I love to dive and snorkel but my husband is a city boy from Brooklyn, NY and cannot swim. At all. Not even float!

Can anyone help with a spot to snorkel that is accesible from the shore and is shallow enough for him to basically squat/stand with his mask underwter, never llosing his tenous grip of the beach floor? 4 - 5 feet I guess would be ideal.

I%26#39;m originally from Miami and there is a spot in Cape Florida, Key Biscayne, at the rocky base of the lighthouse where 2 yr olds can snorkel and see a lot of life. I%26#39;m looking for the equivalent in Maui...any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help...I want to show my hubby the wonders of undersea life without freaking him out and ruining his day!

Can you help with a perfect snorkeling spot for a non...

Hi

Just got back from Maui and did all our snorkelling from the shore (verses taking a boat!)

I am apprehensive in the water and used a boogie board at first as a security blanket. It helped with flotation but was a bit cumbersome with the waves bouncing me around a bit. Once I got rid of the board I found it much easier because I glided thru the water instead of bobbing around on the surface. I saw a number of people using kickboards that had large see thru windows that they just fluterred around looking thru in the shallow areas. These are available thru the snorkel rental companies there.

As for locations we found Black Rock (Kaanapali Beach)to have very good visibility, lots of fish and all with in about 10 feet of the beach. There were no waves so it was very calm. Many, many people snorkelling tho. Biggest danger here is getting a flipper in the face.

We went to a few other spots that were more open ocean but for a first timer Black Rock is pretty tame.

Can you help with a perfect snorkeling spot for a non...

Olowalu

Mile marker 14 on route 30. pull off to side and have fun. Very shallow.

I too am a non-swimmer and tend to sink like a rock - with the result that I don%26#39;t like to be in water over my head even with a floation device.

On Maui the best spot I found was Mokapu Beach in front of the Renaissance Wailea. The left side of the beach (looking out towards the water) has a shallow area with some scattered coral that is generally ';wadeable'; and has a fair amount of fish close to shore that are pretty easy to see just standing in waist-chest deep water with a mask on.

Maluaka Beach in front of the Westin Maui Prince has a nice beach that stays shallow for quite some distance out that he%26#39;d probably enjoy for just playing in the water. No many fish to see but fun to bounce on the waves and the sandy bottom is very nice indeed.

The 3 Kamaole beaches of the Kihei area can offer some viewing of fish from fairly shallow water (north end of Kamaole 3 in particular).

Take note that morning is when the water is calmest. Afternoons the winds and the waves tend to pick up quite a bit.

Ken

FYI - The lagoons of the South Pacific islands (Rarotonga, Bora Bora, Aitutaki, Moorea etc) are the place he%26#39;d probably really enjoy the most. Calm, clear, ';walkable'; (for a longggggggg way out) lagoons with tons of fish, and no waves to speak of. Pretty much a paradise for poor swimmer or even non-swimmers.

My MIL is much the same way. She likes to use a ski belt and is pretty comfortable that way. Or you could try a BCD, although I find that they make putting your face in the water difficult. I%26#39;ve also seen people using noodles. Try snorkeling early in the morning when it%26#39;s likely to be calmer.

Your husband should find it much easier to float in salt water than fresh. If he%26#39;s uncomfortable with breathing with his face in the water, try what I did when I first learned. Sit in the water - deep enough to get your face in - and start with just putting your face in while holding your breath. Then, when that%26#39;s comfortable, start with the snorkel. Might be a good idea to start in a shallow swimming pool.

I still find, after all these years, that I tend to hyperventilate the first time I go in. I have to consciously remind myself that I%26#39;m OK.

Oh, by the way, I don%26#39;t THINK anyone does this on Maui, but on Kauai we went SNUBA diving FROM THE SHORE. It was pretty cool and even I was able to do it. Couldn%26#39;t find an outfit that did it from the shore on Maui last year, but you may enquire. I%26#39;m way too chicken to do it from a boat where you have to get off into deep water, but starting from shore where you can gradually get out into deeper water was pretty easy and not too nerve-wracking. We had a diver with us to watch over us and my wife and I shared an airtank that sat on a raft with 25 feet of hose, so you have some flexablity to move around without the weight on your back, you can breath underwater, and you can choose how deep you want to go out - stay in fairly shallow water - or move out to a bit deeper water. It really was a lot of fun (even though I was very nervous) and had I been able to find an outfit that did it from shore on Maui, I would have gone again this last trip.

Just something to look into (if not on this trip, then perhaps a future trip somewhere).

Ken

I think Kapalua Bay is an awesome spot for beginners. The cove is quiet and the sea life is abundant in as little as three feet of water.

I would add that, even if he stays in shallow water, a snorkeling belt would give him a sense of security. My husband had a fairly severe shoulder injury so had to be very careful about using his arms at all in the water. The snorkel belt (we rented for $15 for the week from Boss Frog) was totally unobtrusive to him but kept him afloat. I would also emphasize, as others have, that early morning is the calmest and gives non-swimmers the greatest sense of security that we won%26#39;t be knocked off their feet by waves.

I had the same problem with my hubby....we went to Ulua beach. It%26#39;s very easy snorkeling. He actually gave it a try without and floaties, and was surprised at how well he floated (and he%26#39;s a big guy...6%26#39;4'; 230 lbs!). But there are lots of people who use different types of floatation devices, so he won%26#39;t have to worry about standing out!

Try Ahihi Bay/Cove - it is south of the Maui Prince Hotel in Wailea/Makena. The cove is on the right side of the road...only yards from the road. Watch for a brown hexagon shaped house on the right and lots of cars parked on both sides of the road and you are there. He doesn%26#39;t even have to set foot in the water and can see the beautiful fish from the rocks along the shore, or if he goes in the water he will see them as low as 3 to 4 ft depths. The other idea is go to a dive shop and rent a shortie wetsuit or dive vest. With this and the fins he will have lots of floatation. He could also rent one of those boards with the ';windows'; in them for extra security. Black Rock in front of the Sheraton in Kaanapali is also good to beginners, but he won%26#39;t see much until he gets to at least 5 to 6ft depth..but if he floats next to the rocks he should have the extra security that if he needs to he can just grap on to the rocks.

There are several suggestions for locations.

I took my wife and friends to snorkeling. There are non-swimmers. The first 3 times they wore snorkel vest or wet suit. They were still apprehensive. (Did see fish and did like it) Even though they could float, they still were afraid and could not go too far. My wife kept clinging to me, which was fine because I didn%26#39;t want her to panic.

The 4th time we were on a boat in Kona. They all wore a (long) wet suit, and USED A NOODLE. It was actually 1/2 of a noodle (they cut it in half) The noodle did the job. They held the noodle in front of them while they floated. It helped them to feel comfortable.

I was diving under and could wave to them. Even in deep water (between 40%26#39;-90%26#39;), these non-swimmers really enjoyed that trip because for the first time they were not afraid. Kona coast is probably the best diving/snorkeling place in Hawaii in terms of seeing sea life, so that was an added bonus.

Before the trip I also took them to a swimming pool where they all tried to use the mask/snorkel and fin a couple of times. So that helped them to be used to breathing thru the snorkel.

So the location or amount of sea life was not as important to my non-swimmer wife and friends, but the comfort level in water.

bloom-