If you never snorkeled and do not know what to expect, this would be a great start. If you did snorkel in the red sea for example, you might be somewhat disappointed. We had clear water, great crew (Trilogy), and a very fun ride to the location, so it was a fun day overall although I expected more fish based on the hype around it, we did however get to seek a tiny shark which was awesome! Great for kids as well as seniors, although I do feel it is somewhat over rated. read more

Went here on a snorkeling tour through Quicksilver and it was such a gorgeous place! We went on a 6 hour snorkeling tour, and when we arrived at Molokini we were amazed at how blue the waters were and how many fishes and corals were there. Just looking down into the water from the boat you can see the ocean floor clear as daylight. Quicksilver provided us with wetsuits but the water that day was just perfect so we didn't really even need them. We swam about 15 feet from the crater to get a closer look at the corals and the fishes and it was such a beautiful sight. If you can, I suggest going on a clear and warm day so the sun really lights up the ocean floor and you can see all the little fishes that are hiding in the corals. There are some fishes that aren't very scared of humans and can get fairly close, so you can get really amazing pictures. I suggest coming snorkeling here! TLDR: Gorgeous blue waters and an amazing place to snorkel. read more

It's also known as the crater in Hawaii. Nonetheless, nice place to go snorkeling! Just Make sure you don't go near the little tides close to its coast. Also, don't expect to see a huge variety of fish here when snorkeling! Turtle town in South maui would be a better spot! read more

I hesitate giving it only three stars because it is beautiful. The water is clear and there are lots of fish. Saw all kinds and colors of fish, octopus and a moray eel. We went with Seafire and that is who I'd recommend because the captain, Captain Don seemed to really care about the health and the future of the reef. Which leads me to the 3 stars as opposed to 5. It was OVERCROWDED! We took a boat that seats about 20 people. There were multiple huge boats that sat 100+ snorkelers. The county/state needs to take control of how many snorkelers are allowed at the crater at a time. Because I imagine hundreds of snorkelers descending upon the area is as disruptive to the wildlife as feeding and touching them. Also, its dying. Sadly the entire center of the crater is absent of coral. Reading up on this and anecdotes from locals lead me to believe that chemicals from lawn services, sunscreens and other factors which generally affect all our oceans have damaged this reef. Why not tax snorkelers and use that money for rehabilitation and preservation of the reef? Long story short; It is beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing it. But it also made me sad. read more

Molokini is one of the the best places where I have snorkeled. Much better than Hanauma Bay in Oahu. However, it's not the best place to snorkel in Maui. I grabbed an early tour from Maalea. Make sure to get an early one because you want to beat the crowd. I've seen all kind of fish here, and even got up close to a moray eel, and saw a tiny octopus. The tour I was on also brought us to Turtle Town which is by Wailea/Makena area. Unfortunately I did not see turtles but it was ok. The sea life at Molokini made up for it. If you visit Maui, Molokini is a must if you enjoy snorkeling. read more

Don't forget to dive the backside of the Crater it is the #1 wall dive in the United States

There were creepy ass fish everywhere. As seems to be the case around here, the water was super salty and snarfed itself up my snorkel causing my nose to burn and boogies to escape from all of my holes. I couldn't hear my own thoughts because the dumb whales where mooing so loud underwater that you would think it was a gang rape. Never mind what they were doing on the surface... Those fat show offs. My friend Krystal and me got way better tricks when we are back at the swimming pool. I don't suggest visiting this sad excuse for an island. You can't even go on shore to use the bathroom or buy a slurpie. I don't know how they stay in business! read more

My Wife and I have been snorkeling for 12 years and we have seen many coral reefs in Hawaii and in the Caribbean. The Molokini trip was a huge disappointment. 1. First it broke my heart to see that the fish were all desensitized to man. This is the only time I have seen this in 12 years of diving and snorkeling. 2. The reef seemed somewhat stark and damaged compared to other reefs I have seen on Maui which look very healthy. After A little research I discovered the Navy damaged the reef extensively during WWII and in 1975 and 1984 when the Navy detonated un-exploded munitions. WOW... WOW!!!!! 3.The boat supervisor would jump up and down and scream if you went more than 200 yards away. I get it. He's paranoid about a few people that might panic in the water and then he has to rescue them. 4. The snorkel time was way too short maybe 30 min at Molokini and maybe 30 min at another spot on Maui. 5. There were 6 snorkel boats there and the water was very very crowded. I am not an environmentalist and just about any idiot can see that dumping 600 people on the Molokini reef 365 days a year does not help the reef. read more

The visibility is really great, you can 100 feet to the bottom. Lots of every type of fish to see. The ride there can be with calm or super choppy depending on the wind. We did have lots of kids getting sea sick on the way back. We took the Paragon catamaran and the crew was great. Lots of fun and a must do to scratch off your bucket list. read more

Fun place to snorkel! I saw a 4 ft white tipped reef shark while snorkeling here last week! It was awesome! I only saw a few, large turtles, and felt that snorkeling nearby on Polo beach was much more satisfying in the turtle department. Molokini did offer some gorgeous tropical fish as well as breathtaking reefs with amazing sea creatures! Beautiful spot, highly recommend! read more

Molokini. If you read some of the other reviews you will find that they also say the fish were few and far between and that the coral is mostly dead. We went on the Lani Kai boat on December 4, 2015. The boat was OK. One crew member was grumpy and she basically ruined the above water portion of the trip. Other crew members were commenting on her grumpiness too. The Capt. did find humpback whales on two different occasions and went out of his way to show them to us. The Lani Kai is better than the Quicksilver or Pacific Whale Foundation as both of those boats put 100 snorkelers out in the water at one time. I would not go with the Quicksilver of PWF. If you read other reviews about Molokini you will find that a big complaint is the amount of boats at the crater and the number of people that are snorkeling around. It was crazy full of people, and boats and not much fun. The coral is mostly dead or dying. One crew member told us that about 50% of the coral died in the past year because of the warm water. Being an avid scuba diver I believe her. I was truly saddened to hear that and see the dead coral in person. There were no, zero, nada soft corals like sea fans or anemones. The hard corals were almost 100% dead. This is why there are no fish. The little baby fish have no place to hide from the bigger fish, then they get eaten and don't have a chance to get big. Soon there will be no fish at the crater instead of the hundred or so hardy blue tangs. There were lots of blue tangs. They greeted the boat when it pulled into the crater. The fish were likely hoping for crumbs of sandwiches or bagels. But other than the tangs there were only a few other types of fish. We did see one trumpet fish, a couple of yellow tangs, some sergeants and butterfly fish. The water was blowing into the crater so the visibility was good but not fantastic. The water was also a little colder than we expected. So if you do go, and I do not recommend it, but if you do go rent a wet suit to keep a little warmer and more comfortable. $10 on board the boat and $5.00 a day at a rental place. Here is the scoring summary. NO soft coral - minus 4 Dead or dying hard corals - minus 4 Ten boats with anywhere from 15 - 100 people on them - minus four. Bumping into people the whole time we were trying to snorkel - minus four. Being able to say you snorkeled at Molokini - plus one. Note; After we went to Molokini we went to the "turtle town" or turtle arches. The coral was bad there too. No soft corals. But the hard corals were only 70% dead or ruined by snorkelers and or divers. However, the fish life was better. The day after (Saturday) we took our car and parked off of Makena road, just north of Makena state park, and went snorkeling off the beach towards the turtle town. (Turtle town is about 300 meters from that beach.) We saw four green sea turtles and more coral there than we did from the snorkel boat. Save your money. Do not go to Molokini on any boat unless you either want to: 1. Be extremely disappointed. 2. Need to say you snorkeled/SNUBAd at Molokini. Otherwise do not bother. read more

A must stop when you're in Maui. On the way here, we saw whales and dolphins. This is a great spot for snorkeling too! Check this place out. read more

Good snorkeling. Water was super clear you could see right to the bottom. Would of given it a 5 but there were no Pokemon.

For around $40-50/person, depending on which company you select, you have a morning outing to Molokini and Turtle Town. For the money, it is as good as you can expect. The waters are extremely clear and there is a plethora of fish. We did see a large sea turtle off the coast of Turtle Town. You can definitely tell the area of Molokini is over visited by the tour companies. read more

It looks great in pictures and the whole idea of a "protected" cove with calm waters is enticing but...... While it's calm and good for swimming and snorkeling, there just wasn't that many colorful fish!! I've seen a lot more fish snorkeling elsewhere. It can get crowded with many boats anchoring so you may see more people than fish! read more

I heard that snorkeling at Molokini wasn't the best. I heard right. It's not all that great, but seeing Molokini from that close up and looking up at it from the water was pretty cool. It was okay, but I won't do it again. read more

My wife and I took the 7AM trip to Molokini with Trilogy on April 7th from Maalaea Harbor. We had a lucky trip because in addition to snorkling twice we saw turtles, whales and dolfins. This is a cost effective trip because they feed you breakfast and lunch all you can eat and free beer, wine and mixed drinks AFTER you finish snorkling for obvious reasons.The crew was very patient with a large group of Koreans they had trouble keeping track of. You could tell that the entire crew including Captian Kirk, Dave, Lindsey and Keo (sp?) have a genuine passion to protect the marine environment in Hawaii. Didn't try the snuba but kinda wish I had. Perfect trip. read more

Beautiful area for snorkeling, SNUBA and SCUBA diving!!! No beaches - this is a protected sanctuary for all aquatic animals and birds.

A great have to at least try it once experience. I love Pacific whale foundation and only use them for any ocean charters. Their educated and welcoming staff make the trip out to Molokini that much more fun! read more

The water there is amazingly crystal clear and the 'carpet' of coral is great. But, it was way super crowded and the water can be pretty choppy. There are a fair amount of fish, but not alot of variety, only a bout 5 or 6 kinds, no other sea life. There is a marine preserve near Naplli where the water isn't quite as clear, but there were dolphins, turtles and lots of fish, and it was free. read more

My husband and I visited Maui in June and this was number one on his bucket list. We snorkeled here at the end of our trip after hitting some other great, but crowded, spots right off the coast. Wet thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride out which we booked through snorkel bobs. That's where our enjoyment ended. This was our first trip to Maui and we felt there were way more tourists there than we'd experienced on other islands. This was magnified once we got to Molokini. If you like lots of people and little kids...think Disneyland in the ocean, than you will love this trip. when ten boats let loose with a bunch of inexperienced swimmers all flailing around, how can one expect to see anything other than another persons fin as it hits you in the face? (Which happened to my hubs) It sucked and made us really sad to realize it was our impact and the tourists before us who have ruined this place. The most destructive non native species is mankind. read more

Regardless of how you get here, the snorkeling around Molokini Crater is very good, some of the best in Hawaii. There are numerous companies that you can use to get there so shop around and find one that seems to fit what you are looking for and that meets your price range. Be sure to check island brochures and online as many have discounts available. Most have a morning and an afternoon trip. We highly recommend going in the morning as the water seems to get rougher later in the day. Most companies also include a stop at "Turtle Town" on the way back to the harbor. Turtle Town seems to be generic name for where ever turtles are spotted that day as the location seems to shift as much as the tide! While this is a great excursion, we can not recommend it for families with very young children. If your kids are old enough and know how to swim and snorkel, then they will love it. If not, or if they are two small then we recommend going another time or making it a parents only trip. You spend the entire time (usually around 3 hours) on the boat and we feel it is asking a bit too much to keep a child contained for that long especially with all of the dangers present on a boat! Most boats have marine heads (bathrooms) and offer some sort of snack and drink. Be sure to pack the sunscreen and hat though, depending on the boat there may or may not be much shade! Most companies have snorkeling gear for you to use that is included in the price. Some will try to sell you underwater cameras to use and wetsuits if its cold. We recommend bringing your own if you want to use them and save the expense! read more

We took a morning trip to Molokini crater and turtle town on the Quicksilver. Overall, I was very disappointed with both. While the water at Molokini is as clear as advertised it's so deep that the fish are very far away. You can get closer if you swim up close to the wall of the crater, but be careful of waves slamming you into the coral. I saw much more variety up close and personal (and for free!) snorkeling off the beach at Kapalua. read more

Molokini is so awesome its a extinct volcano that you can snorkel in how cool! We went out on a tour to Molokini and Turtle Arches, it was amazing we saw thousands of fish and swam with some friendly turtles they are so cool I luv em. We scored a heck of a deal at mauifunthings.webs.com my husband is really god at finding the best deals anyways if you are going to Maui do not miss-out on checking this out. read more

FYI: 1) Molokini is a sea bird/marine sanctuary. In this sanctuary you are not allowed to touch anything or feed the fish. Why? It harms nature, and isn't nature the reason you are here? Furthermore, frozen peas/corn kill fish, and bread, muffins and any other type of food product you have do not belong in the bodies of sea creatures no matter where you are snorkeling or how entertaining you may find the activity. Remember, hundreds of people visit this place each and every day. 2) Please take flotation if you are not a proficient swimmer. This will prevent you from getting cut by the extremely sharp reef and volcanic rocks. This will also prevent you from receiving a Hawaiian tattoo from a needle-sharp spiny sea urchin. Plus, every time you touch, grab, stand on the reef or kick near the reef you kill it and whatever happens to be living in or near the spot you touched or kicked. Reef grows very slowly, and it is critical habitat because it houses numerous interdependent organisms that make Hawaii special. Take a noodle and control your body. 3) If you take a noodle, please note that they are not disposable or biodegradable. Bring it back to the boat if you don't want it. Don't let it drift away while pretending that it was not yours. We saw you take it. 4) The Crater is within Maalaea Bay, but in deep water away from shore. You will not see green sea turtles. Green sea turtles frequent coastal areas. That thing you think is a turtle or a giant jelly fish or a ____ is called a mooring ball. 5) Almost every commercial boat on Maui visits Molokini, but if the weather is bad - wind from the North, strong winds, big swell, etc. - your boat will go somewhere else. This is not because your crew are trying to rip you off or because they want to save on gas or because they have a personal vendetta against you. It is because your crew knows what they are doing and they know what can happen to you. They don't want you or your family members to be bashed in the head/back by the swim step/ladder while trying to climb back aboard, and they do not want you to snorkel in a surf zone that repeatedly sucks dry and then breaks waves over your head. They also do not want to have to swim-sprint hundreds of yards, laboriously drag your body back to the boat, throw out their back as they heave you up a steep staircase, then hopefully resuscitate you back to life because you were swept away and too unfit and/or in a panic to make it back to the boat on your own. Nor do they want to clean up your vomit or blood. 6) If you are prone to sea sickness, check out motion sickness remedies before you board the boat. Some of them, like Dramamine, will not work once you are on the boat - no matter how much you want them to. If you do have to throw up, do NOT do it in the trash can, the sink, your purse, the upper deck, or anywhere else on the boat. If you do, you will make everyone else feel sick. Plus it is very unsanitary. Get some fresh air and don't be shy - shoot for distance over the railing on the down-wind side. No crew member wants to finger chunky, half-digested food out of the clogged sink drain or have stomach acids drip over their feet and legs on the way to the dumpster. 7) If the weather prevents you from going to Molokini, you will probably end up snorkeling along the coast. This is because Maui is an island surrounded by the deep the Pacific Ocean, and the only snorkeling away from the coastline is Molokini Crater. When this happens, some passengers complain that they have been taken to a place where they could have driven on their own, even though they have no idea where they are when we get there. If you do not want to chance this situation, then please do not go on a boat. 8) Regardless of where you are from and your customs at home, if you had a good time and are returned to the dock safely, please remember to tip your crew. We want to pass the aloha spirit around, but leaving nothing, change or a dollar is an insult (that's a whole 30 cents each after all). This is especially true if a crew member retrieves your brand new diamond and platinum wedding ring/tennis bracelet/ underwater digital camera/grandpa/mask. Chances are that valuable item of yours is worth much more than what we make in a day/month/year. Besides, if it were not for your skilled crew, you would never have gotten your valuables back in the first place. 9) It may look like the best job in the world, but remember - you've been drinking Mai Tais. read more

Definitely more fish in years past. Fun dive to the center surface, thousands of garden eels pop up if you can hover for a while, looking up there was a swirl of fish, a surreal aquarium. So many Dr. Suess looking fish, beautiful. Favorite dive was a drift dive off the back wall. read more