Molokini Crater can be seen from the beaches on the Kihei side of the island… I want to say that’s the west side but I want even less to look that up. Feel free to debunk my laziness.

We’ve seen it each time we’ve been here and have wanted to go but never have. Since the snorkels we rented for the week turned pretty up much nothing (aside from one turtle encounter, which never gets old) we figured we’d give it a try. It was about a 5 hour trip that took us to two different spots; the crater and then another spot closer to shore that actually was not far from where Sarah and I got married. They provide a light breakfast on the way there and then a pretty legit lunch before heading back. Kalua pork tacos for the adults, hot dogs for the kids, and some fish tacos just to remind the scenery who’s boss.

Molokini Crater & Boat

If you search for Molokini Crater snorkeling trips you’ll run into a lot of people saying it’s not worth it. If you’re in it for an overwhelming array of fish, then you will probably be disappointed. But if you take the sum total of the event; time exploring the clear water, tasty lunch, and most notably time away from everything but the sun and ocean… we recommend it for sure.

Stop #2 (Turtle Town?)

There was mention of stopping at Turtle Town though I have no idea whether where we stopped after the crater was it. We didn’t see any turtles, which doesn’t bode well for it being that stop, but we’ve snorkeled over here before and seen both turtles and octopus (octopi?) so who knows. Again, not a ton of fish but it was freeing to be in a large open area of clear water and have an hour to just trundle around and look at stuff. The coral alone was stunning. Plus, nobody got eaten by a shark which is, by every measure, the mark of a good day on the water. And speaking of the water…

The last photo is of the house at which Sarah and I got married, as seen from the boat. It’s known as the Kukahiko Estate. It’s owned by locals and is used almost exclusively for weddings.

And because I don’t know where else to put this, here’s a photo of some super cute pups we ran into on our last day. Disney, eat your heart out.