I know a lot of people don't like the snorkeling trips out to the crater. For the rest of you, how far in advance do you need to make reservations? We will be there for 7 nights the last week of August & I am wondering if I can wait until we are there to make the reservations (we want to book with the Four Winds II).

We booked a 1/2 day trip to Molokini the first morning we arrived on Maui, somewhere in Lahaina, for the day after I think. I'm sure you can wait and get a booking on a boat, but I can't help yoo about that exact ship you want.
JK

Just to be safe, I would book before you go, so you can pick the exact day you want to go.

I highly reccommend Friendly Charters .... I have taken 6 trips with them over the last 15 or so years.

Check them out at their website:

http://www.mauisnorkeling.com/

They are great!

We had no trouble booking a Molokini trip the day before we wanted to go. Of course this was in early October last year and tourism in Hawaii was way down because folks were scared of flying. The place we stayed (Mana Kai Maui in Kehei) had someone there to assist with booking those types of activities.

Be sure to book a morning trip. The water can get rough in the afternoon forcing a cancellation.

I called my hotel (4S) about that exact question, they said book now. I booked through Hawaiiactivities.com and already have my tickets via e-mail. Better safe then sorry. I slo booked helicopters and a luau through the site.

Stacie: There is really no reason to wait until you get there. Especially if you want Four WindsII (which is my personal favorite). You may not get the date/time that you want and you always get a rate reduction if you book online. I agree with the AM recommendation - the wind does come up in the afternoon and it does get choppy. Checkout the Barefoot Tours website.

Sarah,
My only concern with booking so far ahead was weather. Here in San Diego, I could probably book a year in advance and be ok but I didn't know if Maui's weather would be that consistent for the last week of August. Also, when I went to their website, I didn't see a way to book online. I only saw where they gave a phone # to call. Did I not look hard enough?

Well, I figured it out. If you call & tell them you saw them online they will give you a 15% discount. Thank you! I presume there isn't a day of the week that's any better, is there? We fly in on a Tues, so I'm thinking Thurs or Fri.

Stacie: I am glad you got the discount (I was able to book online a couple of years ago, so am not sure why this is not possible anymore). I usually prefer to go on a snorkel trip after being on the island for a few days. I don't think that you will have any problems in August with weather. It can be dicey either later or earlier in the year. I brought a small backpack with our own snacks, towel, etc including a sweatshirt for the trip back in-just in case. I know that you will have a great time. We are leaving in 2 weeks for Maui and can't wait!!