Should you snorkel or scuba dive in Molokini Crater, Hawaii?

Molokini Crater was the first dive site in Hawaii I added to my bucket list. The description of a semi-submerged crater of an ancient volcano was enough to get me thrilled about diving it. When I read that the uninhabited atoll was a State marine sanctuary with excellent visibility, it became my primary target for the day I made it to Hawaii to go diving in Maui.

Yet, the price of scuba diving in Molokini, like most activities in Hawaii, was quite shocking compared to what I am used to. I finally considered that spending a day snorkelling and then another day scuba diving was the best way to explore as much of Molokini Crater as possible for less money.

Day 1 – Snorkelling tour to Molokini Crater

I was staying in Kihei with my friend Delphine, a private tour guide in Maui, a seaside town almost in front of Molokini Crater. As Molokini is only 4 km / 2.5 mi. from the shore,  I thought it would be perfect to get there in no time.

Unfortunately, all the big boats for snorkelling or scuba diving don’t leave from Kihei Boat Ramp but from Ma’alaea Harbour, a 30-minute drive north of Kihei. With a check-in time at 6.30 am at Ma’alaea Harbour with Maui Reef Adventure, be prepared for an early-bird day! However, Delphine, my buddy, and I didn’t mind as we were too happy to spend the day underwater together.

The ride to Molokini Crater took us about 45 minutes. After a briefing on safe snorkelling practices, we started snorkelling at our first stop, the “Back Wall”, at 8.00 am in 28°C water. My buddy and I spent 25 minutes exploring the backside of Molokini Crater. Just below the surface, there were hundreds of Scissortail Sergeant fish and Pennant Coralfish.

The back wall of the crater was covered in Finger Coral and Red Slate Pencil Urchin. With a maximum depth of 80 m, I got rid of my snorkel, and we started to free dive along the wall. I’m not an excellent freediver, but with the 30-second maximum I can stay underwater, it gave me enough time for breath-taking views in clear, deep blue water!

Our second stop was inside the crater, a site called “Enenue”, the eastern point of Molokini Crater. A school of Black Triggerfish was swimming below the boat. Here, the crater goes into a gentle slope to approximately 15 m deep. For the first time, I made good use of my dive computer in freediving mode to see if I could dive a little bit deeper. 7 m deep was the maximum I could do, but that was enough to have a look at the Pencil Slate Urchins or crabs hiding in the coral.

After our two snorkelling sessions at Molokini Crater, at 9.00 am, it was time to go back closer to Maui’s shores. The reason the tour starts so early is that the swell increases around 10.00 am, making it difficult for boats to return. Our last stop, “Turtle Town”, was near Makena Landing, a famous shore diving site.

It was a great stop as we swam with a turtle at the surface, and then I saw a white-tip shark while free diving! 20 minutes later, it was time to make our way back to Ma’alaea Harbour. We were offered wraps, crisps and drinks for a light lunch on board and in the sun. By the way, don’t forget to bring a UV-protected rashguard and reef-friendly sunscreen; the sun hits hard in Hawaii.

Molokini Snorkelling Tour Summary

• Time: check-in 6.30 am – back at 12 pm
• Price: 110 USD per person (+ fees/tax/tip, about 137 USD / 118 € / £ 105 per person)
• 2 snorkelling stops at Molokini Crater, 1 snorkelling stop near Maui
• Snorkel gear & Light lunch included

Day 2 – Scuba diving in Molokini Crater

The next day, check-in time with Maui Dream Dive Co. was 15 minutes earlier at Ma’alaea Harbour. We made sure to have our scuba diving gear bag ready so we could just wake up, put on our swimsuits, and go!

The scuba diving boat was larger, with a dry area and two sun decks, one at the front and one above the cabin. We were welcomed with a yummy breakfast as we started an extensive dive briefing. We went through all the marine species we would see underwater, and eco-friendly diving practices, as Molokini Crater is a State sanctuary.

At 8.00 am, we were ready to dive “Middle Reef”, inside Molokini Crater. As we went down to 20 m, we were surrounded by thousands of Pyramid Butterflyfish and Scissortail Sergeant fish. Molokini Crater, being the only rock with no soil washing down, the visibility is much better than on the shores of Maui, it was about 40 m. As I started to look at the coral reef, a Giant Trevally just swam by me.

During our 56-minute dive, we had the opportunity to see many of the endemic species of Hawaii: the Pyramid Butterflyfish, the Hawaiian Damselfish, the Racoon Butterflyfish and the rarest of all, the Flame Angelfish! Water temperature was 27°C even at the deepest point, and with absolutely no current, I was a little too warm in my 5 mm full suit.

Around 9.30 am, it was time to leave Molokini to reach our second dive site near Maui’s shore, “White Rock”. For 67 minutes, our dive guide took us to some tiny coral pinnacles in the middle of a seaweed field. He pointed out incredible species: black and yellow Leaf Scorpionfish, Green Scorpionfish, Red-banded Shrimp, White-banded Cleaner Shrimp and the most beautiful of all, the Marbled Shrimp, which seemed very curious about my camera! Exciting moments of the dive also included the super shy Day Octopus and Zebra Moray Eel hiding the best they could!

Molokini Scuba Diving Tour Summary

• Time: check-in 6.15 am – back at 12.30 pm
• Price: 139 USD per person (+ fees/tax/tip, about 169 USD / 145 € / £ 129 per person)
• 1 dive in Molokini Crater, 1 dive near Maui
• Light lunch included; add 20 USD to rent scuba diving gear

Scuba vs Snorkel in Molokini: total budget

On the one hand, I saw more of Molokini Crater on the snorkelling tour, seeing the back wall and its eastern point, but on the other hand, while scuba diving, I saw all the beautiful Hawaiian fish species.

In both cases, I appreciated the incredible visibility, but as an underwater photographer, I had more opportunities to take great pictures on my scuba diving day. While I loved doing both, if you have limited time and budget and you are a certified scuba diver, go on the scuba diving tour.

Besides, the difference in cost between the snorkelling tour and the scuba diving tour, especially if you have your own gear, was only 32 USD. I later saw that there were specific scuba diving tours for the back wall of Molokini Crater when enough advanced divers show up, but their price was 164 USD (don’t forget + tax/fee/tip).

As a result, my buddy and I saved approximately 62 USD (x2) by freediving at the back wall instead of scuba diving, enough to celebrate these incredible two days with a nice dinner!

One last tip: to get to Ma’alaea Harbour, you will need to drive there or book a taxi. While in Hawaii, I rented cars for 30 USD a day with rentalcars.com, as they allow free cancellation to rebook at any better last-minute deal.

Where to stay on Maui?

Guesthouse in Lahaina

It was love at first sight with the Lahaina Beach House. The owner, Guyton, refurbished his grandma’s house into this cosy luxury hostel, right on the beautiful beach in Lahaina. I stayed there for two nights, but I wished I had a few extra days there. Guyton was kind enough to keep my scuba diving bag before checking in while I was on my West Maui tour. Warmly recommended!

Luxury resorts in Kaanapali

Maui is no exception among the Hawaiian Islands; luxury resorts’ options are wide from coast to coast. If you can afford the budget for these fabulous locations, you can certainly also afford to rent a car or take a taxi, so being right next to the dive centre is not the main criterion.

Prices at resorts start around 400 USD a night; the price includes the resort fees, but you need to add the tax and tips.

I didn’t stay myself, but I had brunch with my friend on our West Maui road trip and found Kaanapali Beach, just 10 minutes north of Lahaina, fabulous. There you can book a room at:

• The Westin Maui Resort & Spa
• The Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club
• The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

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