What is the best time of day to snorkel in Molokini Crater?

Snorkel in daylight, if possible in the morning before the wind picks up. Currents are often weaker near high slack tide. SnorkelForecast scores each daylight hour for Molokini Crater.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide, within about an hour of the high-tide peak, often has weaker currents. Strong low tides and tidal flow near channels or headlands reduce the score.

MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Molokini Crater Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Sat 20:49 (HST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Poor Data updated Sat 20:49 (HST)

Molokini Crater has no good model window later today. Check the three-day outlook and official beach advisories.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Sat 21:00 (HST)

Later today

No fresh data for this period.

Next three days

Good · 5.7/10

Tue 10:00 (HST)

Model estimates using Open-Meteo; not observations or safety guarantees. Check official advisories and conditions at the beach.

Score: 0.0/10

Best time: -

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

No useful afternoon window is showing yet.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots Tours & water activities

Read the Maui snorkeling guide for coast, access and best-month guidance.

If Molokini is too rough

Skip Molokini today. Go to Maluaka Turtle Town instead.

Maluaka Turtle Town · No recent score South Maui shore when the crater is blown out

Ulua Mokapu Wailea shore reefs, no boat needed
Kaanapali Black Rock West Maui if south swell is the problem

Plan your visit

These notes help with planning. Rules and closures can change.

Open map

AccessMolokini is offshore, so a boat trip is required. The operator controls the departure, return, and water entry.

ParkingParking depends on the harbor used by your operator. Confirm the meeting point before travel day.

ReservationsBook with a permitted operator and ask about weather cancellation rules.

ClosuresThe offshore reserve can be rough even when a beach is calm. Follow the captain and official marine notices.

Marine lifeMolokini Shoal is a Marine Life Conservation District. Do not feed, touch, collect, or injure marine life.

DLNR Molokini Shoal rules

Sunrise

06:22

Sunset

17:59

Water

27.6°C

Max air

25.0°C

Sky

Clear

11% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Mon 10:00 (4% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Saturday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Sunday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Mon 10:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (69 hours)
Tide/current (49 hours)
Darkness (48 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 31/100

Low drift risk now.

warm water supports seasonal jellyfish activity; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Next early morning high tide: Tue 00:00

Mon 11:00, Tue 00:00, Tue 12:00

Bookable snorkel tours near Molokini Crater

Prices and availability from Viator. Check conditions before you book.

We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

SNUBA dive above the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles

Maui: Molokini and Turtle Town Snorkeling aboard Pride of Maui

4.7/5 1289 reviews 5h

From USD 233.00 Check availability

Free cancellation available

2-Hour Molokini Guaranteed Snorkel Trip from Maui

4.9/5 957 reviews 2h

From USD 143.93 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Molokini Crater Snorkel and Turtle Cove High Quality Adventure!

4.9/5 1541 reviews 4h

From USD 205.00 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Maui Afternoon Snorkel Aboard Malolo to Molokini or Coral Gardens

4.4/5 681 reviews 3h

From USD 99.95 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Maui Snorkeling Adventure to Molokini and Turtle Town

4.4/5 2489 reviews 5h 30m

From USD 159.95 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Snorkel at the Molokini Crater Marine Life Conservation Area (accessible only by boat)

Maui: Molokini & Turtle Town Snorkel & Waterslide Adventure

4.8/5 729 reviews 5h

From USD 196.88 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Nearby snorkel spot map

Compare nearby spot forecasts for later today before choosing a beach.

Ahihi Kinau Unknown No recent score Honolua Bay Unknown No recent score Kaanapali Beach Unknown No recent score Kaanapali Black Rock Unknown No recent score Kapalua Bay Unknown No recent score Maluaka Turtle Town Unknown No recent score Napili Bay Unknown No recent score Ulua Mokapu Unknown No recent score

Forecast spot map

Use the map to see where the compared spots sit. Open a card for the hourly forecast.

This is a location diagram, not a marine chart. Check the shore and local signs in person.

Nearby alternatives in USA

Maluaka Turtle Town

6 km away

✅ Good

Ahihi Kinau

7 km away

✅ Good

Ulua Mokapu

8 km away

✅ Good

Hawaii

13 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Wed 21:00 – Sat 21:00 (HST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.42 around Thu 07:00; 7 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.24m to 1.4m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 9/24 sampled hours (range 4.2 to 8.08m/s).

Tides range from 0.24m to 0.95m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Wed 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
Daylight (10%): visibility is better in daylight, so night hours score lower.

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Wed 21:00	1.40 · high	5.15 · good	28.00 · good	Poor
Wed 22:00	1.40 · high	4.96 · good	28.00 · good	Poor
Wed 23:00	1.38 · high	5.22 · good	28.00 · good	Poor
Thu 00:00	1.38 · high	5.30 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Thu 01:00	1.38 · high	5.60 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 02:00	1.38 · high	6.20 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 03:00	1.36 · high	5.48 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 04:00	1.36 · high	4.77 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 05:00	1.34 · high	4.46 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 06:00	1.34 · high	4.45 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 07:00	1.34 · high	4.20 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Thu 08:00	1.34 · high	5.24 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Thu 09:00	1.34 · high	6.12 · high	27.80 · good	Fair
Thu 10:00	1.36 · high	6.19 · high	27.80 · good	Fair
Thu 11:00	1.36 · high	6.05 · high	27.80 · good	Fair
Thu 12:00	1.34 · high	6.06 · high	27.90 · good	Fair
Thu 13:00	1.34 · high	6.60 · high	27.90 · good	Fair
Thu 14:00	1.32 · high	8.08 · high	27.90 · good	Poor
Thu 15:00	1.30 · high	8.00 · high	27.90 · good	Poor
Thu 16:00	1.30 · high	7.72 · high	27.90 · good	Poor
Thu 17:00	1.28 · high	7.09 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 18:00	1.26 · high	6.49 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 19:00	1.26 · high	5.69 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 20:00	1.24 · high	5.70 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 21:00	1.22 · high	4.87 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 22:00	1.22 · high	4.67 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Thu 23:00	1.20 · high	4.35 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 00:00	1.20 · high	3.93 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 01:00	1.20 · high	3.67 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 02:00	1.18 · high	4.54 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 03:00	1.18 · high	4.44 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 04:00	1.16 · high	4.46 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 05:00	1.16 · high	4.19 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 06:00	1.16 · high	3.97 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 07:00	1.14 · high	4.16 · good	27.70 · good	Fair
Fri 08:00	1.18 · high	2.65 · good	27.70 · good	Fair
Fri 09:00	1.18 · high	2.54 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Fri 10:00	1.18 · high	3.06 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Fri 11:00	1.18 · high	3.50 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Fri 12:00	1.18 · high	3.65 · good	27.90 · good	Fair
Fri 13:00	1.18 · high	3.85 · good	27.90 · good	Fair
Fri 14:00	1.18 · high	4.65 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Fri 15:00	1.18 · high	4.75 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Fri 16:00	1.20 · high	4.81 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Fri 17:00	1.20 · high	5.32 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Fri 18:00	1.20 · high	5.49 · high	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 19:00	1.18 · high	5.33 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 20:00	1.18 · high	5.26 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 21:00	1.18 · high	4.46 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Fri 22:00	1.18 · high	3.79 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Fri 23:00	1.18 · high	2.79 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 00:00	1.18 · high	2.26 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 01:00	1.16 · high	2.32 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 02:00	1.16 · high	3.94 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 03:00	1.16 · high	3.31 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 04:00	1.14 · high	2.80 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 05:00	1.14 · high	2.28 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 06:00	1.14 · high	2.38 · good	27.70 · good	Poor
Sat 07:00	1.08 · high	4.10 · good	27.70 · good	Fair
Sat 08:00	1.06 · high	4.01 · good	27.70 · good	Fair
Sat 09:00	1.06 · high	3.27 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Sat 10:00	1.06 · high	3.17 · good	27.80 · good	Fair
Sat 11:00	1.06 · high	4.56 · good	27.90 · good	Fair
Sat 12:00	1.06 · high	5.91 · high	27.90 · good	Fair
Sat 13:00	1.08 · high	5.76 · high	28.00 · good	Fair
Sat 14:00	1.08 · high	5.15 · good	28.00 · good	Poor
Sat 15:00	1.08 · high	5.05 · good	28.00 · good	Poor
Sat 16:00	1.06 · high	5.00 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Sat 17:00	1.06 · high	4.59 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Sat 18:00	1.06 · high	5.13 · good	27.90 · good	Poor
Sat 19:00	1.04 · high	4.31 · good	27.80 · good	Poor
Sat 20:00	1.04 · high	4.12 · good	27.80 · good	Poor