The 6 Best Maui Water Activities
For millions of visitors every year, Maui is an eye-opening, awe-inspiring Hawaiian island that’s as close to paradise as you can come. Maui delivers a whopping twelve months of gorgeous, sunny weather every year. (The sun is shining somewhere on the island every day!) The Pacific Ocean is a breathtakingly beautiful aquamarine. And the beaches in Maui are regularly voted some of the best on planet Earth.
The combination of fantastic weather, sublime surf, and excellent beaches elevate all water activities here to another level! Snorkeling, scuba diving, and surfing are all fantastic in Maui and so much more. To help you choose the best activities for your vacay, we present the 6 Best Water Activities in Maui! If hitting the Maui surf for some wet and wild adventures is on your agenda, read on!
Table of Contents
Scuba Diving
Maui is known for her exceptional undersea environment, with beautiful reefs and an incredible array of sea life. Scuba diving here is some of the best in the world, hands-down. Maui is also an excellent place to learn scuba as the waters are calm, warm, and low-stress. The company we recommend (below) has options to start from a boat or shore. Plus, they cater to beginners and experts, offer a discovery dive, PADI courses, and more. Once you’re down there, under the sea and taking in its grandeur, you’ll know why, when it comes to Maui water activities, scuba diving is #1! The scuba diving outfit we recommend in Maui is below:
Whale Watching Tours
If you’ve ever seen a magnificent whale in the wild, you know it’s something that will change your life. These magnificent monarchs of the depths pass by Maui on their annual migration, making a whale-watching tour the best way to see them in all their glory. Most tours also do a great job of educating their guests on whales’ plight and what can be done to save them. If you get the opportunity, make time to catch a glimpse of these majestic beasts. One of our favorite whale watching tour companies is below:
Dive Maui Whale Watching Tours

Rafting
Many people today are doing their best to reduce their carbon footprint. When you go rating in Maui, you can do the same! Even better, you can take a raft out to sublime snorkeling or whale watching location for twice the fun and adventure! It’s an excellent time for the entire family on large, fully-outfitted ocean rafts. It’s also one of the most exciting Maui water activities! One of the top rafting tour companies on the island is below:
Windsurfing
It’s been over 70 years since the first person put a sail on a surfboard, and the sport is still going strong here in Maui! In fact, Maui is considered one of the world’s premier windsurfing locations! We’ve got some of the best water and wind for windsurfing in the Hawaiian Islands, too! (The north coastline has many advantages!) There are well-established windsurfing schools on Maui and some of the top instructors. It’s easily or of the most exciting Maui water activities! Below is one of our top picks for a company to help you have a fantastic time:
Stand-Up Paddleboarding
Challenging, fun, and great exercise, too; stand-up paddleboarding has significantly grown in popularity over the last few years. That includes here in Maui, where the sport is enjoyed every day on our pristine, tranquil waters. The locals here call it “SUP” for short, but whatever you call it, stand-up paddleboarding is great fun. Like surfing, you can get lessons and rent boards at several Maui locations. Most people don’t need more than an introductory class, and they’re off, ‘sweeping the ocean’ and enjoying the sun and surf! Below is a stand-up paddleboarding location we recommend here in Maui.
Surfing
Surfing in Hawaii is a way of life, especially here in Maui. That’s not surprising when you consider that the Hawaiian Islands have some of the best surfing in the world. One of the main reasons is also a fantastic fact; Maui is sitting on top of two volcanoes! That gives us excellent surfing ‘breaks’ year-round that are fantastic for beginners yet challenging for surfing superstars. You’ll find several excellent establishments here giving surfing lessons, renting boards, and being extremely helpful. Below is our favorite surf school:
And there they are, the 6 Best Maui Water Activities, all waiting to be discovered! We hope you enjoyed our list and that, whatever water activity you choose, you and your family have a fantastic time! Aloha!