Plan your trip
Most popular Molokini snorkel tours, and the chart to compare them
The short answer No operator, agency or the state publishes booking counts, so nobody can honestly name the most popular Molokini tour. The boats that carry the most people are the big Māʻalaea catamarans. Seats say nothing about quality, so the chart below compares 19 operators on the same fields.
On this page
No operator, agency or state office publishes Molokini booking counts, so nobody can honestly name the most popular boat. One thing is published: how many snorkelers each boat says it can carry. That is a count of seats. It says nothing about quality or how many people booked.
Which boats carry the most people
Operators state these limits on their own sites, as of Nov 3 and 4. Where an operator gives no number, it is left out.
- Pride of Maui, Māʻalaea. Its main boat is approved for 149 and limited to 99 guests. Its smaller boat ʻElua is limited to 36, its own page says.
- Pacific Whale Foundation, Māʻalaea. Ocean Voyager and Ocean Guardian each list 90 snorkelers. Kai Kō lists 70, Ocean Spirit 55 and Ocean Explorer 34. Its Turtle Arches trip runs daily at several departure times.
- Lani Kai II, Māʻalaea. A 53-foot boat with a maximum of 65 guests and a 25-foot waterslide. It has a morning and an afternoon trip.
- Trilogy, Māʻalaea. Says it generally takes 40 to 50 on its catamarans.
- Sail Maui, Māʻalaea. Its Akialoa is limited to 49.
- Maui Magic, Māʻalaea. Approved for 64, takes no more than 45.
- Aloha Blue Charters, Māʻalaea. Hokua 2 is approved for 49 and limited to 36.
- Four Winds II, Māʻalaea. Approved for 149 passengers. The operator says it keeps the number lower and does not give it.
- Kīhei Boat Ramp boats. Redline Rafting's rafts take up to 24 guests, Seafire's boats up to 22, and No Ka Oi (Maui Snorkel Charters) 20.
The pattern is simple. Māʻalaea has the big catamarans. Kīhei has the small boats and rafts. About 40 commercial vessels hold Molokini permits (2023 state count), so even the big boats share the crater with many others. The Molokini guide covers moorings and crowding.
What seats mean for your day
A boat with 90 snorkelers puts more people in the water at once. Larger boats also tend to have more shade, restrooms and room to move. A raft with up to 24 guests is a smaller group. Shade differs from raft to raft, so ask.
Food on the 2-hour trips, as each operator lists it: Blue Water Rafting juice and water; Maui Snorkel Charters Hawaiian coffee and banana bread, energy bars and chips; Redline Rafting none on the 2-hour, with breakfast and lunch on its 5-hour. Boarding differs too: Redline's own pages say you step down up to 3 feet onto a tube and climb a vertical ladder back in, and the other Kīhei boats don't describe how you board, so ask them.
The chart
The rule: every operator with a Molokini trip that was sailing on Nov 4. The seat counts are in the list above; the chart compares harbor, length, price and phone.
Order: departure point, then our own order. Many operators sell some dates below their listed price.
| Boat | Leaves from | Length | Adult price | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redline Rafting | Kīhei | 2 or 5 h | From$129adultBefore tax and feeson Redline Rafting’s site, checked | (808) 698-5837 |
| Seafire Charters | Kīhei | 3 h | $110adultTax not statedon Seafire Charters’ site, checked | (808) 879-2201 |
| Blue Water Rafting | Kīhei | 2, 3 or 5½ h | $129adultTax not statedon Blue Water Rafting’s booking calendar, checked | (808) 879-7238 |
| Maui Snorkel Charters | Kīhei | 2 or 5 h | $129adultBefore taxon Maui Snorkel Charters’ site, checked | (808) 270-8776 |
| Pro Diver Maui | Kīhei | Not stated | $169adultBefore tax and feeson Pro Diver Maui’s site, checked | (808) 875-4004 |
| Pacific Whale Foundation | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $119.95adultTax not statedon Pacific Whale Foundation’s site, checked | (808) 249-8811 |
| Malolo | Māʻalaea | 5½ h | $159.95adultTax not statedon Malolo’s site, checked | (808) 270-0885 |
| Maui Reef Adventures | Māʻalaea | 4 h | $175adultBefore taxon Maui Reef Adventures’ site, checked | (808) 244-7333 |
| Maui Snorkeling (Lani Kai II) | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $178adultTax not statedon Maui Snorkeling’s site, checked | (808) 244-1979 |
| Calypso | Māʻalaea | 5½ h | $178.95adultTax not statedon Calypso’s site, checked | (808) 856-4260 |
| Maui Classic Charters | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $180adultBefore tax and feeson Maui Classic Charters’ site, checked | (808) 879-1571 |
| Pride of Maui | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $198adultTax and fees includedon Pride of Maui’s site, checked | (808) 242-0955 |
| Aloha Blue Charters | Māʻalaea | Not stated | $199.49adultTax and fees includedon Aloha Blue Charters’ site, checked | (808) 249-2583 |
| Sail Maui | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $200adultTax not statedon Sail Maui’s site, checked | (808) 244-2087 |
| Trilogy Excursions | Māʻalaea | 5 h | $219adultBefore tax and feeson Trilogy Excursions’ booking calendar, checked | (888) 225-6284 |
| Aliʻi Nui | Māʻalaea | 5 h | From$249adultTax not statedon Aliʻi Nui’s site, checked | (808) 875-0333 |
| Maui Diamond Sea Sports | Māʻalaea | 6 h | $189adultTax not statedplus a required $299 guide fee per snorkel groupon Maui Diamond Sea Sports’ site, checked | (808) 879-9119 |
The full comparison on the home page lists the operators side by side and filters by harbor and trip length.
Picking a kind of boat
Big catamaran, five hours
Four Winds II is a 55-foot double-decker with shade on two decks and a five-hour morning trip with breakfast and lunch. Calypso is a triple-decker with 4,000 square feet of covered seating on a 5.5-hour trip at 7:30 a.m. Both suit people who want shade and a restroom.
Sailing catamaran
Aliʻi Nui sails a 65-foot catamaran and says it caps numbers on purpose. Its Molokini Deluxe trip takes children of all ages and lasts about 5 hours.
Rafts
The Kīhei boats run shorter trips, and the rafts are listed together. Maui Reef Adventures runs a 60-foot raft from Māʻalaea on a four-hour trip for ages 4 and up.
If your first choice is full
Check two or three boats from the same harbor, because a date that is full on one may be open on another. If a site shows no dates, call. The chart has each number. A Pacific Whale Molokini and Turtle Arches trip is one other place to look. For costs, see the price comparison. To choose by group, read what is the best Molokini snorkel tour.
Sources and corrections
The 15 sources for this page
- Board of Land and Natural Resources, 26 May 2023, Item F-4: DAR/DOBOR briefing on Molokini rule amendments (with exhibits) (Hawaiʻi DLNR), read . Backs: About 40 commercial vessels hold Molokini permits (2023 state count).
- pacwhale.com (Pacific Whale Foundation), read . Backs: Pacific Whale Foundation lists snorkeling capacity of 90 on Ocean Voyager and Ocean Guardian, 70 on Kai Kō, 55 on Ocean Spirit and 34 on Ocean Explorer; its Turtle Arches trip runs daily at several departure times.
- mauisnorkeling.com (Maui Snorkeling (Lani Kai II)), read . Backs: Lani Kai II is 53 feet with a maximum of 65 guests and a 25-foot waterslide; its morning trip runs 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- sailtrilogy.com (Trilogy Excursions), read . Backs: Trilogy says it generally takes 40 to 50 passengers on its 55 to 65 foot catamarans.
- fourwindsmaui.com (Maui Classic Charters), read . Backs: Four Winds II is a 55-foot double-decker approved for 149 passengers, and the operator says it keeps the number lower; Maui Magic is approved for 64 and takes no more than 45; the morning trip is 5 hours with breakfast and lunch.
- calypsomaui.com (Calypso), read . Backs: Calypso is a triple-decker catamaran with 4,000 square feet of covered seating and a 5.5-hour morning trip at 7:30 a.m. daily.
- sailmaui.com (Sail Maui), read . Backs: Sail Maui's Akialoa is a 54-foot sailing catamaran limited to 49 passengers on its Molokini trip.
- mauisnorkelcharters.com (Maui Snorkel Charters), read . Backs: Maui Snorkel Charters' No Ka Oi is a 40-foot boat with a maximum of 20 passengers.
- seafirecharters.com (Seafire Charters), read . Backs: Seafire says its boats are equipped to hold up to 22 people.
- prideofmaui.com (Pride of Maui), read . Backs: Pride of Maui: main boat Coast Guard approved for 149, limited to 99 guests; ʻElua limited to 36 on its own page.
- alohabluecharters.com (Aloha Blue Charters), read . Backs: Aloha Blue Charters: Hokua 2 approved for 49, limited to 36.
- redlinerafting.com and its booking pages (Redline Rafting), read . Backs: Redline's rafts take up to 24 guests on the 2-hour and 5-hour trips; ages 8 and up; leaves Kīhei Boat Ramp. · The two-hour trip includes no food or drinks. · Redline's five-hour trip includes breakfast and lunch and has a bathroom on board. · Boarding means a step down of up to 3 ft onto a tube; snorkelers climb a vertical ladder back in.
- bluewaterrafting.com (Blue Water Rafting), read . Backs: Blue Water Rafting runs rafts from Kīhei Boat Ramp; its 2-hour trip lists juices and bottled water, and children must be 4 or older.
- prodivermaui.com (Pro Diver Maui), read . Backs: Pro Diver Maui runs snorkel trips to Molokini and a second site from Kīhei Boat Ramp on its Pro-Diver II and Kilikina II.
- mauireefadventures.com (Maui Reef Adventures), read . Backs: Maui Reef Adventures runs a 60-foot raft, 4-hour trip, ages 4 and up.