Plan your trip
Molokini snorkeling and whale watching on one trip
The short answer Two companies sell a dedicated snorkel and whale watch combo, and three more mention whale watching on their winter snorkel trips. Whale sightings are never certain, and the combo gives you less time at each part.
On this page
Two companies sell a trip built to do both. The others take snorkelers out in whale season and mention whales on the same page.
Trips that include both
Built as combos
- Blue Water Rafting: 2.5 hours, leaves at 10:30 a.m. in whale season only. It goes to Molokini "typically," or to another site if ocean conditions are not favorable. A hydrophone is on board. See prices on Blue Water Rafting’s site.
Snorkel trips that mention whales
- Maui Reef Adventures: the operator says whale watching comes with its snorkel tours in the winter window, which it gives as mid-December to mid-April. The trip runs 4 hours. $175 adult, before tax, on Maui Reef Adventures’ site, checked .
- Maui Magic: the same morning trip has a seasonal page that sells it as a whale watch and snorkel. $195 adult, before tax and fees, on Maui Classic Charters’ site, checked .
- Four Winds: the afternoon trip is mostly a Coral Gardens outing, with Molokini now and then (details). A seasonal whale page covers it. $120 adult, before tax and fees, on Maui Classic Charters’ site, checked .
Dates are the operators' own, and they differ. NOAA's general season is November through April, with the peak January through March.
Will I see a whale?
Maybe. Humpbacks have been known to enter Molokini's cove, the state says. Blue Water lists a hydrophone, an underwater microphone for listening for whales. The trip pages above sell the chance to see whales, not a promise of one. Treat it as a chance.
Federal law bars a boat from approaching a humpback within 100 yards.
Is a combo better than doing each separately?
It depends on what you want.
- A combo saves a morning. At 2.5 hours in all, the snorkel stop is short. For the rules on Molokini moorings, see the Molokini guide.
- Separate trips give a longer snorkel and a boat that watches for whales. See whale watch or snorkel.
A combo on an alternate reef can skip Molokini entirely. Read what the trip says about conditions.
Do the 2023 fires affect Molokini trips?
The Molokini trips we found leave from the Kīhei Boat Ramp and Māʻalaea Harbor, plus Maluaka Beach in Mākena when Kai Kanani is sailing (paused as of Nov. 4, with no November dates and December on sale). The state's boating division still lists Lāhainā Harbor as closed until further notice, with limited commercial ocean operations allowed, and none of the Molokini trips uses it. For the reef itself, see the Molokini guide. Check when to go for conditions.
Questions
Do the 2023 fires affect Molokini trips?
Molokini trips in our list leave from the Kīhei Boat Ramp and Māʻalaea Harbor, plus Maluaka Beach in Mākena when Kai Kanani is sailing (paused as of Nov. 4). The state still lists Lāhainā Harbor as closed, with limited commercial ocean operations allowed, and none of these trips uses it.
Sources and corrections
The 8 sources for this page
- About the Sanctuary, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries), read . Backs: Humpbacks generally seen November through April, peak January through March.
- Regulations, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries), read . Backs: Federal 100-yard limit.
- Maui – Molokini Shoal (HAR 13-31) (Hawaiʻi DLNR, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)), read . Backs: Humpbacks have entered Molokini's cove.
- Maui Island Facilities (Hawaiʻi DLNR, DOBOR), read . Backs: Current Molokini departures are Māʻalaea Harbor and Kīhei Boat Ramp; Lāhainā Harbor is listed closed by the state with limited commercial operations.
- bluewaterrafting.com (Blue Water Rafting), read . Backs: Blue Water 2.5-hour whale watch and Molokini snorkel, 10:30 a.m., whale season only, hydrophone, Molokini or an alternate site.
- mauireefadventures.com (Maui Reef Adventures), read . Backs: Maui Reef Adventures says snorkel tours from Dec 15 to Apr 15 include whale watching; 4 hours.
- fourwindsmaui.com (Maui Classic Charters), read . Backs: Maui Classic Charters sells its afternoon trip and Maui Magic trip as whale and snorkel combos on seasonal pages.
- kaikanani.com (Kai Kanani), read . Backs: Kai Kanani departs from Maluaka Beach in Mākena; sailing paused as of Nov. 4, no November dates, December on sale.