One of the most unique places you can snorkel on Maui is actually off Maui, on Lanai! Just 8.8 miles across the channel is the Pineapple Isle – Maui’s closest neighbor island. Now home to two opulent resorts with their own golf courses, Lanai used to be agricultural land for the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Long before that, it was one of the banishment sites for Maui’s lawbreakers. (The other island used for that purpose was Kaho’olawe.) Today, the Quicksilver catamaran’s Lanai snorkeling tour gives you the chance to visit this incredible place.

The nearshore waters of this island are home to sheer cliffs, craggy rocks, and coral reefs full of colorful marine life. A large pod of spinner dolphins lives offshore and spends a considerable amount of time in the channel. It is very common for our guests to witness these incredible marine mammals diving, leaping, and swimming powerfully alongside the boat! Because the island is not as developed as Maui, Oahu, or Kauai, and the human population is small, the corals and other reef life have more space and time to thrive. You will love exploring the snorkel sites here. Whether you get the chance to see the wide-ranging coral reef of Manele Bay, or the unique reef life surrounding Shark Fin Rock, this Lanai snorkeling tour will leave you with lasting marine life memories.

You’ll board Quicksilver at Mas'alaea Harbor in the morning, when the seas and breeze are usually calm. While sitting on either of our two decks in comfort on the west shore of Maui, if you squint and look across the Maui Nui Basin, you can almost see Manele Bay on the south shore of Lanai. Shark Fin Rock, on the other hand, is not at all visible until your double-decked vessel rounds the west coast of the island, and brings you past even more amazing landforms. Some, like Sweetheart Rock, come to us steeped in Hawaiian legend. Quicksilver’s engaging captain and crew – always full of aloha – will bring these ancient tales to life as they narrate your time at sea.

This family-friendly Lanai snorkeling tour is sure to satisfy everyone, from first-timers to those more experienced with the thrilling sport. All snorkel gear, flotation devices, and snorkel instruction is included on Quicksilver. You can rent wetsuits and underwater cameras! There is also an exciting water slide, and a freshwater shower to rinse off the salt.