Maui Snorkeling Tours

The right Maui snorkel tour depends on how you want to reach the reef. To see turtles in a small group without a big boat, South Pacific Kayaks’ Turtle Town Kayak and Snorkel Tour paddles out from Mākena Landing Park in about three hours, for ages 5 and up. For Molokini Crater, book a boat: a raft from Kīhei or a large catamaran from Māʻalaea, compared on our Molokini page. From January to early April, Pride of Maui’s Whale Watch and Turtles Snorkel combines the two seasons in one trip. A snorkel tour is not a dedicated whale watch, so if humpbacks are the priority in winter, book a whale watch separately.

Kayak, snorkel boat or winter combo

There are three ways to snorkel with a tour on Maui. A kayak tour puts you on the water in a group of up to 10, close to shore, with snorkel stops along the way. A snorkel boat carries more people farther out, usually to Molokini and then a second reef, with breakfast and lunch on board. A combination trip in whale season adds a whale watch to a snorkel stop, which splits the time between the two.

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Prices are per person, from the listings as checked October 2026.

Turtle Town by kayak or by boat

Turtle Town is the name operators use for the reef off Mākena, not an official place name, and it is known for green sea turtles, honu. The featured kayak tour is the gentlest way in: a guide, a group of no more than 10, a paddle of about 1.5 miles across Mākena Bay and snorkel stops on the way. One reviewer describes a guide talking a nervous first-time snorkeler through every step. It is rated 4.7 from 354 reviews and costs from $120 per person. Our review has more.

Zephyr Adventures’ Turtle Town Snorkel With Photo and Video also starts at Mākena Landing Park, with an hour of guided snorkeling, photos and video included, and a promise of a free second activity if you see no turtles. Several Molokini boats add Turtle Town as a second stop, including Redline, Calypso and Pride of Maui’s Molokini and Turtle Town trip.

Wherever you meet them, NOAA’s Hawaiʻi guidance is to stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) from turtles, on land and in the water, and never to touch, chase or feed them.

Whale watch and snorkel combos in winter

In winter, some boats combine a snorkel stop with time looking for humpbacks. Pride of Maui’s 3.5-hour trip leaves from the North Loading Dock at Māʻalaea, includes lunch, soft drinks and alcohol, and has two restrooms, a water slide, submerged boarding ladders and warm showers. It is bookable only from 1 January to 1 April 2027, costs from $147 and is rated 4.8 from 131 reviews. Our review covers it in full. From Māla in West Maui, Ultimate’s 3.5-hour Whale Watch & Snorkel runs a raft to Lānaʻi’s coves and includes whale watching from December to April.

A combo is a compromise. A dedicated whale watch spends its whole two hours on the whales, and often carries a naturalist and a hydrophone, which most snorkel trips do not. You cannot snorkel or swim with humpbacks: the federal rule keeps every swimmer, kayak and boat at least 100 yards away, and DLNR says swimming with whales is prohibited. Spinner dolphins get 50 yards. For whale-first trips, see the best Maui whale watching tours.

Beginners, children and non-swimmers

Start with the gear and the age rules. Four Winds says its trip suits everyone from experienced snorkelers to people who cannot swim, and it lends optical masks, flotation belts for adults, life vests for young children, boogie boards and sea boards with clear bottoms. Calypso recommends basic swimming ability, provides flotation devices and adds two slides and a glass-bottom viewing room for anyone who stays aboard. The kayak tour takes children from age 5, and Zephyr from age 7. Redline is for ages 8 to 65 and asks guests to climb a vertical ladder back aboard. Our kids page covers family trips in whale season.

West Maui guests can snorkel from Kāʻanapali Beach on Sea Maui’s West Maui Half Day Snorkel, where the captain picks the sites on the day. It does not let non-swimmers into the water.

Sunscreen and reef rules

Hawaiʻi’s Act 104 of 2018, in force since 1 January 2021, bans the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate without a prescription. Maui County went further from 1 October 2022: only mineral sunscreens, with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, may be sold. “Reef safe” on a label is not regulated, so read the active ingredients. Four Winds asks guests to bring reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a change of clothes. At Molokini, a Marine Life Conservation District, feeding fish and taking anything from the reef are banned.

When the water is best

In winter, big surf from North Pacific storms hits north- and west-facing shores, while south shores are usually flat to small, so the Mākena coast and Molokini are generally sheltered from that swell. Mornings are usually calmer before the afternoon wind builds, so most snorkel trips leave early; the kayak tour itself says its 7:15 a.m. start has calmer water. If you are prone to seasickness, our seasickness guide applies to snorkel boats too.

Ready to paddle out? Check dates for the Turtle Town kayak and snorkel tour.