About 20 years ago, long before I finally got certified to scuba dive, my family went to Maui and we snorkeled at Molokini — an underwater volcanic crater that is protected from fishing, so it’s basically like swimming in an aquarium.

Toby and I thought about diving at Molokini the last time we went to Maui, but instead decided to check out the Cathedrals and Mala Pier. This time, Molokini was a must-do, so we signed up for a trip with the same company that took us to the Cathedrals.

The trip from Lahaina takes about an hour, and it can be a little rough. But the water was pretty calm once we arrived, and it was extremely clear — you could see all the way to the bottom.

We saw tons and tons of gorgeous fish, as well as this horrifying creature:

And a big barracuda, which I got pretty close to. He had scary teeth.

I guess turtles don’t really hang out at Molokini, sadly, but we heard some dolphins and saw the tail of a small shark (he was hiding under some coral).

 

Our guide, Josie, was really great — and she took all these amazing photos. She also brought a little white board so she could write the names of different fish on it for us when we saw them. Of course, I didn’t really remember any by the time we got back to the surface, because there were just so. many. fish.

We did see Nemo, though.

It was a great experience, even though we got totally soaked on the way home and thought we were going to fly off the boat. Pro tip: Sitting on the top deck is not recommended. But I would recommend Lahaina Divers if you’re in Maui and in the market for a scuba trip. And ask for Josie! Just make sure you work on your underwater posing skills first… ours are apparently a little rusty.