Plan your trip
What to do after a Molokini snorkel
The short answer Many morning Molokini trips are back between about noon and 1 p.m. An easy afternoon is Maui Ocean Center at Māʻalaea, a rest, and a late lunch. If you tried Snuba, ask your operator before flying or going high up a mountain.
On this page
Many Molokini trips go in the morning, so you are often off the water by noon or early afternoon. The state says currents may get stronger inside the cove in the afternoon when winds pick up. That is a separate point from the morning start times; the Molokini Crater guide has more. Here is what fits the rest of the day.
If you left from Māʻalaea or Kīhei
Maui Ocean Center is at 192 Māʻalaea Road, and its site listed hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov 4. Pacific Whale Foundation checks its guests in at a store in the same shopping center, and Calypso checks in at Slip 76 on Maʻalaea Road. See Calypso for check-in details.
Check hours the day you go, because they change.
If you left from the Kīhei Boat Ramp (2800 S Kihei Rd), where Redline and other small-boat operators check in, the Māʻalaea stops are a short drive away. Look up current hours for anything else you plan to visit.
Rest first
Salt, sun and early starts add up. Pick one thing for the afternoon, not three.
Haleakalā and flights
Haleakalā National Park requires a reservation to see sunrise. The National Park Service says to book the 3:00 to 7:00 a.m. window on recreation.gov, up to 60 days ahead, with some released 2 days before. That is a morning job, so it does not fit the same day as an early boat. The park sells one sunrise reservation per three-day period and does not refund for weather.
If you only snorkeled, no source we read says you cannot drive up later. For divers, the Divers Alert Network advises waiting at least 12 hours before flying after a single no-decompression dive. Its article covers flying, not Snuba and not driving to high elevation. If you did Snuba or scuba, ask your operator before planning the mountain. A helicopter ride has its own page: Molokini, then a helicopter tour.
With kids
Maui Ocean Center is an aquarium, the one afternoon stop on this page with kids in mind. After that, leave time for a nap. For a snorkel day with another spot, see Molokini compared with other Maui spots. A sunset cruise needs its own day: Calypso by day, dinner by night.
Questions
Can I go up Haleakalā the same day?
If you only snorkeled, no source we found says you cannot. If you did Snuba or scuba, ask your operator first. Divers Alert Network's guidance on altitude covers flying, and it does not cover driving up a mountain.
Sources and corrections
The 7 sources for this page
- Maui Ocean Center, read . Backs: Maui Ocean Center is at 192 Māʻalaea Road, Wailuku, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as its site listed on Nov 4.
- pacwhale.com (Pacific Whale Foundation), read . Backs: Pacific Whale Foundation checks guests in at its Ocean Store, in the same harbor shopping center as the aquarium.
- calypsomaui.com (Calypso), read . Backs: Calypso checks in at Slip 76, 101 Maʻalaea Road.
- redlinerafting.com (Redline Rafting), read . Backs: Redline checks in at the Kīhei Boat Ramp, 2800 S Kihei Rd, Kīhei, HI 96753.
- Flying After Diving (Divers Alert Network), read . Backs: Wait at least 12 hours before flying after a single no-decompression dive, 18 after multiple dives; the article covers flying, not Snuba, snorkeling or driving to high elevation.
- Sunrise Reservations (National Park Service, Haleakalā National Park), read . Backs: Haleakalā National Park requires a reservation to view sunrise: book the 3:00 to 7:00 a.m. window on recreation.gov, up to 60 days ahead, with some released 2 days ahead; one per three-day period, no weather refunds.
- Maui – Molokini Shoal (HAR 13-31) (Hawaiʻi DLNR, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)), read . Backs: The state says currents may get stronger inside the cove in the afternoon when winds pick up.