Lanai Snorkeling

Once again the wife and I took the Pacific Whale Foundation's Lanai Wildside snorkel tour to the coast of Lanai. We were fortunate as the weather cooperated and the waters were clear. I absolutely love snorkeling Lanai since the water does tend to be clearer (thanks to less development), you get to see things like the Triangle Butterfly fish and pods of spinner dolphins you don't normally see off the waters of Maui, and the underwater topography can be very interesting. If you're a good free diver, there are plenty of caves and sea arches to challenge yourself. Below is my video of the trip, shot in Go Pro HD. Below that are other good videos that give you an idea of Lanai's great snorkeling. 

Honolua Bay, Maui

When all things are considered, Honolua Bay (north of Kaanapali) is often ranked as the best snorkeling spot on Maui. Regardless of unpredictable weather in the winter months which can bring high surf, clouds and/or rain, the usually well-protected Honolua Bay is the top place when conditions are right. Though, if it has rained overnight at this location, the water will be murky due to run-off from the surrounding cliffs. Otherwise, the fun begins even before you get to the bay as you descend through the jungle paths that are teeming with fierce…roosters and chickens. Okay, maybe not so fierce but they can be loud, making the walk down to the bay amusing.

When you do reach the bay, you’ll notice there is a little bit of sandy beach to your left and the rest of the bay is lined with boulders. Since most people snatch up the sandy spot right away, prepare to boulder hop until you find your own little niche. (I hope you have good balance; I’ve twisted my ankle a few times here.) Personally, I always find a spot to camp on the boulders to the right of the bay (if you’re facing out to sea) since the middle of the bay is where the concrete ramp is and tends to crowd. Surely the concrete ramp makes it easy to get in and out of the water; getting in from either side of the bay off the boulders can be quite slippery, to say nothing of the sea urchins that like to hide between the rocks. At least you won’t have people sitting on top of you, though. Moreover, if you enter the water from either side of the bay, you will not have to go as far to get to the coral and you will see fish the second you put your head in the water. You can rest assured that the fish count at Honolua Bay is almost always high.

While the fish count is high, you’ll see a better variety of fish to the right side of the bay where there is also more colorful coral (although the coral has been taking a beating in the past few years due to the snorkel cruises using this spot more often). The coral to the left of the bay is not quite as good but the fish tend to be much bigger on the left side of the bay. There’s really nothing quite like being surrounded by a school of fish half your size; it’s pretty amazing. You will also see larger turtles on the left side of the bay as they eat algae off the rocks. The middle of the bay is sandy and there’s usually not much to see unless you run into the large school of small silver and green fish that are being corralled by some larger blue fish. But in addition to the fish and turtles, eels and octopi are also common here. (Octopi can be hard to spot as the blend in with the rocks.) I have also seen squid and “crown-of-thorn” starfish (rare) here. Yes, further out in the bay are white tip reef sharks but they are docile unless you actively bother them. Even then, they are more likely to run away than fight. I have even seen pods of dolphins come into the bay in the afternoons, but not while people are in the water. Note that it is also possible to swim around the left side of the bay to Slaughterhouse Beach, but keep in mind that the currents can be unpredictable, especially in the winter.

Honolua Bay is also good for beginning divers and even surfers when the waves kick up near the outer edge of the bay’s right side. Mind where you are; the surfers will run you down if you get careless and stray into their territory. There is no lifeguard but there are portable potties at the parking area. The parking spaces fill up quickly during most of the year so it is best to get to the bay before nine in the morning. If the weather is good, people always snatch up the best parking spots so you may have to park on the side of the road. I personally hate doing that since I don’t want to entice any of the smash-and-grabbers common to the area. This is to say, please don’t leave anything remotely valuable in sight when you leave your car.

Directions

Honolua Bay is in Kapalua, northwest Maui, on Honoapiilani Hwy between the 32 and 33 mile marker. There are two main parking areas, one right past Slaughterhouse Beach (this is the beach with a staircase down to it) and one right past the one lane bridge which is the bigger of the two parking areas. Otherwise, parking is on the road. From there, take whatever obvious trail leads towards the water. When you reach the water, a gentleman sitting at a table will ask to talk to you and ask you not to wear sunscreen in the water since Honolua Bay is a fragile marine preserve.

Pacific Whale Foundation Wildside Eco-Adventure, Lanai

[Sadly, I somehow accidentally deleted my own pictures of the trip, so these stock photos will have to do.]

Let me start by saying that this is hands-down the best snorkeling trip I’ve been on, putting last year’s Molokini snorkel trip to shame. Why? Well, that’s what you’re here to read about so I guess I’ll tell you.

The Ocean Adventurer; note the canopy

My group left out of Lahaina harbor a little after 7:30am on the Ocean Adventurer, a powered pontoon boat that seats up to 30 people. My group was fortunate in that there were only 16 people (not including 2 crewmembers) on the trip because what with everyone’s gear and whatnot, I don’t see how 30 people on this vessel would be at all comfortable. The Ocean Adventurer also features a canopy over most of the vessel to keep the brutal sun off you, unlike the other PWF pontoon vessel that usually goes out to Molokini. (Though it was a cloudy day, people who stayed up in the front of the boat where there is no canopy did get a little burned, even with sunscreen.) Once aboard, we powered our way 45 minutes -1 hour over to east Lanai and proceeded to head south and around to the west side, being that ocean conditions and weather dictate which way the boat travels and what snorkeling stops they make, meaning, each time you take this trip may make for a much different experience.

Sweetheart Rock

Once at Lanai’s coastline, Captain Carl (super nice guy) skipped over some regular snorkel spots that weren’t up to par this day and opted to take us to our first snorkel spot at Sweetheart Rock. (Why is it called Sweetheart Rock? Captain Carl will tell you the whole story.) Although the surf was a little bouncy, it was still a great stop with a high fish count and interesting underwater topography. In fact, if you’re at all good at free diving, there are some underwater arches to test your mettle. Ah, yes, they let you dive under the water on this trip, something other tours ask you not to do, though this may have had something to do with the abilities of the people on board. Still, it was a nice bit of freedom. Better still, when you get out of the water, there is a nice fresh water hose to rinse off with; a nice touch. After Captain Carl gave us some history, we headed out for another snorkel spot.

Along the way, Captain Carl put the pedal to the metal and did a couple of nice S-turns, hence the “Wild” portion of the trip. Granted, I’ve been on faster boats but it was still fun, especially with the surf being a little bouncy. At our second stop at Shark Fin Rock, the fish count AND fish diversity was even greater than at the first stop. Even though I was a little hesitant to get in the water at first since the first stop was a bit cool in terms of water temp 

White Pyramid Butterfly Fish

(yes, the water temp is a little lower here than it is off the Maui coast), as soon as I saw all the fish I forgot about the water temperature. Honestly, there were so many fish I got tired of taking pictures! We saw plenty of white triangle butterfly fish, to, which I guess are really rare over on Maui (I guess so since this is the first time I’ve ever seen them). And again, there was some interesting underwater topography.

Dolphins - Yes, they get even closer.

After Shark Fin Rock, our naturalist, Jackson, told us all about the fish and reef animals. It would otherwise be a boring presentation, but Jackson is clearly passionate about the ocean and that kind of passion makes even the mundane interesting. Unfortunately for Jackson, we were eventually interrupted by a school of spotted dolphin which we were so close to they were literally swimming alongside the boat and jumping out of the water as close as 15 feet away. Wow; best part of the trip. From there we kept heading west along the sea cliffs.

I will admit that our last stop wasn’t too impressive which may have had a lot to do with the weather, although two people did say they spotted eagle rays. I got out of the water just a few minutes too soon, apparently. But after we got out the crew gave us bagged lunches which included turkey and cheese sandwiches, small apples, a bag of mixed nuts, and soda and drinks and fruit which are available throughout the trip. While the food was nothing particularly great – it never is on such tours – it is still nice that it is provided at all. All things considered, I don’t consider the food a letdown at all. At about this time, it’s about 5 hours into the trip and time to head home. True, it’s a long slog back to Lahaina harbor if you don’t get to circumnavigate Lanai as we did not this day due to weather conditions, but that just gives you time to kick back and reflect on the day. The trip was worth every penny.

Anything else to note? Yes, if you think you’re going to get even a little queasy on a small vessel, take some Dramamine first. If you don’t know if you get sea sick, take the Dramamine, ‘cause unless you’re dying, the boat isn’t turning around for you. And bring warm clothes; when you’re wet and the boat is moving fast, it can be quite chilly out there. Got it? Alright then, have fun out there!

Boss Frog’s Frogman II Molokini Snorkel Tour

We certainly got up early for this one since all the reviews I’ve read about snorkel tours out of Maalaea indicated that the parking lot at the harbor fills up fast. We arrived 20 minutes before boarding, though, and parking was easy to find on the far side of the harbor, which meant a three minute walk to the slip. No big deal.

After checking in we found a nice place inside the cabin to sit, though it’s just as nice outside and upfront by the catamaran’s trampoline. The crew had placed some morning eats out which I have to admit were tastier than I expected. I think I eventually ate about half of all the little pieces of cinnamon cake they had. Fortunately, I had time to digest my “breakfast” as the ride out to Molokini took a bit over 45 minutes, time during which the captain was entertaining enough in recanting the ship’s strict rules and pointing out landmarks.

When we got to the crater, we were once again reminded to stay between the boat and the crater wall and not to stray too far to either side where other boats may come in. This resulted in 50 people trying not to kick each other as we got up close and personal with a school of black fish. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be much going on below the surface other than the black fish, and while the visibility is a good distance inside the crater, I didn’t find the coral all that remarkable. The water at Molokini is also noticeably colder than it is near shore, so be aware of that. That being the case, I would advise bringing your own wetsuit or rent one from the crew.

So between the crowd of snorkelers and the lack of marine activity inside the crater, I wasn’t all that impressed. I was more impressed by lunch, which featured cold cuts and drinks that weren’t half bad. We probably stayed at Molokini for 45 minutes, then shoved off for Turtle Town.

What you need to know about Turtle Town is that the location of Turtle Town varies by tour boat; it’s basically wherever the captain says it is which in this case was off Wailea Point. And we caught conditions on the right day as the water was warm and calm at Wailea Point with several turtles to be found. But the reality is, on a good day it would be easy to snorkel to the site where the boat stops halfway between Wailea Beach and Polo Beach. This stop was as good as any other, I suppose, but you needn’t book a snorkel tour to experience it.

After leaving Wailea Point came the best part of the trip, whale watching on the return the Maalaea Harbor. The whales were quite active today and we got a good view of several whales while remaining a respectful distance away. (The same cannot be said for many kayakers and paddleboarders.) Another word of advice: the surf conditions during the return towards Maalaea is often choppy, as winds change by the time you’re four-five hours into your trip. If you’re at all prone to sea sickness or don’t know if you are, please take Dramamine before getting on the boat! You’ll be doing everyone and yourself a favor.

All things considered, this snorkel tour was better as a whale watching tour and if it weren’t for the crew who were all professional, courteous, and entertaining, I may have minded. I wasn’t impressed by Molokini what with the amount of snorkeling I’ve done in my life and turtle town was okay, though I’ve seen more turtles elsewhere. At about $70 per person, I feel we only got our money’s worth because of the whales. If it weren’t whale season, I would have said don’t bother going to Molokini.