Kamaole Beach Park II

Still a gem of a beach, but with all of mother nature’s gems, there is some danger. Surf was particularly variable this year. Dangerous shorebreak signs are posted at most beaches, and this beach isn’t usually a hazard, but this time… I got nailed. Hard. Rough day when you dive into a wave and it flips you over rips off all your snorkel gear and tosses you back onto the beach. I was worried I’d get dashed on the rocks. Embarrassing to be a fairly experienced snorkeler taken down by a wave leaving my gear out in the surf like a yard sale.
That day ended early.
Best time to get into the water is earlier in the morning 7−11am is the best and most calm time of day.
Other days were spectacular snorkelling. This year, more turtles than we could count. Eels, fish galore. Some varieties of fish I hadn’t seen before after being at this beach for 6 years, and needed to look them up in my Hawaiian Reef Fishes book. The reef between Kamaole II and III is usually a great spot for critters, but this year we found the warmer water and unseasonal El Niño weather made a difference for the turtles.
We like this beach not only because it’s a short 2 minute walk down the road from the condo we like to stay at, but the sand is clean and soft, lifeguards, and amazing variety of sea life.
We like to visit in late November, it’s a bit quieter at this time of year, and the beach is busy but not really crowded.
Both Paul S. & Winnie L’s review (a couple of years old, but it’s still spot on) have great details on this beach.
If you are shopping for a reef-​friendly sunscreen like Badger brand — it’s safer for you and the reef. Wear a rasher available at every ABC or surf shop or clothes rated for sunscreen abilities at the beach. It’s cheaper than sunscreen in the long run. This article gives good tips and explains the best way to wear these specialized sunscreens.
Thisis also a good read published by NOAA:

Kam II beach is a great beach just steps from where we usually stay in Maui. When we ask locals about beaches they always mention Kam I, II and III beaches as some of the best on the island. We do spend some time here as it is very convenient but we also like checking out a lot of other beaches, coves and secret snorkelling spots. We can say after all of our experiences that Kam II does have great snorkelling. We almost always see turtles swimming around the coral here. If you haven’t had success spotting turtles at other areas then I would try one of the Kam beaches. On years when the water is colder than average I hear that turtles are more rare.
The beach is very sandy and there are very few rocks leading out into the water, especially the middle part of the beach. Snorkelling and aquatic viewing is best along the side of the beach where the volcanic rocks and coral are.
There are lifeguards on this beach and please heed any posted warning flags.
We usually come in off season so we have never seen the beach really crowded. There is parking along the road if you can get it but if you are within walking distance then you have no reason to not check out this beach!

Great beach for a beautiful September day. Sunny and a light breeze to keep you cool. Small waves that are just right to play in. Nice sandy bottom so your feet don’t get stabbed by rocks.
We had a fantastic day on the beach we looked at #3 and there was no beach sand, all water.
Beach #2 was. Good choice.
This beach is on my return list.

Nice little beach, easy to get to from the hotels and resorts. I was hoping for some good tide pooling in the rocks on the west side, but it was honestly a bit disappointing — low on interesting sea life, just some brown fish that were great at hiding, and something that moved quickly and was maybe a crab.
The sand was nice and soft, a light tan-​brown, and the waves and weather were, of course, lovely!

Location: between Kam I and Kam III across from the Maui Banyan
GPS coordinates: 20.716 701,-156.4463
Facilities: Showers, Bathrooms, BBQs, Picnic Tables; Check if Lifeguard is on duty
Views: Kaheawa wind turbines; Molokini; Kaho’olawe
The kama’ainas (locals) call Kama’olé Beach Parks I, II, III as Kam I, II and III. There is an okina (apostrophe) in the official names.
We went to Kam II because it’s right across from where we were staying for night at the Aston Maui Banyan condos. It made it easy to go back and get stuff, like extra batteries for the GoPro.
Aside from turtles and other native fishes for snorkelers, there are also a lot of sand crabs to watch for beached whales like me. These sand crabs are really shy but when they do peek out of the holes, they are entertaining to watch.
As with the other beaches on Maui, we try to arrive before 7:30am when the water is calmer, the sun is not quite out and most people are somewhere other than the beach. After 9:30am, families start coming in, and that’s when we leave and get on with our day.
===Comparison with other beaches===
If you’re in Kihei and not staying at the fancy places down in Wailea, I think Kam I, II or III are the best beaches without having to drive far and you get the best sunsets because these face directly west. Big Beach and Little Beach face southwest so Kaho’olawe was be in the way.
Kam II is in the middle of I and III in terms of what they have to offer. Kam I has the largest beach while Kam III has the largest park and smallest beach area. The beach at Kam II is wide and long enough to have enough personal space and still not be too far away from the water.
Separating Kam I and Kam II are some condos and another park. Separating the beaches of Kam II and III are a lot of black lava rocks where the turtles hang out in the morning. Three were spotted this past Monday. Pretty good of Unlike other tidepools, I didn’t see anything live.
Compared with Big Beach in Makena, Kam II is obviously smaller. While you can splash around at Kam II, you can only boogie board at Big Beach (BB). While Big Beach has sand fleas and sand flies, Kam II has sand ants and sand crabs. I didn’t have any food with me so the ants were not bothersome. Little Beach is a nude beach so no thanks — it’s a small beach and you have to climb a bunch of jagged rocks from Big Beach to access — double no thanks.
Compared with Napili Bay, Kam II is more accessible to the public. We stayed at Hale Napili so it’s basically in front of our studio patio. I didn’t see any public access and street parking in Napili is very difficult unless you stay at one of the properties with designated parking. The sand is softer at Napili than at Kam II. Napili is also a much longer beach that curves and becomes part of the Kapalua Coastal Trail.
Kam II affords safer waters than DT Fleming but DT Fleming has more parking and more picnic tables. You can snorkel at Kam II but you cannot snorkel at DT Fleming due to perpetually strong currents.
Kam II and Kapalua Bay are a little hard to compare as they both have what you need. Kapalua is more exclusive and doesn’t have the car traffic that you’ll get at Kam II with the one-​lane S. Kihei Rd right there.
Honolua Bay has better snorkeling than Kam II but Honolua is for snorkelers only. It’s all rounded rocks so you can’t even lie down. You are not allowed to wear sunscreen as it pollutes the water and kills the fish. However, there is a nice green trail from the cliff road down to the waters that you won’t get in Kihei.
Honestly, if you’re in Maui, you’ll have a good time wherever you lay down your beach towel. Kam II doesn’t pop up first on Google Maps between the 3 Kam beachs, so I think it’s the place to be… fewer people means more of paradise to yourself. Mahalo and a hui hou!