Best Places To Dive In Maui - Molokini Crater

Overall Rating = 3.75 out of 5

Molokini Crater is among the best dives if not the best dive in Maui County. The scuba diving site is only reachable by boat and is at the remains of an extinct volcano. The remaining curved rim of the volcano "cone" rises above the sea some 165 feet. The small island lies in Alalakeiki Channel between Maui and Kahoolawe islands. The inner dive sites on the crater face to the north and are only 25 minutes from Wailea. If you happen to be curious about some history regarding Molokini Crater there is a brief article written by Edward L Caum, entitled "Geology of Molokini" and that was published in 1930. There are a few "plate" pictures incorporated in the article and it is intriguing to contrast the older images with the crater today. Molokini Crater was established as a Marine Preserve (MLCD) in the summer of 1977 and contains some of the most pristine hard reefs in Hawaii and is a great spot for underwater photographs.

The ride coming from Lahina Harbor takes in the region of 45 minutes and if you are apt to get sea sick, you should drive around 45 minutes or an hour to the Wailea side of Maui where you can take a very straightforward boat ride to the Molokini Crater Lahina Divers is one of the recommended Scuba Diving Operators on the island but when you opt to use them you must take a forty five minute boat ride to the Crater.. If you desire you can use a scuba diving operator that departs from the Wailea side of Maui. If you are staying in Wailea this would certainly be the recommended tactic, even though the boats are apt to be smaller and there is one operator on that side which many divers commonly refer to as the "Scuba Nazi". So be thorough vis--vis the operator that you pick. Be positive you view the assesments and the gear utilized by each of the dive operators. The boats which depart from Wailea are usually somewhat small and crowded if the number of divers is greater than 10 on the boat and on many of these boats there is not much if any room to move about.

Overview of the Dive

Access - Moderate to Moderately Difficult to reach the site; boat only (You should not take a boat from Lahaina if you get seasick - 45 minute boat ride);
Depth to 125+ft
Visibility - good to excellent
Current - mild to extremely strong at the edges of the crater
Marine Species variety - good; normally White-tip Reef Sharks at about 110 feet on the eastern side of the volcano
Reef health - good to very good

Scuba Diving Molokini Crater is surely the top boat dive on the island of Maui. You need to go to Lanai or Molokai to discover superior deep water dive sites. The clarity of the water is usually very good at Molokini and there are a a number of dive sites on the volcano on the outside of the crescent shape crater and on the interior of the crater.

Enenue - Inside eastern tip of the crescent, Middle Reef - Inside just to the east of the middle of the crescent and closer to the cone, Tako Flats - Inside on the western side of the crescent, Reef's End - Far western end of the crescent and The Back Side - Outside or on the back of the crescent

Once scuba diving within the volcano crater one of the better dive sites is towards the eastern rim of the crater - Enenue. On this scuba diving site at approximately 120 feet you can find a series of small clefts in the coral which tend to house several White-tip Reef Sharks. While you are swimming down and back up after visiting the "condos" there is an excellent selection of marine species. You may come across Butterflyfishes, Wrasses, Damselfishes, Eels, and Crustaceans throughout the crater. You may also come across sea turtles on a normal basis and on a very exceptional chance Humpback whales are seen by scuba divers at the crater.

The current might be relatively strong on the exterior sides of the volcano, consequently do not go outside the crater for any cause if your group is diving the "inside". The current at the edges can take a scuba diver quite a distance in an incredibly short time period. For that reason you are required to have an emergency flotation device for this dive and be familiar with how to operate it. If you happen to be diving inside the crater you should rarely have much if any current and even if the ocean is rough the volcano protects the inside scuba diving sites reasonably well.

In sandy areas around the volcano you can frequently find Freckled Snake Eels, consequently take your time during this dive and in addition make sure you "look" into the vast expanse of the ocean away from the volcano where you can often glimpse different varieties of sharks and on particularly awesome dive you may even see a Humpback Whale. When you are diving in whale season (December to April/May) be certain you listen for the whale song. In February to early April you can hear many different whales singing to each other. It surely makes the dive a lot more interesting.

Check out other underwater photography images on Smeltzer's website or visit his blog or follow him on Twitter @ images2inspire. The pool is open...