Molokini rules in 2026

What is banned at Molokini Crater?

Taking or harming any marine life, feeding fish, removing sand, coral or rocks, anchoring and landing on the islet. Trolling for fish is allowed only in the outer zone.

The Division of Aquatic Resources splits the district in two. Subzone A is the inner crescent where the boats moor and you snorkel. Subzone B reaches 100 yards seaward around the islet. Fishing for, taking or injuring any marine life, eggs included, is banned in both, with one exception: trolling for finfish in Subzone B.

Feeding is out too. No bread, no frozen peas, no fish food "attractants". The fish at Molokini are used to people, not to handouts, and that is the point. Pocketing a shell or a piece of coral rubble counts as altering geological features, so leave it on the bottom.

What changed at Molokini in 2024?

Rules in force since 15 March 2024 require a Molokini use permit for any commercial swimming, snorkeling, diving, kayaking or paddling, ban all anchoring, and cap mooring time at 2.5 hours.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources took up the package in December 2023, after studies on crowding at the crater. The DLNR rule proposal set out the main changes, and the amended rules took effect on 15 March 2024 (HAR 13-31-5, 13-257-3 and 13-257-56).

For you, the visible change is the moorings. Boats tie up to state buoys on a first-come, first-served basis, may not stay longer than 2.5 hours, may not raft up to each other and may not stay overnight. Crowding peaks between about 8 and 10 a.m., and the boats that arrive first get the calmest water and the quietest reef. Trips that leave first, like the Makena raft from Kihei, Malolo at 6:30 and the Elua yacht, usually beat the crowd.

What is the $1 ocean stewardship user fee?

A state fee of $1 per passenger that every permitted commercial ocean operator has collected since 1 January 2024. It funds marine conservation across Hawaii.

The legislature created the fee in 2021 (HRS 187A-52). Maui Now explains that operators with a commercial use permit must collect it from each passenger, and the money goes to the "conservation, restoration, enhancement and management of Hawai'i's marine resources". The law adjusts it every five years with Honolulu's consumer price index, so expect it to stay at $1 for the 2026-27 season.

You do not pay anyone at the crater. The operator collects it with your fare. On a Molokini trip it is the smallest number on your bill, well under the cost of the Ma'alaea parking meter.

Are there new Molokini rules in 2025 or 2026?

We found none. The March 2024 package is still the current rulebook, and the 40-permit limit on commercial operators is older than that.

We checked the Division of Aquatic Resources rule pages and the local news for 2025 and 2026. The only state permitting news in 2025 was a court ruling on commercial permits in Ka'anapali waters, which DLNR explained in April 2025. It does not cover Molokini.

The permit cap is older than the new rules. When the governor vetoed a 2019 bill to limit tour boats at Molokini, he noted that DLNR already limits commercial permits to 40, The Maui News reported. Earlier that year the paper counted an average of 10 commercial boats at the crater during peak morning hours, and more than 20 on only about five days a year. In practice, the boat count you see is set by moorings and departure times, not by a daily quota.

One leftover from history: two World War II munitions on the bottom near Molokini were left in place in 2020 after the military ruled out detonating them, Maui Now reported. They are not in the snorkel area and no boat goes near them.

Can you land on Molokini?

No. The islet is a state seabird sanctuary and entry is prohibited for everyone, tour boats included.

The crescent above the water is about 23 acres of bare tuff where wedge-tailed shearwaters and Bulwer's petrels nest in burrows. A stray foot can crush a nest you cannot see. That is why no tour stops on shore, why nobody swims to the rocks, and why the crew will call you back if you drift toward the edge of the crescent.

Stay with the boat and the reef. The best of Molokini is underwater anyway: about 250 fish species and visibility that can reach 150 feet on a calm morning.

How close can you get to turtles and coral?

Stay 10 feet from sea turtles, 50 feet from monk seals, 50 yards from dolphins and 100 yards from humpbacks. Never stand on or touch coral.

NOAA's viewing guidelines for Hawaii set the distances, and federal law backs the whale and spinner dolphin rules. Turtle Town, the second stop of most morning trips, is where you are most likely to meet one, but the 10-foot rule holds everywhere. Let the turtle surface to breathe without a ring of snorkelers above it.

Coral is protected by state law: HAR 13-95-70 makes it illegal to take, break or damage stony coral. Wear fins only in the water, keep your knees off the reef, and if you need a rest, float on your back or hold the flotation the crew hands out. Mineral sunscreen is the other half of reef etiquette; see our Maui sunscreen rules post.

Frequently asked questions