Molokini Island Crater near Maui is one of the premier spots for snorkeling tours and trips in all of Hawaii.

The Molokini Island Crater is actually the tip of an extinct volcano, barely peeking above the ocean surface between Maui and Kahoolawe.

Visibility is often 150 feet, tropical fish are everywhere, and its sheer cliffs and rugged beauty are the focus of professional photographers from all over thrilled.

The only way to get to Molokini is by boat and there are lots. Large boats, small boats, power boats, sail boats - you name it, we have it. There are so many choices it can become confusing. Here are a few of the key questions to ask yourself to help you - and us - sort out what trip might be best for you.

Of all the activities we have sent people on over the years, none has been more popular or has provided more positive feedback than our snorkel trips to Molokini. People just love it! It's a perfect destination - only a forty-five to sixty-minute cruise out of Maalaea harbor.

The bowl of Molokini Island Crater is teeming with marine life and wild fish stories are told over and over again to the folks back at the hotel after a day's outing. The colors and shapes of the fish are so beautiful and distinctive that visitors to our island find themselves returning to Molokini year after year in what has become for many a pilgrimage of sorts.

Molokini Island Crater Snorkeling Tours and Trips - Options:

Do you want a large boat that is stable in the water? Would you prefer a smaller, more personalized vessel with fewer people on board? How about a zodiac raft trip? Would you like to snorkel at Molokini and then go to a second location off the coast of Maui to snorkel again? How about taking advantage of the late morning tradewinds and choose a sail boat for a refreshing sail home? Would you like to leave from Maalaea harbor, the small Kihei boat ramp, or Lahaina harbor? Is price a factor? Costs vary considerably.

Helpful Tips from Tom Barefoot - Molokini Island Crater Snorkeling Tours and Trips:

Snorkeling Molokini is best in the morning. Afternoon tradewinds make snorkeling impossible most days. Many boats advertise an afternoon trip to Molokini at an attractive reduced rate and will go if weather permits. When weather does not permit, which is most often, they maneuver to a protected spot off Maui's coast and snorkel there instead. If you want Molokini, book a morning trip. Do the Molokini snorkeling tour or trip first, if you're here in whale season and plan to go on a whale watch trip as well as a Molokini snorkeling trip. You just might see enough whales to last your whole vacation. Book your Molokini snorkeling tours and trip early. During busy times we book up all boats days in advance. An underwater camera will record your Molokini snorkeling adventure. Disposable underwater cameras that take great shots cost about $15. We have them at our stores or they can be purchased at many places on the island.

Here are some of the Molokini snorkel tours that are available from Maui:

Aloha Blue Charters - is a Molokini snorkel tour, wirth the added excitement of sport fishing along the way that adds extra excitement. They also offer fishing charters and are equipped with 5 custom Running Rods with International Gold Reels, a Gimbel Fighting Chair and top of the line Hawaii Made Lures. HOKUA a 40' power catamaran is an extremely fast boat that gets you to your destinations quickly and comfortably. She is a modern eco friendly jet drive propelled vessel, for smaller groups of no more than 30 passengers.

Aqua Snuba Adventures - has a 50 foot power vessel built in Louisiana and is a great boat for the snorkel Molokini adventure. From bow to stern she was designed for comfort, speed, stability and above all, fun in the sun. Aqua Adventures is stable and comfortable and is a great choice for someone desiring smaller groups on a mono-hull vessel.

Blue Water Rafting - is one of the few Molokini snorkel companies that offers snorkel and rafting tours to the remote Kanaio coastline along Mauis southern shore as well as Molokini. Kanaio is the site of Mauis last volcanic eruption in the 1780s and the underwater lava flows, lava arches and sea caves built a seabed of clarity and visibility for some of the most beautiful snorkeling on the island.

Four Winds II - is a 55 ft Catamaran with state of the art "A" Frame sail configuration features a large glassbottom viewing room for those wishing a dry view of the reef, a waterslide plus BBQ grills for a nice hot lunch buffet. Special attention is taken to assist passengers with snorkeling and there are plenty of flotation devices even boogie boards with glass ports for special underwater viewing. Can accommodate up to 149 pax but limited to 130 for comfort.

Frogman and Quicksilver Charters - offers Molokini Snorkel Trips, Afternoon Snorkel Trips and Sunset Cruises on two catamarans, the FROGMAN II a 55 ft Power Catamaran with 52 passenger capacity and QUICKSILVER a 55' Power Catamaran with 105 passenger capacity.

Kai Kanani - is a 65' power sailing catamaran that leaves from the Maui Prince Hotel in Makena - great for guest staying in South Maui and the Wailea area. They offer an early morning Molokini Express Tour and a later departure Deluxe Molokini snorkel sail excursion.

THE LAHAINA CRUISE COMPANY - Features 3 large motor yachts. Enjoy a sunset dinner cruise on the Maui Princess. Trips to Molokai or a Snorkel Trip on the Lahaina or Molokai Princess. LAHAINA and Island Princess 65 ft Motor Yachts that can accommodate up to 149 passengers but limited to 100 MAUI PRINCESS a 118' Motor Yacht can accommodate 149 passengers MOLOKAI PRINCESS a 100 ft Motor Yacht for up to 120 passengers.

Lani Kai (Friendly Charters) - is fast and travels the distance between snorkel locations quickly leaving lots of time to snorkel Molokini and its second snorkel location, Turtle Town. You can be in the shade in the lower cabin or can enjoy the sun on the deck above. The maximum capacity of the Lani Kai is 70 passengers.

Leilani - a 45' Uniflight Monohull, is equipped with a hot water shower, protected cabin area, 2 modern heads and water entry ladder w/large swimming platform that can accommodate 49 passengers

Mahana Nai'a - is a 58' Power/Sailing Catamaran with a friendly crew, that has been in the snorkel business on Maui for 25 years. Each trip goes not only to the island of Molokini to snorkel but also sails to a second location off the coast of Maui often referred to as "Turtle Town", where you will almost always see turtles.

Maui Magic - a 54 Comfortable, Fast, State of the Art Power Catamaran is one of the few regularly scheduled Molokini snorkel vessels, other than rafts, that brave the waters along Haleakalas southern shore to visit LaPerouse and the Kanaio Coastline. Specifically designed to be able to handle the more challenging waters in the channel found beyond the Makena beaches the MAUI MAGIC is definitely one of the fastest boats on Maui. Features are a Waterslide, BBQ Grills, quality Snorkel Gear and a great Sound System with Cool Music.

Paragon Sailing Charters - is "flat-out" one of the fastest sailing vessels on the island of Maui and a great choice for those looking for a sailing adventure on a snorkel Molokini trip. There is usually no wind on the way out, but the trip home can be exciting. They also go to Lanai and do sunset sails. This high-performance sailing vessel carries small groups of 38 or less.

Pride of Maui - is a 65' Maxi Catamaran with twin turbo diesels, top deck high dive, waterslide, glass bottom viewing port, sun deck, fresh water shower, and a stereo sound system. They offer snorkel trips to Molokini and Turtle Town and a Premium Sunset Grill Cocktail Cruise. Accommodates up to 149 pax but limited to 110 for comfort.

Prince Kuhio - Mauis largest Molokini Snorkel boat is 92 Gulf Craft Luxury Liner "PRINCE KUHIO." It has an air-conditioned main cabin with open viewing topside with a great sundeck The Prince Kuhio generally snorkels Molokini but also goes to a secondary location at Turtle Town. This is a great choice for those that want a very large and stable vessel. The Prince Kuhio is also the only boat that provides free transportation from most major hotels and condos.

Pacific Whale Foundation - can comfortably accommodates up to 149-passenger, this ultimate high-tech, high-speed, super-smooth, double-deck power catamaran is designed for uncompromising passenger comfort and excellent viewing of marine wild life, Ocean Odyssey is based on exacting standards developed through Pacific Whale Foundation's 20 years of marine eco-tour experience. Features special foil-shaped multihulls by Crowther Multihulls of Australia, and is powered by Maui Bio-Fuel, a non-polluting alternative to diesel made from recycled cooking fats and oils.

Sea Fire - One of the shortest trips and least expensive rafting tours to Molokini is the Seafire, a 30 Aluminum Hull S.A.F.E (Secured Around Flotation Equipment) Raft. The Seafire leaves from the Kihei Boat Ramp which is just a 15 minute raft ride to Molokini and the morning raft tour includes a stop at "Turtle Town." The late morning and afternoon raft tours on Seafire just go to Molokini but an alternate site may be chosen as normal weather patterns permit.

Trilogy Excursions - Join Maui's First Family of Sailing for an unforgettable ocean experience. Go to Molokini, Lanai, or snorkel Kaanapali. Also, offers a sunset sail, whale watching trips (in season) scuba and a Molokini night dive. Safe and comfortable high tech ocean sailing catamarans. 55 Passengers-Trilogy I, 64' Searunner Cutter Rigged Catamaran licensed for 68 pax 44 passengers-Trilogy II, 55' Sloop Rigged Catamaran licensed for 49 pax 36 passengers-Trilogy III, 51' Custom Sloop Rigges Catamaran licensed for 49 pax 50 passengers-Trilogy lV, 55' Sloop Rigged Catamaran licensed for 70 pax 54 passengers-Trilogy V, 55' Searunner/Sloop Riged Catamaran licensed for 67 pax 50 passengers-Trilogy Vl, 55' Sloop Rigged Catamaran licensed for 70 pax.

Wailea Boating Company - enjoy the luxury of having your own private vessel and the safety of a USCG licensed captain familiar with local waters. XIAN was constructed by a renowned Florida builder and will take you in comfort and style to the destination and tour of your choice. XIAN is a 36' Power Boat with 450HP, Twin 225 Honda 4 Cycle Engines - large bimini style canopy at midship, features a large teak swim step, transom door and 2 easy boarding ladders to make water entry safe and enjoyable.

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Molokini Crater Snorkeling Tours - Molokini is the tiny island located about 6 miles off the coast between Maui and the island of Kahoolawe. Since 1977 it has become both an Underwater Marine Reserve and a Marine Bird Sanctuary and enjoys the governmental protections that are provided by each. In geological terms it is referred to as an underwater caldera and is one of three such formations on the planet. Essentially it is a volcanic cinder cone that just manages to peak its top above water and its cone provides a shallow protected area in the middle of the ocean that is reminiscent of a fish bowl. The center of the bowl is about 80’ in depth however the areas closer to the surface that are ideal for snorkeling are at the 20 to 25’ levels. The highest points of the island above sea level are about 160’ and the entire island covers about 18 acres but you are not permitted to go onshore because of the extremely fragile ecosystem on the island. The back side of the island is quite sheer and descends straight down to depths of about 350’ and this area is only really accessible to and recommended for experienced divers. Marine life here is prevalent and it is estimated that this is the home of over 250 species of fish.

Island of Maui - Discount Tours and Activities
Maui Air Tours - Fixed Wing	Maui Jet Ski Rentals	Maui Sunset Sails and Cruises
Maui ATV Off-Road Tours	Maui Kayaking Tours	Maui Surfing Lessons
Maui Bike Tours Down the Volcano	Maui Kid's Tours and Activities	Maui Theatre and Shows
Maui Combo Packages	Maui Land Tours	Maui Unique Tours and Activities
Maui Dinner Cruises and Sails	Maui Luaus	Maui Watersports
Maui Diving and Scuba	Molokini Snorkeling from Maui	Maui Whale Watching Tours
Maui Dolphin Excursions	Maui Motorcycle and Car Rentals	Maui X-Treme Activities
Maui Fishing Charters	Maui Parasailing	Maui Zipline Tours
Maui Golf	Maui Sailing Charters	Visit the Other Islands from Maui
Maui Health and Wellness	Maui Scuba Diving	Discount Tours and Activities - Only on the Island of Maui
Maui Helicopter Tours	Maui Sightseeing Tours
Maui Hiking Tours	Maui Snorkeling Tours	Visit and Snorkel Lanai from Maui
Maui Horseback Riding	Maui Spa and Massage	Visit Molokai from Maui
Inter-Island Excursions from Maui	Maui Submarines and Glass-Bottom Boats	Molokini Snorkeling from Maui

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