Top Things to Know Before You Try Snorkeling for the First Time

Snorkeling has many advocates. If you’ve never tried it before, you might find it scintillating. Once you enter the water and see the undersea life that awaits, you may want to do it every day from that point forward.

Discovering Maui’s best snorkeling & diving spots might compel you to pick it as your next vacation destination. You’ll also find amazing restaurants, hiking, and scuba diving as well. You can spend time relaxing and have a spa day if you’re ready for some indoor activities.

As for snorkeling, you should know a few things about it before you try it for the first time. If you follow our advice, you would have a great time and come home with some memories you’ll always cherish.

You Shouldn’t Go Out Alone

You probably realize if you’re a neophyte snorkeler that it’s usually more dangerous if you try it on your own. If anything ever goes wrong, having someone with you means they can help you get back to shore.

Even experienced snorkelers understand that the sea can prove fatal if they have a medical episode when they’re by themselves. If you go out with a partner or as a group, you can be much more confident that you’ll enjoy yourself without incident.

If you have family members with you, that’s great, but if you’re trying snorkeling for the first time, you should go with someone from the company where you rent your equipment. They will know those waters and have plenty of experience, so you can feel confident you’ll be in good hands if you stay close to your instructor and follow their lead.  

You Should Find a Reputable Company

This leads us to our next point: find a company with a positive industry reputation if you’re trying snorkeling for the first time. You will find plenty of entities on Maui that will take you snorkeling. However, much like any other kind of service you purchase, you want to do business with a company that seems credible.

The business from which you rent your equipment should have its own website. Virtually any modern company needs an online presence, and visiting the entity’s site can tell you a great deal about it.

If the site looks spammy or hastily thrown together, or if there’s no website at all, that’s probably not the best sign. Instead, locate one that has excellent UX, professional photos, etc. That way, you’ll know you’re dealing with a business that cares about its reputation.

You should also look for reviews of the company online. Lots of excellent feedback from former satisfied customers should let you know you are in good hands.

Check Your Equipment Carefully Before Heading Out

With an activity like snorkeling, you must have the right equipment, and you should check it before you enter the water. If you haven’t tried this pastime before, you probably don’t have your own gear. That’s fine. Many scuba companies exist in Maui, and they will all offer you the equipment you need for a nominal fee.

You might not know what to look for with scuba equipment, but your guide can check to make sure everything looks perfect before you strap it on. Snorkeling doesn’t require much gear. You just need a mask, fins, and a snorkel.

While that might sound simple, if you have faulty equipment, that will ruin the experience for you. Have your guide look over your paraphernalia before you get in the water. Once they give you the thumbs up, you can relax and get ready for adventure.

Tiger Shark Mating Season

You will see many species beneath the waves in Maui. That includes hundreds of species of fish, and yes, you might occasionally spot a shark or two as well.

The species of sharks that call Maui home don’t usually exhibit aggression toward humans. Attacks might happen only a handful of times per year. If you ever do experience an attack, often, you can blame the aggressive tiger shark.

However, tiger sharks demonstrate much more aggression during mating season, which runs from October to January yearly. That’s a time when you might avoid this activity. If you do go snorkeling at this time of year, talk to the company that’s renting you the equipment first. Ask them about tiger shark activity in those waters and whether they feel it’s safe.

You can usually follow their lead. If they tell you they feel safe getting in the water, then you can do the same. If you don’t feel comfortable, you can always try another activity or come back at a different time of the year.

A Few Additional Tips

You can keep a few other things in mind as you get ready to see what the waters of Maui have in store. Wearing sunscreen makes sense. You can get reef-friendly brands that won’t harm the reef if any comes off in the water.

You should also know about clearing your snorkel. The company from which you rent your equipment will go over this with you, but don’t get into the water until you’re sure you know how to do it. Your snorkel should ride along above the waterline. If water ever gets into it, you can stop, remove it from your mouth, and blow out forcefully.

You might also try breathing with the tube before you get in the water. If you’re not used to it, practice a little. You may feel like you should hold your breath when you’re underwater, but you don’t need to do that if you have the snorkel in. Once you practice for a bit, it should soon seem a lot more natural to breathe regularly, even when facing down and seeing the sea floor beneath you.

Snorkeling remains one of the most fun activities you can try when you visit Maui. If you bring your family, you should all enjoy the time you spend in the water together.