Maui: Molokini Snorkel & Turtle Arches, Kids Free

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.55 (831 reviews) 77% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/30

Duration5h

GroupUp to 70

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Two Reef Stops, One Boat, Kids Ride Free on Maui's Top Snorkel Day

You board at Maalaea Harbor, snorkel two reef sites—Molokini Crater and Turtle Arches—with a naturalist guide, get breakfast and a full BBQ lunch with one drink included, and return by early afternoon. Kids 12 and under ride free with a paying adult. Bring your own towel and reef-safe sunscreen, or buy it onboard.

Step-by-step itinerary

Snorkel at Molokini and Turtle Arches

Depart from Maalaea Harbor
Snorkel at Molokini Crater
Snorkel at Turtle Arches reef
Use provided snorkeling gear and flotation devices
Enjoy swim steps and water slide
Return to Maalaea Harbor

The Experience

The boat leaves Maalaea Harbor in the early morning, and you're moving toward open water almost before you've found your spot on deck. Molokini Crater rises ahead—a crescent-shaped volcanic rim jutting from the channel between Maui and Kahoʻolawe, and the water around it runs so clear you can see the reef structure from the surface. The crew runs a quick snorkel 101 lesson before anyone gets in, which matters if you've never done this before; they hand out fitted masks (including optical ones if you wear glasses), fins, and a flotation device, and the wide swim steps and water slide make entry feel less like jumping off a boat and more like walking into a pool. Once you're down, the reef holds more than 250 fish species, and the naturalist on board points out what you're seeing—the shapes, the colors, the small movements that tell you what's alive down there.

After Molokini, the boat heads to Turtle Arches, a second reef site known for the underwater lava formations and the green sea turtles that drift through them. The water is calm enough that even newer snorkelers can manage the second stop without feeling rushed. Between the two sites, you're eating—continental breakfast before departure (banana bread, pastries, fresh island fruit), then a full BBQ lunch with free-range chicken, hot dogs, vegan burgers, and sides. One premium drink comes with it (Ocean Vodka, Fy Gin, Kula Rum, or Maui Brewing Co. beer), plus unlimited soda, juice, and water. The crew is trained in marine research and sustainable practice; they've been running these trips for 40 years, and it shows in how they handle the reef and how they talk about what you're seeing.

The pricing is the thing that catches people: for each paying adult, up to three children 12 and under go free. That's not a discount—they ride at no cost, eat the same lunch, get the same gear and instruction. You do need to bring your own towels and a credit card for any extras (reef-safe sunscreen is $13 if you didn't bring your own, and the boat is cashless except for tips). Full-face masks aren't allowed for safety reasons, but the standard snorkel gear they provide is high quality and fits most people. The whole day runs from early morning through early afternoon, and you're back at the harbor with salt in your hair and the kind of tired that comes from being in the water and the sun.

What’s included

All snorkel gear (mask, fins, flotation device), optical masks for eyeglass wearers, snorkel instruction and fish ID class, continental breakfast, full BBQ lunch with free-range chicken and vegan options, one premium beverage per adult, unlimited soda and juice, wildlife interpretation by onboard naturalists, and guided reef tours at both Molokini Crater and Turtle Arches. Kids 12 and under ride free with a paying adult.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Pacific Whale Foundation

Is this one for you?Book this if you want two reef sites, a full day of food and drinks, and the ability to bring kids at no extra cost—the free-child pricing is what makes a family snorkel day affordable, and the naturalist guides and 40 years of eco-tour experience mean you're not just getting wet, you're learning what you're seeing.