Plan your trip
Snorkeling with turtles in Maui
The short answer Turtle Town and Turtle Arches are the names boat operators use for turtle stops. No trip promises a turtle, and the guidance is to stay at least 10 feet away.
On this page
Turtle Town is not a place on a government map. It is the name boat operators give to a turtle stop on the Maui coast. Turtle Arches is another operator name, used by Pacific Whale Foundation. No trip can promise you a turtle.
What Turtle Town and Turtle Arches mean
We found no official place name for either one. Operators use the names for stops where they look for green sea turtles (honu). Maui Magic, for one, leaves the choice of turtle stop to the captain.
The same name shows up on many tour pages. Read it as "a turtle stop", not a fixed address.
Will I definitely see one?
No. Calypso says its Turtle Town sites are not guaranteed. Pacific Whale Foundation says the same about Turtle Arches. A turtle stop is a chance, not a promise.
We found no official turtle counts for Molokini itself, and most tours add a second stop on the Maui coast. Our Molokini guide covers what the crater is good for.
Which trips stop there
Stops change with conditions, so treat this as the plan, not a promise.
- Calypso: Molokini and Turtle Town, sites not guaranteed. Leaves daily at 7:30 a.m.
- Pride of Maui (page): Molokini and Turtle Town, conditions permitting.
- Maui Snorkeling (Lani Kai II): the morning trip lists Turtle Town, conditions permitting.
- Maui Magic (page): a second stop for turtles at the captain's discretion, all sites weather dependent.
- Pacific Whale Foundation: Molokini and Turtle Arches.
- Blue Water Rafting: the 3-hour trip adds Turtle Town to Molokini.
- Redline Rafting: the five-hour trip lists Turtle Town, plus La Perouse Bay when weather permits. See Redline's page.
- Quicksilver: its Turtle Reef morning cruise stops at Turtle Reef off West Maui and skips Molokini.
The law and the 10-foot rule
Green sea turtles in Hawaiʻi are listed as threatened under federal and state law. Hawksbills are endangered. That is why you get rules, not just manners.
NOAA asks you to stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) away, on land and in the water. Never touch, chase or feed a turtle.
How to act in the water
- Keep at least 10 feet away.
- Never touch, chase or feed a turtle. That includes holding on.
- NOAA says to limit viewing time to a few minutes.
More in-water habits are in our snorkel tips.
A two-stop morning, by the clock
This is a typical shape, built from posted schedules. Your boat's times will differ.
- 6:30 a.m. Check-in on several five-hour morning trips, among them Lani Kai II, Maui Magic and Redline Rafting; times differ by boat.
- 7:00 a.m. Departure. Calypso leaves at 7:30 a.m.
- Middle of the trip. A Molokini stop and a turtle stop. We found no posted minutes for each, and the order varies by boat.
- About 12:00 p.m. Back at the harbor on most five-hour morning trips.
Most Molokini trips leave in the morning. Separately, the state says currents inside the cove may get stronger in the afternoon when the wind picks up. Some afternoon trips go to Coral Gardens instead. See the boat spots guide.
Seeing turtles without a boat
Turtles also rest on beaches. NOAA says not to disturb ones sleeping on the sand, and the 10-foot rule applies ashore. Use your camera's zoom.
If you see a sick, injured, stranded or dead sea turtle, NOAA lists the statewide Marine Wildlife Hotline at (888) 256-9840.
Taking marine life is banned in the Molokini reserve. For other fish you might meet, see the reef guide.
Sources and corrections
The 13 sources for this page
- Protecting Marine Species (Hawaiʻi DLNR, DOBOR), read . Backs: Green sea turtles in Hawaiʻi are threatened under federal and state law; hawksbills are endangered. No official turtle counts found for Molokini itself; most tours add a second Turtle Town stop on the Maui coast.
- Viewing Marine Wildlife in Hawaiʻi (last updated 23 Feb 2026) (NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office), read . Backs: Sea turtles: 10 feet recommended distance; never touch, chase or feed. · NOAA: at least 10 feet away on land and in water; limit viewing time to a few minutes; do not disturb turtles sleeping on the beach; call the statewide Marine Wildlife Hotline (888) 256-9840 for a sick, injured, stranded or dead sea turtle.
- calypsomaui.com (Calypso), read . Backs: Calypso's Molokini trip leaves daily at 7:30 a.m.; stops Molokini then Turtle Town, sites not guaranteed.
- prideofmaui.com (Pride of Maui), read . Backs: Pride of Maui and Lani Kai morning trips list Turtle Town, conditions permitting.
- mauisnorkeling.com (Maui Snorkeling (Lani Kai II)), read . Backs: Lani Kai morning trip runs 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., check-in 6:30 a.m., Turtle Town conditions permitting.
- fourwindsmaui.com (Maui Classic Charters), read . Backs: Maui Magic's second stop is the captain's choice, for turtles.
- pacwhale.com (Pacific Whale Foundation), read . Backs: Pacific Whale Foundation says Turtle Arches sites are never guaranteed.
- bluewaterrafting.com (Blue Water Rafting), read . Backs: Blue Water's 3-hour trip stops at Turtle Town.
- quicksilvermaui.com (Quicksilver), read . Backs: Quicksilver's Turtle Reef morning cruise stops at Turtle Reef, West Maui, and does not go to Molokini.
- redlinerafting.com and its booking pages (Redline Rafting), read . Backs: Redline's five-hour trip lists Turtle Town and, weather permitting, La Perouse Bay. · Redline five-hour trip: check-in 6:30 a.m., departs 7:00 a.m., back on land 12:00 p.m.
- Redline Rafting five-hour trip page, read . Backs: Redline five-hour trip page: Turtle Town stop and times.
- Maui – Molokini Shoal (HAR 13-31) (Hawaiʻi DLNR, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)), read . Backs: At Molokini, currents may get stronger in the afternoon when the wind picks up.
- HAR chapter 13-31, Molokini Shoal MLCD, Maui (amended and compiled, effective 3/15/2024; unofficial copy) (Hawaiʻi DLNR), read . Backs: No taking of marine life in the Molokini reserve (finfish trolling outside the crater excepted).