Molokini Crater & Turtle Town: Snorkel, Waterslide, Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.80 (723 reviews) 89% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/6

Duration5h

GroupUp to 65

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Snorkeling Molokini Crater plus Maui’s wildest boat slide

You’ll start your day early from Maalaea Harbor with fresh breakfast before heading out to snorkel Molokini Crater’s reefs and spot turtles at Turtle Town. Enjoy Maui’s longest boat waterslide between swims and relax over lunch as you cruise back with new friends—sun-kissed and probably still grinning.

Step-by-step itinerary

Snorkel and waterslide adventure

Board small boat in Maalaea Harbor
Enjoy fresh continental breakfast
Snorkel at Molokini Crater
Swim with turtles in Turtle Town
Ride 25 foot waterslide
Watch whales during season
Enjoy deli lunch and pasta salad
Return to Maalaea Harbor

The Experience

I still remember stepping onto the boat at Maalaea Harbor—there was this salty smell in the air and everyone looked half-awake but already grinning. Our guide, Kaleo, handed out coffee (good coffee, not just watery stuff) and pointed to Molokini Crater on the horizon. I’d seen photos but it’s different when you’re actually heading there, with the sun bouncing off the water and someone next to you already slathering on reef-safe sunscreen like they’re frosting a cake.

The ride out was louder than I expected—kids squealing about whales (we actually spotted a tail in the distance), people chatting about where they were from. When we finally anchored at Molokini Crater for snorkeling, I hesitated for a second before plunging in. The water felt cool but not cold, almost silky. Fish everywhere—yellow ones darting around my mask—and then quiet for a moment except for my own breathing. Kaleo floated nearby and pointed out a parrotfish munching coral; he told us its Hawaiian name but honestly I forgot right away (I blame being distracted by all the colors).

Turtle Town was next. It’s not really a “town”—just this stretch where turtles like to hang out. We saw two gliding past us; one surfaced so close I could see algae on its shell. Lunch tasted better than it should have after swimming—fresh fruit, pasta salad, deli sandwiches—and then came the waterslide. Twenty-five feet sounds short until you’re up there looking down at that blue water. My first go was pure chaos—I landed laughing and came up with saltwater up my nose, which I guess is part of the deal.

On the way back to Maalaea Harbor, everyone was sun-warmed and tired in that good way. Someone passed around soda while another kid tried to convince his dad to go down the slide again “just one more time.” I kept thinking about that silent moment under water—how everything else faded out except fish shadows and sunlight flickering through waves.

What’s included

Your day includes use of snorkeling equipment (just no full-face masks), reef-friendly sunscreen, breakfast pastries with tropical fruit and coffee to start things off right, deli lunch with pasta salad after swimming Turtle Town’s reefs, plus soda or tea on board—all alongside a friendly local crew who keep things relaxed from first splash to last laugh back at harbor.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for heart conditions

Operated by Maui Snorkeling Lani Kai