Molokini Crater Snorkeling: A Great Daytrip from MauiWe woke up bright and early for what we thought would be our Molokini crater snorkeling and "Turtle Town" adventure. We had to make it to Maalaea Harbour on Maui's southwest coast by 6:45 am. Ouch! Now THAT'S an early morning! Normally we don't like to get up so early, but one of the Molokini snorkeling tips we'd learned while researching this ahead of time was that morning is the best time to snorkel here. Fortunately, our tour included continental breakfast and beverages to get our energy up for the Molokini crater snorkeling that was to come. One of the first things our boat captain told us was that we would not be able to make it to Turtle Town that day. The weather conditions were not suitable for snorkeling at that location - plus, the water was cloudy there, making it more attractive for sharks. This was disappointing, but since we couldn't control the weather, we had to make the most of this trip even without Turtle Town! On the bright side, we were still going to be able to experience Molokini crater snorkeling, which is some of the best in the world! The water is crystal clear and allows for brilliant views of the coral below and the marine life that makes it their home. Molokini Island is actually the crescent shaped edge of a volcanic crater.
Once we'd made the short 3 mile trip from Maalaea Harbour to Molokini Island, our captain anchored the boat. Everyone who didn't have their own snorkel gear chose their pieces from the boat's inventory. Once we got into the water, we were thrilled to see all of the fish swimming around us. We found that if we allowed ourselves to drift away from our snorkel group a bit, the fish were less skittish and would swim right up to us! How cool is that?!?! It was absolutely amazing to see so many fish swimming so close to us! I was VERY relieved when I didn't see any eels or other such scary marine life, as I'd read that they did, after all, live in the Molokini crater area. After we'd worked up an appetite snorkeling to our hearts content, we climbed back onto the boat for a delicious buffet lunch and cold beverages. As we ate our meal, I wondered why I hadn't seen the brightly coloured coral and fish that I'd heard about. This being my first snorkeling adventure, I'd been expecting to see the bright colours that I'd seen in underwater photos published in travel articles and the like. Don't get me wrong, even without the bright colours I'd been expecting, the underwater sights of Molokini crater snorkeling were incredible! But the ocean water filters the light in such a way that underwater colours appear mostly as muted shades of blue and grey. It turns out that if you want to see vivid colours like I'd seen in so many photos, you'd need a good light source underwater. If you've decided to try snorkeling at Molokini, you'll want to check out my top tips for making the most of your Molokini crater snorkeling experience. And, last but not least... A lot of people have trouble deciding where to snorkel, and trying to choose between Molokini crater snorkeling and Lanai is a common dilemma. If you find yourself in this situation, I recommend you simply do both! Of course, if that's simply not possible for you, then I suppose you'll have to choose. It may help to read about our experience at Lanai. Click here to read all about our day of snorkeling at the Island of Lanai. To read more about our adventures in Maui, click here to see our Top 10 Things to Do in Maui for Adventure! Go to Homepage from Molokini Crater Snorkeling
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The crater's floor is submerged about 35 feet below the surface, providing a perfect spot for snorkeling, even for beginners! The small cove above the crater floor is sheltered from the force of the ocean by Molokini Island - this leaves the waters here calm and perfect for snorkeling!