Snorkel Trips in Maui

Our snorkel trips in Maui have been a lot of fun for our whole family. The drive down from Kaanapali to the Maalaea Small Boat Harbor is only about 25 minutes, putting our arrival around 7:00 AM. Here we boarded the boat and took the 30-40 minute trip to the small half-moon island of Molokini. Don't forget to pack some sunblock because you will need it.

This photo is looking back at Maui.


The history of our snorkel trips in Maui started off a little bumby. During our first trip to Maui in 1997, we actually didn't make it to Molokini because it was too windy there, which made it unsafe for snorkeling. Instead, our captain took us to an area just off the coast of Maui called the Coral Gardens, a few miles west of Maalaea Bay.

If you keep you're eyes peeled, you may see a breaching whale during the months of December through May. During our December 2000 trip we saw a couple of whales, but they were too far away to get a good photo. We're hoping we'll have more luck this winter during our December 2006 trip (cross our fingers).

We did get a good photo of cooperative sea turtle that was conveniently swimming along side our boat.


The island of Molokini is actually a dormant volcanic cone partially submerged in the ocean. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get there by boat, and is off the southern part of Maui. It is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving location because the water visibility is usually over 150 feet!

The advantage of being on a glass bottom boat was the kids had a great time looking underwater and finding all kinds of marine life as well as Mom, Dad or any other family member swimming nearby. It made the trip equally enjoyable for those (young and not as young) who didn't want to venture into the water.




When we were done snorkeling, we had a fabulous BBQ--chicken or burgers with drinks and chips. It turned out that our captain was as talented behind the grill as he was behind the wheel! There was enough food and fun to last us the whole afternoon. (And of course, the obligatory family on the boat photo opp.)

Snorkel trips in Maui, especially to Molokini, are truly worth every penny.