world reviewer
Off Maui’s coast, Molokini is a tiny sunken volcano island with what must be some of Hawaii’s best diving and snorkeling. The best spots are in the channel and in the caved in section of the volcano which creates a protected area for marine life. No fishing except by birds who have a sanctuary on the island as well and you can only get here by boat which conserves the coral health as well as the fish numbers and means the water is some of the clearest you will come across - visibility is up to 200 feet. The arc of the volcano rim stops the ocean crashing in. Best snorkeling is around the shoreline which is where the best feeding is. I’ve seen jacks, eels, snapper, goatfish, emperor fish, wrasse, tang, butterfly fish, parrot fish, scad, hawk fish and manta rays, humpbacks and seals. You have to go as part of a boat tour so take some time considering which provider to go with…
Written by 
Keraili Grant.
“Molokini Marine Sanctuary”
'Tilted so that only the thin rim of its southern side shows above water in a perfect semicircle, Molokini stands like a scoop against the tide, and it serves, on its concave side, as a natural sanctuary for tropical fish and snorkelers, who commute dai… Read more...
Written by press. Frommers
Comments, reviews and questions
Molokini Crater
Molokini Crater is one of the most popular diving and snorkeling sites in Hawaii, it's a volcanic crater which has partly collapsed.
The crescent shaped island and 200 acres of prolific marine life in the crater and its surrounds are now protected within a marine sanctuary. The remaining wall of the crater is an excellent wall drift dive, plummeting about 350 feet. The rest of the crater is shallower, so slightly warmer than the surrounding ocean and this warmth and protection attracts marine life.
The coral laden middle of the crater is a favourite haunt for the bright yellow butterfly fish and the raised outcrops around the collapsed edge are home to whitetip reef sharks.
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