The backside, also a great spot for scuba diving, drops off to over 200 feet pretty instantly and is a great place to see some larger fish and ride the “elevator,” a spot where the waves lift you up right next to the crater without ever crashing you directly into it. When we were ready to move on, Kiki steered us to the backside of Molokini and shared a little about the historical significance of the crater, which was used as target practice in WWII by the U.S. The visibility is 180 feet, creating picture perfect opportunities for snorkelers to see hundreds of tropical fish and the beautiful coral reef below. If you’ve never been to Molokini, you’re in for a real treat. Fresh fruit and yummy cinnamon rolls were served for breakfast, which we happily enjoyed in the early morning daylight while admiring views of Maui, Lana’i, Kahoolawe, and Molokai in the distance. The best thing about leaving early, and especially on a boat that gets you to Molokini Crater in almost no time at all, is that you arrive pretty much before everyone else and can enjoy the site to yourself. We arrived at 6:30 and met Kiki and Sean, our guides for the day, who greeted us with smiles, kindly pointed us toward the coffee and geared us up with shortie wetsuits. The morning starts early with Redline, leaving promptly at 7:00am from the Kihei Boat Ramp, an especially convenient spot for those of you living or vacationing on the South side of the island. The Redline raft is a smaller, bumpier, and much more intimate way to tour the ocean, putting you only a couple feet above the passing waves and taking you to more sites than any other boat on the island. The final snorkel spot at Makena had less clear waters, but did offer a lot of large sea turtles to swim near.I’ve been on my fair share of snorkeling tours, but when I found out I was going on the Forbidden Coast & Molokini tour with Redline Rafting, I was instantly excited. On the way to our last stop, Makena Surf (to see turtles), we spotted some Bottlenose Dolphins, so the pilot took a slight detour, and stopped the boat to allow us to view these beautiful creatures up close, as they kept swimming and diving near our boat. Then we traveled to La Perouse Bay, and the journey was as much fun as the snorkeling, splashing through wave after wave - it felt like a great rollercoaster ride! La Perouse provided a greater variety of fish to swim with. Not many fish, but amazing geology to take in. Because the rafts are smaller, they are able to go around to the backside of the crater, which is another cool spot. Molokini crater offers exceptional snorkeling, with crystal clear water and teams of colorful fish swimming and feeding on coral. We were there about an hour, and left as the larger boats were arriving, so we had the waters mostly to ourselves. This was an amazing experience, and with Johnny and Allie as our tour guides, we all had an incredible time, and learned as we had fun! We did the 7AM tour, which I highly recommend, as you get to Molokini Crater first, before the hordes of larger boats unload dozens of snorkelers. Well done Shaun and Allie - you helped create some great memories for us! Be sure to book early as the demand is high. This was the best excursion of our trip to Maui. Add in couple of additional stops and you have a solid half day adventure. That's a big deal as the experience is completely unique to that of the front side. Molokini is a terrific snorkeling experience and this tour gives you exclusive access to the back side of the crater as well. This ride will rattle your teeth on occasion. Be aware - if you have back issues or problems with a rough and bouncy ride, you may want to consider an alternate tour. It was also a fun ride between stops - complete with a great soundtrack to accompany our journey between snorkeling destinations. It was roomy enough yet kept the group relatively small for the trip. First of all, we loved the vessel used on this tour. We were fortunate on our recent tour to have great guides (Shaun and Allie) that kept the mood light, fun, and taught us some things along the way. Trips like these are very much dependent on your guides - they can make or break your experience.
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