We will be in MAUI at the end of May! Woo Hoo!

Would love to snorkel at Molokini! Anyone have any feedback on a tour company to recommend? And the "best time" as a couple recommend 6:30 - 7 a.m. starts?

The two I have found are Trilogy and Maui Classic Charters - both leaving out of Maalaea.

Thank you for any feedback or advice!

8-)

There used to be another company or two that went out from further down Kiehi - which meant less travel time on the water to get over to Mokolini. W@ould google a bit more to make sure.

And I would go as early as possible - as that's whrn you usually have the best visibiity.

My friends (who are very "particular") swear by Trilogy.

We went with one of the boats that leave Kihei boat ramp -- might have been SeaFire. Very friendly, good instruction and we went early before most of the boats came. Lots of turtles on the way back, too.

I've been twice with Trilogy and would absolutely use them again on any upcoming trip. The staff is great, boats are really nice, and the food is surprisingly good (snacks for breakfast, and a full lunch). They also started offering discover scuba if you want to try that instead of snorkeling.

We tried blue water rafting and were very pleased. Visited molokini in the afternoon after all other boats had left.

Blue water rafting and trilogy are both awesome, but much better places that both go to, that have better snorkeling then Molokini. The all day trip on Trilogy that goes to Lanai is awesome or the blue water rafting trip that goes down the coast is great both offer better snorkeling sights (in my opinion), whichever Maui is awesome.

we've used http://hawaiicruiseexcursions.com/ both times we've been to hawaii and have had great experiences each time. I also asked around about the best time to go on a molokini snorkel tour and we found out that the water is a lot rougher in the afternoon so all tours depart early to avoid a rough trip.

I don't know the name of the company, but their catamaran leaves from the beach at what used to be called the Maui Prince in Makena. We watched it leave and arrive every morning last year. It leaves early in the morning and the trip is apparently faster than leaving from Maalea or Kihei because you are closer. Google it and see what comes up. FWIW...I think the snorkeling at Molokini is highly overrated. There are better places to snorkel right off shore.

"I think the snorkeling at Molokini is highly overrated."

I agree.

succulent & stars,

Where would you suggest snorkeling right off shore that would be better on Maui? I was also thinking about going to Molokini but I can easily be talked out of it.

Utahtea

Don't let me talk you out of Molokini!

Ulua and Mokapu beaches in Wailea can have good snorkeling.

Malu'aka, the beach I mentioned earlier off of what used to be Maui Prince Hotel has usually great snorkeling off to the left around the rocks at the point. Good chance of seeing turtles here. Sometimes to the right also.

Palauea Beach in Wailea/Makena is good too. Access via a parking lot. Walk to your right and keep going until the sometime crowds thin out and there are nice beach nooks. Good snorkeling.

Up in Kaanapali, Black Rock is everyone's favorite spot. Get there early as it can get crowded, but it is a fun place to be.

succulent,

Thanks for the advise. Now I just have to locate all these beaches on my map!

Utahtea

I'd recommend Pride of Maui for the full catamaran experience and Leilani for smaller groups. There are more destinations other than Molokini, such as Turtle Town and Coral Gardens. You might also want to try SNUBA or SCUBA diving in addition to your snorkeling adventure.
www.prideofmaui.com

Some people just enjoy snorkeling by themselves in front of their hotel or at a local snorkel spot. I guess it depends on the kind of snorkeling experience you are looking to have.

Here is more info on the best snorkeling spots for South and West Maui.
http://www.mauiinformationguide.com/...eling-maps.php

Mahalo.

Kai Kanani is the name of the boat that leaves from the Makena resort (formerly the Maui Prince, now the Makena Golf Club and resort, I think).

We stayed at the Prince in its final days with that name, in 2009. We snorkelled off the beach there, and we took the Kai Kanani trip. I heard others say that the snorkeling at Molokini was overrated, but we did not find it so at all. I loved being able to look at the coral up against the caldera wall...we snorkelled in lots of other very cool places, but this was as good as any of them . Yes, there were a lot of people around, but it never seemed crowded. The Kanani makes a second stop near a turtle cleaning station and we saw 3 or 4 turtles.

If you're interested, there are a few pictures from my trip here:
http://4weeks4islands.blogspot.com/2...norkeling.html
and one of my favorite turtle pictures here:
http://4weeks4islands.blogspot.com/2...norkeling.html

Just back from Maui and we did a snorkel trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation- a non profit group. We were very happy with this company- nice boat, good food on board and very environmentally conscious. We had planned to snorkel in Molokini and Lanai but Molokini was too windy so they took us to Shark Fin Cove which was spectacular. We were the only boat there and the water was crystal clear- I think maybe the best snorkel trip I have ever been on.!

We also did a whale watch trip with the same organization.

We enjoyed using Maui Dive Shop several years ago out of Kihei boat launch:
http://www.mauidiveshop.com/Maui-Snorkel-Trips/

They boasted about going out early on a power boat and getting there before everyone else, which was true. By the time our group was ready to leave, all the other companies were showing up and the "crater" was getting crowded. So, while others were suffering the crowds, we were off to "Turtle Town" off-shore around Makena Beach. We enjoyed this one-time tour, but if you go to Black Rock or Makena on your own you will probably see more fish.