Molokini

A fantastic partially submerged volcano crater that provides a lot of sea life and reef life area to grow and where tourists come on the various boats to snorkel. It can be crowded so pick your tour(s) wisely. The smaller groups are easier. Saw a ray, turtle and plenty of fish here. Also a lot of seabirds nesting on the crater walls. Water is crystal clear this far from shore (no sand to stir up) and on a sunny day you can see 100+ feet down.

Most people say Molokini is an island. It is a moon shaped crater that can be seen from many destinations. Molokini became a big highlight of my trip in Maui because during the first morning my group and I went out there to do some snorkeling. Then afterwards we could easily see Molokini from the beach of our condo and from the middle of Haleakala. Of course I had to watch Moana in the evening because somehow the history of the crater made me want to watch it. The water is beautifully blue and very clear. You can see a lot of different fish around the crater. A few miles away you can see sea turtles and sometimes dolphins. I recommend checking out Molokini on your trip to experience its awesomeness!

toll a excursion from Maui to the crater for snorkeling. We were aware the coral had been greatly damaged by a boat. The water was very choppy that day and my husband got super sick and was miserable. The pics I took are better than what I really saw as the water was so deep and the fish were down towards the bottom so didn't get great views. when I cropped the pics they looked better.

I'd highly recommend taking a trip out to the Molokini Crater if you are staying in Maui. There are a bunch of boats that will take out out to the crater which is about an hour boat ride from Maalaea. We did the guided trip from Fair Winds II and had a great experience so would highly recommend their group when taking the trip out to Molokini. Located out in the great blue, it's a crater that provides clear blue waters brimming with plenty of sealife like coral, sea urchins and plenty of fish. No need to worry about things like sharks or dangerous sea life as they don't visit the Molokini crater. The crater itself is a huge C-shape which prevent the waters from getting choppy so the waves are pretty calm in this area. The area within the crater isn't too deep so you can swim down enough to get some shots. Would recommend getting an underwater digital camera from a rental (the Fair Winds II provided us with one for $40) and the shots came out great. Skip the disposable underwater cameras as they're about $15, don't take great photos and only provides about 22 pictures. The digicam that we were provided let us take up to 3000 photos. FYI: If you easily get seasick, this may not be the trip for you. The trip out was on a clear day with no trade winds yet the ride there was still pretty rough. I took motion sickness pills ahead of time and still felt crappy by the time we got there. Luckily the Fair Winds II provided me with some homemade ginger ale which can help calm your stomach for motion sickness. Also don't eat anything acidic (like oranges or pineapple) as this will further upset your stomach.

Skip the expensive boat trips out to Molokini if you are a decent swimmer and have snorkel experience. You will see much more diversity of sea creatures and coral/sponges along Makena coastal reefs. Ahihi Kinau Reserve is one example of a wonderful array of sealife to view underwater. $5 parking supports the Reserve. Another is 5 Caves (5 Graves) along Makena Road. This one has a more advanced lava entry and exit area and a significant swim out to 5 caves area. Athletic types can do this one or someone very comfortable in the ocean with guidance from a more experienced snorkeler.

Molokini is a small uninhabited island about an hour, boating time, away from Maui. There are snorkel tours that leave out of Buzz's Wharf that take you to and fro, and let you swim in this crystal clear waters. They say you can see anywhere from 100-150 feet down, the water is so clear. After going there, I can say that I am a believer! Saw the most gorgeous coral, fish, and even a smaller white tipped reef shark on our trip... But no turtles. If you are looking for a spot to swim with them, try Napili or Black Rock. FYI, the address for Molokini is wrong, somehow got a signal to check in, but the tower must have been in Kihei.

Excellent place for Snorkeling, for me one of the top ones in Hawaii. It is not far from Maui (Makena) and you can do this easily as a day trip. You can see in the following video what you can find in Molokini: https://youtu.be/mIXutrEBU_Q One piece of advice though: bring lots of sunscreen!!

Amazing!!!!! Stop thinking about it and do it. I liked the smaller group with the the Reef Adventures Team. You won't be sorry. The turtles and fish were fabulous.

Amazing how clear visibility is, you will see a good amount of fish. I love snorkeling but I have snorkel better sites from shore. It's worth experiencing if you enjoy diving.