How to Go Snorkeling Off the Coast of Lānaʻi (from Maui)

Do you love snorkeling and are looking for a tour alternative to the Molokini and Turtle Town options (hopefully because you already did one because it is epic!)? If so, I highly suggest booking a trip to go snorkeling in Lānaʻi… but from Maui!

In this guide, I cover everything to know before booking a Lānaʻi snorkeling trip from Maui, including what to expect, the best tour to book, and some tips for your trip.

I also want to note before getting started that this doubles as a dolphin-watching trip, so it is more than just snorkeling off the coast of Lānaʻi. (Spoiler: I saw no dolphins but I saw plenty of humpback whales as I went during the breeding season).

Please note that this tour is for everyone who can swim – no matter whether you’re a newbie or someone who has been brought up in the water.

If you have any questions, please drop them in the comments and I will answer as soon as I can.

Why I Booked This Lānaʻi Snorkel and Dolphin Watch from Maui

Hawaii is unbelievably beautiful, but a lot of its most jaw-dropping spots are under the sea and can only be reached by diving into its blue waters.

I had already done a Molokini and Turtle Town snorkeling adventure from Māʻalaea and I was excited to try my hands at a trip to the coast of Lānaʻi. Lānaʻi is renowned for having some of the best reefs due to low pollution runoff from the island, meaning far less bleaching than some other parts of Hawaii.

Alongside the tour and snorkel offerings, I was keen to do a tour with a company that had a positive reputation in terms of sustainability and eco-friendliness. PAC Whale Eco Adventures (Pacific Whale Foundation) was just the company and they have a focus on protecting Hawaii’s natural beauty and the wildlife that calls it home (especially whales).

The staff onboard are all naturalists with various qualifications in marine studies and all profits from the tours are funneled into their research and conservation projects led by the Pacific Whale Foundation.

How to Book a Snorkeling Trip to Lānaʻi

Duration: 5 hours
Departure Point: Māʻalaea Harbor on Maui
Hotel Pickup and Drop-off: No
➡️ BOOK HERE

Booking this tour was super simple and I did it through Viator’s online reservation platform. I find Viator simple to use and the best option for those looking to book multiple tours on your trip. All tours are in one place and you only have to insert your credit card once, and with an internationally known and respected company.

Once on the tour’s page, you will need to select your dates and the number of people joining you. From there, you can choose to pay now or later. If you are booking this tour last minute or within 6 days of its departure, you will only have the option to ‘Pay Now’.

After booking your tour, you will get a confirmation and a waiver will be sent over from the Pacific Whale Foundation that needs to be filled out before your tour. If you forget, no worries! You can do it upon arrival, but it can delay the boat from leaving.

This tour does NOT depart daily like other tours on Maui. It tends to run two days a week, but it is hard to get out to Lānaʻi in other ways, so recommend shifting activities on your trip if this is on your bucket list of things to do.

Meeting Point & Departure Notes

This tour leaves from Māʻalaea Harbor these days. It used to leave from Lāhainā Harbor, but after the fires and their tragic destruction, the Pacific Whale Foundation relocated to Māʻalaea. You will check in at the Pacific Whale Foundation retail shop at the Māʻalaea Harbor Shops. It is right next to the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium and there is a large parking lot there.

Since the boat leaves at 7 am from Māʻalaea Harbor, you will need to be there bright and early. They ask you to show up 45 minutes before to get everything sorted and your waiver turned in.

There may be other tours departing at the same time, so get in line and check in! They may also put a colored stamp on your wrist to indicate the boat you will take if multiple tours are departing at the same time. From there, you will head to the harbor and hop on board!

Once at the harbor area (or even in the shop), you may have the chance to rent a GoPro for the day if you don’t bring your own.

You will also have your photo taken before getting on board – you can purchase this as a souvenir from your trip when it is over. These photos also help the crew know who is on which boat, so it is required to take it even if you do not believe you will purchase it later.

After arriving on board, the crew will fit you for a snorkel and flippers if you do not bring your own.

Your Lānaʻi snorkel adventure will arrive back at the same place you started.

My Experience Snorkeling in Lānaʻi from Maui

I loved this experience so much! Here are a few notes and expectations from my time with the Pacific Whale Foundation.

After getting settled on board, we were served breakfast and headed out to Lānaʻi, where we had an hour of snorkeling. If the crew sees any dolphins or whales (during whale watching season), they will stop so you can check them out before continuing to Lānaʻi’s pristine waters.

Once done snorkeling, you will sail between Maui and Lānaʻi, keeping an eye out for more dolphins and whales. If spotted (fingers crossed!), the boat will try to get to a respectably safe spot for you to watch.

In addition to snorkeling and wildlife watching, there are various talks and presentations on board about the marine life you witnessed above and below the water. Since everyone on board worked in conservation or had an expertise background, I found this super cool and unlike any tour I had previously done!

Here are a few highlights from my Lānaʻi snorkel trip:

The Snorkeling

The reefs in Hawaii are not renowned for being abundant with fish given their remote location, but they are definitely beautiful! The reefs in Lānaʻi have, fortunately, not suffered as badly as other reefs in Hawaii from coral bleaching. As you swim around the reef, you can keep a mental note of what you see because there will be a presentation on board later about the creatures!

I did not see any sea turtles or baby sharks, but others in my group did. The crew told us that if we listened very carefully, we could hear the humpback whales singing!

We had a full hour to enjoy snorkeling in the waters of Lanai and during this time, they will start preparing food for lunch. If you get back on board and enjoy the alcohol you bring (this is a BYOB tour), they will take away your snorkel equipment, and your time in the water is done.

The Crew

While the experiences made this tour epic, it was the crew who was responsible for elevating it all. There were only 27 of us on the boat that day since a larger group failed to show up which made it a more personal experience. I can’t say how it would have felt if the group of 40 had shown up.

The crew was made up of scientists and researchers who were able to answer pretty much any question you had! And the visual presentation they gave with the fish, creatures, and other wildlife you saw was excellent. They end it by giving a presentation about whales and dolphins.

The Whales

My tour did not see any dolphins on the day we went out. However, we saw numerous humpback whales, including a pod of 5 males. I took the tour at the end of whale watching season, so it was pretty unusual to see this behavior and the guide said it was the first time in a month she had seen this many whales hanging out together.

Once we spotted the whales, we tracked them from a safe distance and admired them in their natural habitat for around 30 minutes. The crew talked about what the male whales do to attract the females.

Humpback whales only travel to Hawaiian waters to give birth and breed. While whale watching season lasts for a few months, each whale only spends a couple of weeks in Hawaii before returning north to their feeding grounds with their new calves.

The Food

I didn’t have any expectations for food on this tour as the food on other snorkeling tours I took in Hawaii had been a bit underwhelming. Turns out, the food on this one was really good!

Breakfast was pretty simple, consisting of fruit and pastries with hot drinks available. For lunch, there was grilled chicken, vegan burgers, and hot dogs. A range of salads accompanied them.

Who Can’t Take This Snorkeling and Wildlife Watching Tour

This tour is not wheelchair-chair accessible and is also not recommended for those with serious medical conditions.

Swimmers of all levels can join as the boat has floatation devices onboard which will keep you safe and allow you to see the coral yourself. There is also a certified lifeguard on board who will keep an eye on the water.

What Is Included in the Tour

On the tour, you will find the following things included for free or a small surcharge:

✅ Optical Masks: They have optical masks but you will need to know your prescription. I am nearsighted and didn’t have an issue with my vision underwater and did not use an optical mask.

✅ Wetsuits: These are actually for a small surcharge (but good if you get cold easily).

✅ Vaseline: This is good for those of you with beards (like me). It helps keep your mask sealed to your face.

✅ Defogger: They have one available to keep your masks fog-free.

✅ Floatation Devices: Not a confident swimmer? No worries – they have plenty of floatation devices ready to help you get in the water and enjoy the experience!

✅ GoPro Rental: As mentioned earlier, you can rent a GoPro. They were $50 to rent when I went and this allows you to keep the memory card and two memory card readers that they come with (one can be plugged into the base of your phone to upload directly there). Honestly, this was an incredible deal but I had brought two of my own GoPros along for the snorkeling trip, so I didn’t rent one.

✅ Breakfast and lunch: Both were included in the price.

What to Bring on Your Tour

Here are a few things I recommend bringing with you for the trip:

• Swimwear
• Towel (I like Turkish towels as they are lightweight and take up less space than traditional ones)
• UV protection rashguard (helps protect against the sun’s rays without having to bathe in reef-friendly sunscreen all day)
• Reef-safe sunscreen (Hawaii has banned the sale of sunscreens with reef-damaging ingredients – I recommend purchasing this in Hawaii and not bringing it with you. You Can also purchase it onboard the boat for about $17 for 4oz.)
• Camera (bring a waterproof case if your camera is not waterproof)
• Alcoholic beverages (this is a BYOB tour but note that you can’t go in the water after consuming alcohol)

Lānaʻi Snorkeling Tour from Kāʻanapali Beach

If you are unable to get to Māʻalaea Harbor – totally understandable! There is an option for a tour to take to Lānaʻi from Kāʻanapali Beach and the Lāhainā area. I have not personally taken this tour so I don’t know how it is, but the snorkeling should be somewhat the same as what I did.

This tour is operated by Diver Dans Specialty Charters and lasts for around 4 hours and 15 minutes (Kāʻanapali Beach is closer than Māʻalaea to Lānaʻi). You will also have the chance to see dolphins and whales (during whale season which is December until mid-May).

This snorkeling tour will depart from Whaler’s Village in Kāʻanapali and gets excellent reviews! It is a great option for those without a rental car or unwilling to drive to Māʻalaea for a trip to Lānaʻi!

Do you have any questions about booking a Lānaʻi snorkeling tour from Māʻalaea Harbor? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!