Molokini Crater + South Maui Coast Adventure from Kihei, Maui

About This Experience

This is Redline Rafting’s snorkel day, and it shares only the raft and the ramp with the company’s winter whale watch. It runs all year, leaves Kīhei Boat Ramp at 7 a.m. and lasts about five hours, with snorkel stops at Molokini and along the South Maui coast, including the reef area operators call Turtle Town off Mākena. Hot cinnamon rolls and fruit for breakfast, a deli lunch, sodas, bottled water and snorkel gear are included, and a local guide gives instruction.

Molokini sits about 3 miles off Maui’s southwest coast. It is the southern rim of an extinct volcanic crater, and the shallow cove inside is a state Marine Life Conservation District: no feeding fish, no taking coral or rock, and no landing on the islet. Recent reviewers describe three or four stops in a morning, so the crew picks the spots on the day, and as on every Molokini trip, conditions decide where you snorkel. An early start helps, since the water is usually calmer before the afternoon wind builds.

The entry rules are strict. Guests must be 8 to 65 (contact Redline for exceptions), have at least moderate fitness and be able to climb a vertical ladder to get back on the raft after each swim. The listing rules out pregnant travelers, anyone with a spinal injury or poor cardiovascular health, and elderly or fragile guests, and it advises against the trip for people who get seasick. If that leaves out someone in your group, Calypso’s triple-deck catamaran from Māʻalaea has stairs into the water, slides and a wheelchair-accessible deck; see our review.

The operator’s copy talks about swimming with green sea turtles. In Hawaiʻi, NOAA asks snorkelers to stay at least 10 feet from honu and never touch, chase or feed them, so expect to watch them from that distance. Underwater visibility claims are the operator’s own and change with the day.

The trip costs from $232 per person on Viator, rated 5.0 from 1,649 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. There is no hotel pickup; the ramp is about 6 minutes from central Kīhei and from Wailea. For whales on the same kind of raft in winter, see our review of Redline’s 90-minute whale watch, which has its own season and rules.

Highlights

• Snorkel Molokini, the rim of an extinct volcanic crater about 3 miles offshore
• Stops along the South Maui coast, including the Turtle Town reef area off Mākena
• Three or four snorkel stops in one morning, according to recent reviewers
• A 7 a.m. start, when the water is usually calmer than in the afternoon
• Runs year-round, unlike Redline's winter-only whale watch
• Rated 5.0 from 1,649 Viator reviews, with crews praised for safety and local knowledge

What's Included

• ✓ Breakfast of hot cinnamon rolls and fruit
• ✓ Deli lunch
• ✓ Sodas and bottled water
• ✓ Snorkel gear
• ✓ Local guide and snorkel instructor
• ✓ Free parking above Kīhei Boat Ramp

Not Included

• Gratuities
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Alcoholic drinks, which the listing does not mention

What to Bring

• Swimsuit worn under your clothes, since check-in is at 6:30 a.m.
• Mineral sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide); Maui County allows only mineral sunscreens to be sold
• A towel and a change of clothes for the ride back
• A dry bag for your phone, keys and car fob
• Motion-sickness medicine taken well ahead if you need it, after asking a pharmacist

Good to Know & Caveats

• Check in at 6:30 a.m. for the 7 a.m. departure; look for the big red boat.
• Ages 8 to 65 only; contact Redline directly about exceptions.
• You must climb a vertical ladder to re-board after each snorkel, and the listing asks for at least moderate fitness.
• Not recommended for anyone prone to seasickness: this is a fast, open raft.
• Snorkel spots are chosen on the day, and Molokini depends on the weather, as on every trip there.
• Molokini is a Marine Life Conservation District: don't feed fish or take coral, rock or sand, and landing on the islet is prohibited.
• Keep at least 10 feet from sea turtles (NOAA Hawaiʻi guidance), whatever the marketing says about swimming with them.
• This is a snorkel trip; the listing does not include whale watching. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Meeting Point

Kīhei Boat Ramp: park free in one of the two lots above the boat-trailer lot, look for the big red boat and check in at 6:30 a.m. for the 7 a.m. departure.