Reviews of Molokini Crater (Tourist Attraction)

Lynda Nguyen

Nice place. Great destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. Just remember not to get on the island or prepare $10,000 out of your own pocket to pay the States penalty fees. The waves can be a bit tough so make sure to listen to the people that runs the excursion or be drift thousand of miles away.

Sam Collins

This place is amazing. Some of the clearest, bluest water for snorkelling in the crater and around the backside, where it's a shear drop-off. Abundant with fish. Definitely worth a trip, I'd take a speedboat though, you get out there quickly and you beat the crowds.

Amanda Langlois

An amazing smoking adventure. We used Aqua Adventures and they were superb!

Mark Hoffarth

If you go, use the company sail Maui. Completely above the rest.

DAVID O

Unfortunately it was super windy and choppy when I went...seemed a bit treacherous but nobody died. Full of boats and people but still enjoyable. Remember to wear coral safe sunblock...don’t be a doosh.

Charles B.

We went here with a diving crew, and I can definitely say it was one of the most beautiful island coves I have ever been to, with lots of variety when it comes to fish, coral, and views. We personally snorkeled here for around 2 hours while we had a dive team in the water, and saw sharks, octopi, and eels in this area. I would definitely go back here anytime I come to Maui, and a lot of places offer great scuba tours and snorkeling visits here.

Martin Tatar

Amazing experience but Coral reef looked pretty died down. Please use proper sunscreen when visiting to avoid killing it further!!! Preserve our environment!

Thomas Tschida

Very clear water and abundant and active marine wildlife. The water wasnt bad once you got used to it and the views were incredible! Go there if you feel like taking a short cruise. Most charters offer breakfast and lunch as well.

jody partyka

Pacific Whale is a great company to use to go to Molokini. If the weather conditions are favorable the crater is amazing. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is simply because I didn't see many different species of fish like usual. Love the H2O there...so clear

Jeffrey Suckow

Amazing natural reef. Popular place for a guided snorkelling tour and well worth the trip. Extremely clear water and tons of fish, eels, and other marine life.

Jonathan Ruiz

Amazing! It’s a must if you’re in Maui.

Christine Layson

We went scuba diving over here as we were on a tourist catamaran. This was actually one of the funnest outings we had. 4 couples, free drinks, a meal with sun and sea. What more could you ask for

Kim M

Great spot for drift diving, had a great dive and saw three sharks and many fishes on the reef

Patrick Lin

Amazing snorkel spot. Highly recommend

Ian Blois

The crater is cool and all. Great to experience at least once. The snorkelling isn't as good as you can get right off some of the beaches, but still a fun experience.

Joel Chapin

We had a wonderful day snorkeling. Although this spot is frequented by the majority of the tour boats, each moored in their own area so the water was not too crowded. The water was crystal clear with abundant coral and fish. Note that you won't see turtles here.

Debbie Arp

Took the Magic Maui tour and it was fantastic. We went to the crater and snorkelers for about 45 minutes. Water was beautiful and fish could be viewed from the deck. There was also snubs available for an additional fee. They would also rent underwater cameras that they will give you the memory card at the end. They have a continental breakfast of muffins, coffee and fruit. Then for lunch we had great cheese burgers, hot dogs, chips and veggie tray. Also went to coral garden and snorkelers, swam and went off the slid on the boat. Great crew who were a lot of fun.

Matt Herridge

Worth a checkmark on your bucket list. Like many adventures, sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not. My snorkeling trip was OK. Many fish but nothing unusual. I did see a large puffer and larger moray eel. The hundreds of visitors per day have created fish that almist seem tame. Molokini itself is a remarkable site and we were told that a scuba experience on the exterior wall can be incredible, especially at night. As a snorkel trip, however, you may have more luck on the reefs along the coast.

Adriana Matsuhiro

Perfect place for snorkeling. The water was warm and safe enough for the kids too.

Dale Howard

Neat place to snorkel or dive and watch the sea life. Not much different under water than what you might see off the beaches of Ka'annapali, but all in all I'd recommend going. Especially on the Trilogy V. Interesting to learn that this crater was used for target practice by the US Navy during WWII. They had to detonate all the unexploded ordinance before allowing the public to visit. The reefs were all destroyed at that time and are now relatively new.

Bobby McCurdy

Amazing, water was so clear and warm. Many fish. Very nice.

Kaai Lincoln

Amazing location to snorkel and dive. Worth the boat ride out there on a calm day. Please do not disturb any of the sea life living on the reef and do not feed the fish. Be conscientious of where you snorkel and listen to the captain. There is a very strong shearline and rip current on the leeward side of the crater and will sweep you out to the open ocean.

Paul Blocker

Not worth the snorkeling adventure. Caribbean is better or Turtle cove on Maui. Nice blue water but not enough fish or anything really. Takes about a hour there and back on a boat. Lots of birds in the holes on the crater. No drones because for some reason it's a protected island and "We don't want plastic in the water"

Mike Brake

Went on the morning trip to Molokini but my wife wasn't able to go because of a bad Parkinsons morning. SNUBA'd with a great dive master and snorkelers. Great crew, great BBQ, and great concern for all when we encountered some jelly fish. To top off a great morning Captain Dan arranged a refund for my wife well inside the posted 48 hours for a cancellation. These guys Rock!!

Scott Mitchell

Great place for snorkeling, lots of fish and coral to look at. Catamaran ride over to the crater made it even more of an experience. Worth the adventure!

neil fisher

So much better than expected. We visited on the last day of our vacation and after snorkeling at many different beaches along Maui's West Coast, we were concerned that Molokini Crater wouldn't be too different. Wrong. The variety of species encountered here was incredible. We watched octopus hunt and camouflage among the corals, beautiful moray eels cruise through the small fishes and elegant white tipped shark patrol the reef's edge. It's very much a family friendly trip, the outgoing four year-old in our party had heaps of fun and even the grand parents didn't hesitate jumping in. If you're visiting Maui and even the least bit interested in water lives beneath the waves - strongly consider paying Molokini Crater a visit.

Mike M

What an amazing experience. The sea life was incredible. A must see.

Sarah Selby

Crystal blue water with brazen tropical fish that practically swim up to you and ask to have their picture taken!

John Carter

Pretty good snorkeling..unless one of the 350 people in the water dont run in to you

Lance Shotwell

What a blast on the Calypso! Great crew and boat! Molokini is beautiful! Definitely worth the trip!

Miguel Beshalske

Went snorkeling with Trilogy, great company btw, and this was our first stop. Plenty of colourful fish to see. Great time!

savagenoob 3

Beautiful scenery and definitely a place you want to snorkel but was disappointed by the number of types of fish. Found other beaches with many more types of fish.

Cheri Holmes

The water was so clear, calm ,warm and Tons of fish

Craig Lutz

One of the biggest highlights on a trip to Hawaii. The Molokini crater provides everything a person would want in viewing marine life while snorkeling.

Boilers83

Amazing place to snorkel. We took the Pride of Maui boat. The staff was fantastic. Food and drinks were included!

Willa Reed

We went Molokini to snorkel around 8 am. The fish were beautiful lots of colorful fish. I had so much fun. We got to see several whales as well as a baby whale breaching. I really enjoyed this as a first snorkelling trip.

Elizabeth Keller

Love this place but my only complaint was overcrowding of tourists in the water snorkeling. People were bumping into each swimming trying to look underwater. This was the earliest boat excursion out and the place was already full of snorkelers.

Jack Mracek

I went on an Ed Robinsen's dive boat and the dive was great. Crystal clear water with lots of fish.

Lichia Bucklin

We went with Pride of Maui, the experience provided by the crew was great, the snorkeling just ok... Though were did see a 4 ft eel. Visibility incredible, but we're saw more fish off the coast. Really nice body ride too

Jeremy Baker

An amazing location to snorkel and see beautiful reef life. We used the Pacific Whale Foundation for our tour and it was phenomenal.

Aayush Pathak

Best place in Maui for a underwater life observation.

Kristy Dieterich

This tour included a great breakfast buffet and lunch. We were able to follow a nature specialist while snorkeling who explained and pointed out all the various fish. We saw a ton of sea turtles and even a monk seal!The crew was very accommodating. It couldn't have been any better! I would recommend this for everyone.

Kevin McPhillips

Good crater! Nice fish. Great views. You’ll want a boat to take you here. Snorkelling is good, but honestly there is better off the coast just by swimming off the beach, if you find a good map.

Eva Lounsbury

This was incredible. I didn’t get to spend as much time as I’d like to up here. I’d like to go again and see either sunrise or sunset. And have more time to hike around. It’s amazing to see the view of the whole island from up here.

dwayne foulstone

Water was too choppy and there were hardly any fish. Not worth the trip save your money and go to the aquarium or watch planet earth in hd.

Kathy Iwanowski

Spectacular site for easy snorkeling especially first-timers. During whale season, you'll see them in ride to and from the site.

Jacqueline Pitta

Water is warm. You can see a few different fish while snorkeling

Mike Gelsleichter

Place to go when in Maui.. snorkeling was fantastic!

Carol Burton

We enjoyed snorkeling in the protected area. We saw many beautiful fish, sea urchins an eel and the coral reef. The water temperature was comfortable. Although there were several boats there with snorkelers they were spread out and there was plenty of room.

Saurabh Bakshi

Awesome snorkel spots. You'll see a lot of reef fish and coral. Maybe sea turtles if you're lucky. We also saw dolphins and whales breaching on our ferry to.

Cobra Commander

It was amazing! Saw 2 huge eels, 4 octopus, several whales and dolphins. Great time.

donna gibbons

Turtle's was great but not enough fish life to see

Queen Of Clean

Saw so much coral , fish and beautiful scenery

Elizabeth Themm

Wanted to go here for years!!! Saw 15 fish. However, we did see a Hawaiian monk seal, so all was not lost.

Laurie Pierner

Super fun snorkeling and seeing lots of pretty fish and sea turtles. We went on a tour on the Maui Magic boat. Loved it!

Won Choi

Excellent visibility, otherwise same as any Beach in Maui

Summer Pastor

Water was perfect, fishes not as much but amazing reef formations

Andrew Cotter

Saw all sorts of fish. Great visibility and no shark attacks.

J Zimmerman

Really cool geological history and moderately interesting to snorkel around. Went with a tour and it was suuuuuper crowded which definitely made it a less pleasurable experience. Also a lot of the coral is dead, presumably from humans.

dustin h

Super cool and worth visiting. We've been to Maui many times but always opted out of taking a tour to Molokini. Finally took the boat ride over and it was pretty cool. Tour boats line up and can feel a little crowded at times but nice visibility once you're in the water and snorkeling.

Ron Soto

crew on the Calypso was spot-on awesome trip worth every penny

Christine Powell

The nice thing about this place is the water is super clear and there are a lot of fish. However with that being said there's a lot of the same kind of fish not a lot of variety or tropical fish. There was also a lot of it that was shady which made it a little bit chilly.

Adam Dawes

Really clear water and some nice coral. Fish were good but not amazing.

malia hifner

Great cruise to Molokini Crater and turtle on The Pride of Maui. Amazing crew, great food & drinks on the way back to port.

Mayra Armendariz

This place is absolutely magical! If you get the chance to snuba dive, do it! Most amazing experience of my entire life.

Rick Kolovich

Geat experience if you have 6 hours to spare in Maui.

Swetha K.Kumar

Snorkeling at this crater is a great experience as water is calm and lot of fish swimming by your side.

gina vargas

Nice trip friendly staff.good for family

Beth Baillie

The snorkeling here is pretty incredible and I am sure that scuba diving would be even more amazing! The only sad part is that all of the trigger fish get close to you because they want to be fed and I felt badly that I wasn't feeding them. Please!!!! use reef safe sunscreen!!!

Luis Meza

Absolutely the best place to come and snorkel! The amount of fish swimming around you is surreal, and it's hard to believe that you're actually there, in the water and not in the aquarium!!!

William Vannoy

Dove this area with Alia Nui catamaran they have a great 5 hour tour that won't strand you like Gilligan, there was breakfast served with a great ginger drink that eases motion sickness and aides digestion, use their complementary reef friendly sun blocker! I suggest you do the SNUBA or hooka dive it really gets you down with the wildlife! We saw fish of all kinds, octopie, eals, and more! Then back up for an incredible lunch with sparkling wine, mimosas or poinsettias! Then sail back home to Port with complementary ride back and forth!

Kam Chiu

Very popular diving and snorkeling site. The coral reefs are overrun and not a lot of large fishes. The government needs to protect it.

Jeanne Guidry

A great place to snorkel, if you don't mind a very large crowd to be snorkeling with. The Caribbean has much better coral and fish, if what you want is the best snorkeling experience.

Simon Desrosiers

If you plan to visit other island and snorkeling spots don’t go to Molokini. Clear water but fishes and reef don’t worth it. Plenty of free snorkeling with amazing sea life every where else in Hawaii.

Eunice Couvertier

The water was clear, beautiful and calm. Crew from the Maui Magic were watchful, informative and very cordial. All in all a nice spot to snorkel and/or swim.

JLP

Excellent visibility for snorkeling with most common 20 or so Hawaiian fish. Coral is good, not great, but this was by far the best snorkeling we did in all of Hawaii. Really loved specifically the trip we went on with Pacific Whale Foundation and highly recommend it!

Matthew Turner

Exceptional snorkeling, however much better views. The scenery is truly beautiful with great views of 5 of the major Hawaiian islands around you. Backside of molokini crater has some great snorkeling over the inside with the occasional shark and rays. There isn't nearly as many fish as somewhere like French Polynesia however it provides much better snorkeling than somewhere like Mexico. I recommend Redline Rafting as your tour guide. Chase and Sean were a absolutely spectacular crew with a good sense of humor and valuable knowledge of the area. Very helpful!

Joseph Cardenas

The site was incredible and the snorkeling was some of the best we’ve done.

Steven Grandinetti

The most beautiful and scenic place you can imagine. Clear blue shallower waters, can see to the bottom, with coral reefs and local fish.

Lynn King

First time there nice snorkling

Rob Wills

Not much to see. Too crowded.

Steve Jenson

Best if done through dive Maui. Great company

Jenny Weilacher

I have never been snorkeling in my life! And oh my! It was the best thing ever! So pretty!

Melisa Maduro

Amazing trip. Crystal clear water with beautiful colors. We took the trip with the Trilogy crew they were just awesome. They showed real teamwork. We had a lady as a Captain how cool! Don't underestimate the strength of the sun it might catch you by surprise.

Debbie Leon-Reeves

Best part of my Hawaiian vacation was swimming with the fish

Zul Lila

Aqua adventures was a great company to go with the staff were all very friendly and helpful small boat size means less crowds trying to get on and off the boat convenient for us.

Colin Lewis

Excellent location to snorkel. You will see all kinds of colors of fish in this area. It gets pretty busy with all the tours but it is worth it. The fish seem to be used to all the traffic and you can get pretty close to them.

Scott Fogleman

Unbeatable visibility. A tremendous experience.

Mitchell Edwards

Absolute beautiful. Awesome snorkeling with all kinds of tropical fish.

cody pyard

You have to go and experience it. Wear reef safe sun lotion! It's a beautiful spot. A lot of people were there when we went though. The coolest thing we saw was an octopus. It's something that is well worth visiting even if it is to just saw you did.

Robert Burch

Good (not great) snorkel location

Evan Weir

180 foot visibility great for snorkel

Hope Hansen

Beautiful spot to snorkle

Jerry Cone

Went Snorkeling here! I wish I had photos to add :( the scenery was fantastic!

Aaron Price

Clear and more importantly protected waters where one can observe a healthy coral reef ecosystem. Don't expect colorful "Finding Nemo" scenery. This area is an assortment of browns, tans, and light green corals. Stunning!

Mahima Srivastava

One of top 10 spots to snorkel in the world. Had a blast watching sea life. Boat ride took around 40 mins. Water was clear blue and calm. Saw sea urchins, plenty of fishes, corals and different marine life. Must do for anyone in Maui. This is a partially submerged crater.

Kelly

This is a very popular snorkeling area and you can tell as there are several other boats when you arrive. Water is very clear here and you can clearly see down to the bottom. The downside is....there isn't too much fish activity (I went in March). You definitely will see fish here but it's not a lot where it will make you go "whoa". Worth another shot though.

Conna Condon

Sam is a great skipper. Stop to whale watch on way to turtle snorkel. Great turtles. On to Molokini. Around it to horseshoe crater. Very nice snorkel. On the way back more whales. Stopped. Got a baby whale jumping

Joan Comanescu

The water was extraordinary! Beautiful!

Elle gen

super fun, beautiful views, we toured there aboard the Four Winds II and they were great! The whole staff was engaging and fun. They really made it comfortable for the inexperienced snorkelers as well.

romil garg

The depth was awesome, clean/clear water You can see all the way till bottom in snorkeling. But not too many colors.

Maximiliano Rossi

Excelent!! You can do both snorkeling or dive in a deep blue ocean around of the volcano!!

Fariha Taqdees

Beautiful had the chance to see whale

Aylof

So beautiful! Many different fish and the coral was amazing!

Kirsten Mason

It didn't have the turtles, fish and other sea life that I thought it would. I saw everything here that I did snorkeling off the beaches.

MR. Peña

Beautiful snorkeling experience. I saw about 9 different kinds of fish species.

Carma Simonsen

We went snorkeling at Molokini Crater and Turtle Arches. Great trip! It was my first time snorkeling and I thought it would be difficult, but they taught us newbies how and made it very easy. We did not take our cameras underwater - they had an option for that, but we only wanted to enjoy the experience and not be distracted with trying to capture photos.

Akanksha Jain

The Marine life is very good

MsJessica Pressler

We took the snorkel tour with Trinity and we were not disappointed. It was an,amazing adventure.

Neil Kennedy

Wow! Crystal clear water. Lots of fish. Awesome snorkel trip. Went on Calypso. Outstanding crew and operation. Highly recommend.

Sahar Jahanikia

Best spot for the snorkeling. The colorful fishes and corals are out of your imagination

John Brothers

Crystal clear water. Cool fish. Saw some whales

Ben Park

Amazing amazing place. Some people say it's over-rated, but I think it's totally amazing with really clear water. It's probably the best clarity I've seen.

Cheryl Reilly

Crystal clear water and a fun boat ride out there

David Gissel

I’ve been to Molokini Crater many times and I am always disappointed. It’s just not worth it when there is such a great snorkeling in other parts of the island. The boat trip out is fun and if that’s what you’re doing it to experience then enjoy otherwise Grab some snorkel gear and get to a great beach :-)

Mike

The boat ride is fun and the snorkeling is nice. But being out in the water is always good.

Rick Nobers

Have dived here three times over a 20 year period. It isn't the best dive spot I have been to but it is solid. The water can be rough and is cold. You will see lots of fish etc.

Krystel Alston

Water was beautiful, and refreshing. Weather was great. It was a great day for snorkeling!

Gordon Neal

Excellent snorkel location but too popular with the different tour companies. Lots of colorful fish, some quite friendly, and coral formations. Very little current at this location which made for a very relaxing swim.

Jacob Narayan

Dope place to visit. We went out on a boat called The Pride of Maui. I would highly recommend that company. We got to snorkel on the reef for a while. It was beautiful. So many fish and different corals. The company even offers snuba which is like scuba diving but your air tank floats on the surface and you have a tube that goes down to you. We did that as well and it was awesome. You dont need to get certified to do that either. The boat served a great lunch and drove around the crater to tell us the history of it. I hope to go back one day!

Missa Vincent

Wild life were fantastic Aqua adventure boat crew were amazing.. took great care of my husband who is not a strong swimmer

Mahmut Mayer

Cannot believe me and my family were just there this morning after having planned this trip for so long! It was just as magnificent as we had hoped for. The scenic underwater wonder was indescribable only to be discovered by having experienced it first hand. Words do no justice! Tons of fish will be swimming around you in the water and the depth of water btw was breathtaking and when the sun beams shine through, the fish school and anything down there look surreal. After Molokini we also went to Turtle town to see giant turtles. The clarity was not as good as Molokini and the water is a bit colder. But the currents weren't that fast as in Molokini, it was not bad snorkeling in a calmer water with coral reefs underneath and other marine lives. Highly recommend! Take one of those non for profit boat tours if you want to do it for a good cause. Ours was pacific whale foundation.

Tori Frisk

Wow! This place is awesome! We came here to snorkel and it did not disappoint. Beautiful fish and clear turquoise waters. An unforgettable trip!

Laura Love

So I will say that I had fun on the journey to Molokini and I'm glad I did it but I was disappointed with the snorkeling here, Curacao & Cozumel were 100× better. Very sad that humans are responsible for so much reef destruction, was sad to see so much dead coral. The stop at the turtle place on the boat ride home was the best part.

Sheana Hawes

Maybe ots because we were there over a holiday. But the crater area was packed. You could barely snorkel with out bumping into another person. However, the water, the fish, the cora,l the boat ride. That's all 5 star.

Chelsea Ruiz

Weather was perfect and great place to snorkle

Joshua Simmons

Excellent snorkeling spot! Beautiful waters and a lot of gorgeous fish!

Walter Ego

Very clear water here. I did not see many different varieties of fish, but I did not swim close to the coral.

Jeremiah Dotson

Great experience. Love the water.

Joshua Hudson

Awesome snorkeling visibility. Unfortunately there won't be any turtles in the area, but a large variety of fish to see

Nick n Melissa D.

The first time I went to Molokini was 1986 and have been back dozens of times. For diving, Molokini is amazing. For snorkeling, it's something you should probably do, but don't expect too much. The water is relatively deep and the throngs of snorkel boats make it a zoo. Time in the water is usually pretty short. I can name a dozen places on Maui where you could swim a couple yards offshore with either your own gear or rental gear and see more in shallower and almost as clear water. Most snorkel trips out include a second stop somewhere shallower and along the coast which I usually enjoy much more.

Mary Bixler

We snorkeled here with Blue Water rafting. The water was sooooo blue. Absolutely beautiful!

Frank Rios

Fun Fun second time there.

Troy Stockinger

It was fun. Lots of boats though. Not a ton a ton of different fish to see.

Kris Taylor

Super clear water. Awesome reef!

Daniel J Casey

Fantastic snorkeling. Swells can ruin turtle town and other sites but not molikini. Clear water, tons of wildlife, and a fun historic site to visit.

Jason Flurchick

Awesome experience to go snorkeling in a volcano that resides mainly underground. Water is very clear and full of corral and cool looking fish. The tour boat we were on went around the entire crater was clear water and backside of crater are just magnificent.

setu dalal

Went snorkeling. Lot of fish coral. Went with "pride of Maui" I think. Would recommend

The Weisses

Booked with pride of maui. Beautiful location and sea life. Would definitly do again!

Helen Bruder

Snorkeling on the Four Winds II with family, everyone loved it. Service was great, food and drinks provided whole trip.

Caroline Hurry

Most beautiful reef I've ever seen!

Andrea Paganini

very beautiful experience: here you can see a lot of strange and very colored fishes and swim between them. A lot of boats will allow to reach this place, which can be overcrowded. quite expensive, but definitely a must-do experience when in Maui

Andrew Wright

Looooooooved going here on the snorkeling trip while I was there! We got out nice and early and oh my gosh the water was so clear. It was so cool to hang out right on this reef, saw tons and tons of triggerfish. My favorite part was the ridiculous diversity of life that you could see in the first 20 feet of water!!

josh keys

Awesome place see life everywhere

George Escowitz

Fun to snorkel and observe fish.

Anthony Spinelli

Clear viz, two dives, ok fish, good eels, nudibranches, and Hi corals, and sea stars

Wenqian Yan

Best deep ocean blue. Real royal blue. So amazing.