Paragon II at Molokini

Rating: 4.85 out of 5 stars
^{*how we rate vendors}

Rated #1 Molokini Snorkel Boat

In a nutshell: These guys really know how to sail!
Minuses: Food is a lower priority than beer. (Maybe that’s a plus?!?”)
Sound-bite: “They raised the sails quickly and we were soon traveling at 20 knots!”

Location:		Maalaea & Lahaina Harbors
Phone:		808-244-2087
Website:		www.sailmaui.com
Price:		$50 - $150

Description:
Paragon has two high-performance sailing catamarans, Paragon I and Paragon II.

Paragon II, which sails out of Maalaea Harbor won our award for #1 Sailing Snorkel to Molokini. Both boats do a lot of real sailing, which sets them above the competition who mostly rely on motors to get around. I've got two friends who sail extensively that have both been on Paragon and both rave about their skill and enthusiasm. Similar sentiments are echoed from visitors.

Tours Offered:

Molokini during rush hour ;-) (Photo: Ron Garnett/HTA)

Molokini Snorkel & Performance Sail (Paragon II sailing out of Maalaea)
5-hour performance sail, snorkel and whale/dolphin/turtle watch. Breakfast & lunch are included.

Many vendors offer snorkel trips to Molokini Crater; the factors that went into rating them #1 are:

~ More personal size (read: you won't be herded around like cattle.)
~ They let you explore and don't have to force you to stay close to the boat.
~ You'll have a blast sailing instead of motoring.
~ Whale watching, dolphin & turtle sightings are a shared focus of the sailing portion, not an afterthought - so you'll stop, linger and enjoy when the show is good.
~ Maalaea harbor is less crowded and closer to Molokini than Lahaina Harbor.

Coral Gardens Afternoon Sail & Snorkel (Paragon II sailing out of Maalaea)
3-hour hour trip to a snorkel spot tucked inside the cliffs between Maalaea and Lahaina. Snacks are included.

Lana'i Snorkel, Beach Picnic & Sail (Paragon I sailing out of Lahaina)
7-hour performance sail to Manale Bay on Lana'i. The bay is a marine preserve and is well known for large quantities of spinner dolphins that often swim with people. Picnic on the beach.

Lahaina Champagne Sunset Sail (Paragon I sailing out of Lahaina)
2-hours sunset sail with drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Etc.
Whale watching is included in all trips in season. Unlimited beverages, including beer & wine, (and some trips Mai Tais) are included. Private charters are also available on either boat.

Other Reviews: ^{*ordered by accuracy}

Tripadvisor

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Yelp

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Google

You may also be interested in:

• Hawaii Ocean Rafting
• Trilogy Excursions
• Molokini Crater

Molokini Crater trips, whale watches and bottom fishing charters.

Key Info:
Location: Slip 37, Slip 37, Maalaea
Phone: 808-298-1812
Rating source: Yelp (weighted)
Web: http://www.alohabluecharters.com/
Price: $40 – $140

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Aqua Adventure
• Trilogy Excursions
• Paragon Sailing Charters

They offer both bottom & sport fishing charters.

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor
Phone: 808-879-4485
Rating source: Yelp
Web: http://www.strikezonemaui.com
Price: $130 – $170

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Finest Kind Sport Fishing
• Luckey Strike Charters
• Die Hard Sportfishing

Lunch on top deck of Pride of Maui

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
^{*how we rate vendors}

Rated #1 Value Snorkel Boat

In a nutshell: A great value and solidly run operation.
Minuses: On-boat upselling can be mildly annoying.
Sound-bite: “Everyone on the crew was super friendly and fun…looking back at the island and getting so close to the wildlife was amazing!”

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor, Maalaea
Phone: 877-867-7433
Web: http://www.prideofmaui.com/
Price: $40-100+

Summary
The Pride Of Maui is a rock solid value for those looking for the best bang-for-the-buck in a snorkel boat. Add in the open bar and decent food that’s available on all tours, and the value you get well exceeds the price of admission.

Top deck

The Boat
The Pride Of Maui is a custom-designed 65 foot Maxi Power Catamaran. The vessel was designed and built specifically for Hawaii cruises with 3,000 sq ft of deck space. The entire upper deck offers unobstructed panoramic views, which is a really big deal on whale watches on other mid-sized boats where 3/4 of the boat is forced to rush to the side of the boat with the action is.

Pride also has a lower deck sheltered from the sun. The lower deck features warm showers, two bathrooms, a large hardwood bar and a glass bottom so that you can observe underwater sealife right from the boat.

There are several exits and entries to the boat, including two platforms with ladders that descend into the water for easy in-out with flippers on.

Wooo-hooo!

There is also a slide on the bow of the boat that is an absolute blast – it looks like a wide old-school metal playground slide, except the drop off the end into the ocean is quite a bit further than you remember in kindergarten

Food
As you would expect on a boat, the food is uncomplicated – but it is also freshly prepared and delicious. Unlike most boats which rely largely on cold-cuts and catered food, the Pride has a large grill on board which they use as the center of the meals. Burgers, chicken, ribs, shrimp, veggie burgers, vegetables, pasta salad, cookies, etc.

The morning tour serves both continental breakfast and hot lunch. They serve fresh and hot off the grill on all trips. The sunset cruise has premium and blended drinks and great service (no charge and no watered-down luau drinks here!) – the dinner is delicious fresh grilled baby back ribs, Hawaiian BBQ chicken, onion and tartlet, marinated artichoke dip, Kula strawberry shortcake, mango cobbler, Kona coffee cheesecake.

Large open bar.

One point worth noting is that if you’re on the sunset/dinner cruise, don’t expect tables. This is an informal picnic-style meal – the BBQ & food is quite good, but the well stocked open bar & local entertainment are the real winners here.

Crew
The Pride of Maui has a very attentive, well-seasoned crew; my own experience and virtually all online reviews echo that they’re very friendly & helpful. The crew is also very attentive to everyone in the water at all times, this is obviously important, but I’ve seen plenty of operations that didn’t have someone watching at all times. On my trip there were crew members watching the snorkelers like lifeguards at all times.

One thing I often like to remind folks is that the crew relies on tips – so please be sure to tip them well if they’ve been serving you well.

Crew is always paying attention to swimmers.

Extras
Masks, snorkels, fins, no-fog & flotation devices are all included in your ticket price.

Items available for an extra fee include scuba tanks ($42 or 2/$66), snuba ($49), wetsuits ($10) and underwater digital camera rentals ($40). “Pride Of Maui” T-shirts are available to show off back home, as well.

Booking & Location
The Pride of Maui is a well run organization. They’re right on time and have an efficient checkin procedure, both at Maalaea Harbor, and when everyone re-boards from snorkeling.

Unobstructed photos galore on that wide-open upper deck!

Tours Offered
Notes: 1. All tours are suited for inexperienced snorkelers to certified divers.
2. They currently have a 15% discount deal on their Facebook page.

Morning Molokini & Turtle Town
5 Hours – Snorkel gear, Breakfast, Lunch & Open Bar Included
Adult/Child – $86/$56 (Direct online)

I took this one from the Pride of Maui 3/2012.

Afternoon Snorkel & Whale/Turtle Watch
3.5 Hours – Lunch & Bar Included
Adult/Child – $38/$27 (Direct online)

Sunset Dinner & Cocktail Cruise
2 Hours – Dinner, Bar & Live Entertainment Included
Adult/Child – $60/$40 (Direct online)

Holiday Cruises
Check the website

Private Charters
Check the website

Other Reviews: ^{*ordered by accuracy}

Yelp

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Tripadvisor

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Yahoo!

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You may also be interested in:

• Molokini Crater
• Maui Classic Charters
• Trilogy Excursions

Fleet of six mid-size sailing catamarans, sailing out of Central and West Maui

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor & Kaanapali Beach
Phone: 808-874-5649
Rating source: Google
Web: http://www.sailtrilogy.com/
Price: $50-200

View Trilogy Excursions, Maui in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Pride of Maui
• Paragon Sailing Charters
• Maui Princess Cruises

25′ Farallon Cabin Cruiser; As the name suggests, this is a great option for family. Not for the serious sport fisherman. Bottom fishing charter & also offers private hire for snorkel and whale watch.

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor
Phone: 808-572-2345
Rating source: Tripadvisor
Web: http://www.mauifuncharters.com
Price: $139/ea. or $699/private

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Finest Kind Sport Fishing
• Luckey Strike Charters
• Die Hard Sportfishing

Pacific Whale Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated studying and protecting the marine environment. They offer a wider range of tours besides just whale watching, including night time stargazing, land-based tidepool exploration and kids camps. Their boats are large, and they are the largest ocean tour operation on Maui. Tip: You should sail from Ma’alaea if you have the option.

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor Village & Lahaina, Maalaea & Lahaina
Phone: 1-800-942-5311
Rating source: Tripadvisor
Web: http://www.pacificwhale.org/
Price: $25 on up

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You may also be interested in:

• Pride of Maui
• Paragon Sailing Charters
• Maui Classic Charters

46′ Bertram, prefer whole-boat charter, but may do share-charters depending – inquire.

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor
Phone: 808-661-3336
Rating source:
Web: http://www.makoakai.com
Price: $750 – $1,250

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Finest Kind Sport Fishing
• Luckey Strike Charters
• Die Hard Sportfishing

43′ Bertram; You must charter the whole boat.

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor
Phone: 808-242-8350
Rating source:
Web: http://www.pipersportfishing.com
Price: $1300 Whole Boat

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Finest Kind Sport Fishing
• Luckey Strike Charters
• Die Hard Sportfishing

43′ Bertram

Key Info:
Location: Maalaea Harbor
Phone: 808-874-8633
Rating source:
Web: http://www.rascalcharters.com
Price: $190 – $230

View Maalaea Hbr in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Finest Kind Sport Fishing
• Luckey Strike Charters
• Die Hard Sportfishing