When we told our friends and family that we were going to Maui, almost everyone told us to snorkel.
It was one of the first activities that we booked and was something Aamir and I were really looking forward.
A chance to be close to nature and experience the ocean’s marine life without any barriers in their natural habitat?
Sign us up!
Oh yeah… did we mention this was our FIRST time EVER?
Yup, we, as in Aamir and Sophie, were going swimming in the actual ocean.
Let’s Go!!! ( with noodles, not by choice)
Booking Our Excursion
As a rule, whenever there is an activity that we know is popular, we try to book it in advance. Doing this helps us plan the rest of our day and get an idea about what activities we will be doing throughout our trip and get an idea about how much money we’re spending.
After looking at reviews and going over our options,we booked a snorkel tour that was scheduled to take us to Molokini and Turtle town. We ended up paying USD180 for both of us.
The booking process was seamless and we got our vouchers via email immediately. The company that sold us our tour was Boss Frog’s Dive and Surf and the actual boat belonged to Malolo Charters.
You can check out Boss Frogs’ Website Here to book your excursion or get more info 🙂
Our Tour
We booked an early morning tour after reading reviews from others who had done the excursion. We also wanted to make sure we were utilizing our time to the max.
The morning excursion allowed us to enjoy the full snorkeling experience and still be back into the city around noon.
This is a great option if you have plans for the afternoon or if like us, you want to have the luxury of just having the time on our side.
As travelers, we always like to have a happy mix of structure in our schedule as well as some free time so that if we hear of an exciting activity or fall in love with a place, we are not stressed about missing a planned excursion.
The Day of The Excursion
As luck would have it, we experienced amazing weather during our entire trip, BUT the day that we had booked for our excursion. Aamir was watching the weather forecast (it’s literally one of his favorite pastimes, no joke) and he mentioned that we may have extremely high winds.
Lo and behold, for once the weather system was accurate and we had some crazy gusty winds.
I had researched extensively about what happens if there is bad weather, and the site stated they go to alternate snorkeling locations if the ones that are originally planned are no safe for anchor.
The port that we left from is famous for being one of the windiest ports in the world and yes, it lived up to its reputation. We had rented a Jeep Wrangler for our trip and we had a hard time opening and closing the doors due to the strength of the winds.
It was cold and crazy windy. We have never in our lives seen winds that strong that were not part of a storm. Safe to say, wear a sweater.
Packing for the Excursion
We scoured the internet to find a list of some sort of items to bring and we ended up picking up bits and pieces and making our own list. Based on our experience, we came up with the list of items that we felt were extremely helpful during the excursion.
Also to note; You can rent an underwater camera as well as wetsuits from the boat. Sophie purchased her rash guard shirt and leggings before our trip as she was going to utilize them on the beach as well.
We also invested in an underwater camera because … blogs you know… Aamir did not get a wet suit and even in mid- December the water was comfortable enough for him to snorkel with just his swimming trunks. As long as you are not sensitive to the sun or get extremely cold you should be fine.
The have adult and children’s sizes available so, if you are in a pinch, know that they are available on the boat.
Parking
You can park near the dock for a fee or you can park behind the Maui Ocean Center for free. The center is a bit of a walk but its not terrible and as long as you are not traveling with someone that is old or injured, it’s an easy trek.
Registration
When we showed up to the dock, we were met by a crew member who had release forms for us to sign. The process was smooth and took less than 5 min. Allowing us ample time to enjoy the scenery(or in our case the crazy winds). There was a small table with hot beverages that guest could enjoy while waiting to board the ship.
The Boat
The original boat that we had paid for was not able to go to sea so we were actually upgraded to the Calypso. It was a nice enough boat. It was 3 floors of seating with 2 bathrooms.
There is no flushing mechanism in the bathrooms on this particular vessel so know that when you want to use the facilities you will be using a trash can to dispose of your toilet paper so after a while there may be a smell.
The Crew
The crew was great. All the crew was personable and extremely helpful. It was really nice for us because neither of us had ever properly snorkeled in an ocean so to have crew members that were patient, informative and helpful is a huge brownie point for this trip.
They were attentive in handing out the equipment as well as helping all the guest get measured for the fins and showing how to use the mouth pieces the correct way.
Even in the water, there were designated crew members ensuring that everyone was being safe and passing out noodles and other water support. They were also instrumental in making sure the guest didn’t venture too close to the reefs, helping to keep the beautiful natural underwater environment and its residents safe.
Breakfast
As was advertised, we were given a continental breakfast that had pastries, fruit, muffins, donuts, and eggs. There was a beverage station that had juices, coffee and hot cocoa as well.
We decided that since the water was extremely choppy and we knew we would be in the water for a long time, we would go easy on breakfast even though we were sorely tempted to eat more. Boy are we glad, as we would soon find out, the ocean was better explored on an empty stomache.
The Actual Excursion
The captain kept a constant flow of conversation and information going about the surrounding area as well as our location and general trip information. The ride towards the first snorkel site was stunning. We were one of the first to board the boat so we were able to grab seats right at the front of the boat.
Granted it was also freezing and before sunrise so most of the other passengers preferred indoor seating, but I promise it was worth the early moments of chilly weather once we were out on the water in the sun with unobstructed views.
The distance to the first site was about an hour and half and the time we spent en-route was relaxing as we enjoyed the weather, looked for whales, and listened to the crew members explain about snorkeling and the gear.
Gearing Up
As part of the cost of our tickets, we received our fins as well as the snorkel. The helpful crew came around and helped fit us according to our shoe size. They also showed us how to make sure the mask is fitted properly to avoid getting water inside and securing proper suction.
Any little bit of help is always appreciated when you are new and honestly a little nervous about trying something new.
The Snorkel Sites
As I mentioned before, the weather was not favorable for going into Molokini because of the strong winds.The captain had mentioned that he would do his best to take the boat to Molokini, but if the winds and water didn’t calm down, we would have to go to an alternative site. We were optimistic but unfortunately, we had to go to an alternative site. The sites we ended up going to were nice, we saw plenty of fish but no sea turtles (Aamir was super bummed).
The experience was amazing. The sense of calm when you are in the water is something you truly have to experience and is almost hard to put into words. Fish of all varieties fearlessly swam around us. We were awestruck at how close the fish were to us and how unaffected they were by our presence. It goes to show that the marine life has been nurtured and kept safe. It was an extremely humbling experience for both of us. Aamir left the experience constantly saying how being in an ocean puts life into perspective
Lunch
We had read beforehand that we would be offered a sandwich station and a simple side dish. We had called before hand to ask if there were any seafood options and they said no. They did have a vegetarian pasta option which we sampled.
The food was just ok.
We were not expecting a gourmet meal and we had gone into this excursion knowing we would be grabbing lunch when we got off the boat.
Boat Activities
Since we went into this excursion knowing that the food was going to be average, we had already planned to spend the time enjoying the boats built in slide and diving deck when the boat was anchored.
Safe to say, There is NOTHING like jumping into the ocean. We highly recommend that everyone try this at least once in their lifetime! YOLO
Final Thoughts
Despite the inclement weather, which was obviously no one’s fault (we can’t have beef with God) the entire experience was great. We would absolutely recommend that everyone experience snorkeling whenever they have the opportunity. The icing on the cake is when you have a stunning ocean to explore.
We hope you have a chance to be a guest in the ocean and enjoy the deep-water hospitality as much as we did.
Xoxo-Sophie and Aamir
Let us know if you have any questions. We would love to do our best to get answers for you before you venture out. We love getting feedback and ways to make our articles better for you. So let us know how we’re doing!
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17 Comments
I can’t wait to go back to Maui! We have snorkeled on our own the last 2 trips, but I think we finally need to book an excursion! You get to see so much more! Thanks for sharing!
I can’t believe that was your first time! So glad you loved the experience! I’ve been snorkelling and swimming in the sea since I could walk and always love it. Looks like an incredible destination and it makes such a difference when the crew are friendly and helpful!
It was an such a fun new experience for us! Im originally from Houston and while the BBQ is amazing, the water for snorkeling.. lol not so much. Maui has spoiled us and now were excited to go to some more beautiful locations.
I loved Maui when I visited it several years ago, but never went on a snorkelling trip! I enjoyed the list of things to bring with you to the boat, it’s always easy to forget something, for example, I would totally forget about safe sunscreen for the reefs.
oh yay! Im glad you found the list helpful. We will try to make sure to add more useful list to our other post as well. And yes, next time you go back we highly recommend snorkeling 🙂
You guys make me want to go back to Maui and try this! (Despite my irrational fear of water). Loved Maui in general though – I could SO use a mini vacation there right now 🙁 will try this the next time we go!
Aww yay! We’re glad you enjoyed the post. We have soo many things we want to go back and do as well 🙂 Maui really is magical. You never really can get enough!
Wow sounds like you both had a great time ! We have been wanting to plan a trip to Hawaii for so long ! This is definitely something we would love to experience but not knowing how to swim kind of scares us but maybe one day we can try ! Thanks for all the helpful tips and sharing your experience!
We are soo glad that you enjoyed the post! Even though we are both experienced swimmers, it was still a little scary when we went into the ocean. Totally worth it! We hope you get a chance to experience MAui first had sooon!
Oh wow! I love snorkeling and this sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the tips and recommendations 💛
It was SOOO much fun!! All the hype was totally true and snorkeling makes our list for things to do whenever we go to a beautiful island. We are glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
I was wondering what time of year you went when you said you chose a morning tour as it is always cooler in the morning. I really want to go to Maui and snorkel so your article is a great resource with a lot of important details about what to bring and how to prepare. Thanks!
Hi Robyn, We went in December! We were a little worried because everywhere else in the world that above the eqator its normally freezing, but no the water was great! Even when we went to the beaches the weather was stunning. We hope you do get a chance to experience Maui, we are glad this post helped. We have other post about our Maui trip coming up so stay tuned, hopefully your itinerary will be sorted out easily and you will enjoy as much as we did 🙂
I did snorkeling for the first time around 10 years back and it was an amazing and unique experience. Watching the incredible sea life was something that exceeded my expectations. Would love to do it again someday!
For sure, it was amazing to see all the forms of life that are living in the water! It was great to see that they were being taken care of by the locals are were not afraid of a bunch of humans floundering around! Hopefully we all get a chance to safely experience it again!
One of the big reasons we would visit Hawaii would be to enjoy the underwater world. We would certainly go snorkelling in Maui. But would also look for options for scuba diving. We too generally book this for the morning so we can enjoy the rest of our day. Always a challenge when the wind kicks up. But glad you had a great day on the water.
This tour also had snooba options but yes, if you are certified, scuba diving around this area would be amazingg! The morning tour was a gift for us since we did get to spend the rest of the day enjoying the island. afternoon excursions are a mess when it comes to planning the rest of day around them. We hope you get a chance to experience Maui first hand 🙂