Molokini Island

Hawaii isn't just about the islands; you haven't truly experienced all that Hawaii has to offer until you've explored what's below the water as well. So few places on Earth are able to sustain the kinds of plant and animal life that the waters around the Hawaiian islands can, and getting a glimpse at the underwater world is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you should definitely experience at least once. If you want to see the very best of Hawaii's tropical submerged paradise, then your best bet is Molokini Island, just off the coast of Maui.  So how did this magical crescent island form? Hawaiian legend holds that Molokini was a beautiful woman who fell in love with the same man as Pele, the fire goddess. Pele, consumed by jealousy, chopped Molokini's head off and turned her into stone. The island is her body, and her head is actually a cinder cone in Makena State Park. The more likely story is that it's actually the remains of a partially submerged volcanic crater covering about 23 acres of water. It erupted about 230,000 years ago-- and don't worry, it's dormant. Early Hawaiians used to fish there, which makes sense, because the island is teeming with all kinds of aquatic life. Parrot fish, tang, triggerfish, blue fins, butterflyfish, reef sharks, eels, urchins, 38 kinds of coral, 100 kinds of algae and more make their home in the crater, and on the land, you can find many differe species of rare birds. The rich ecosystem that the crater houses is only one reason why it's excellent for snorkeling, snuba and scuba. The wall of the crater protects divers and swimmers (and the coral and fish!) from the powerful currents of the ocean. The best time to snorkel Molokini is in the morning, when winds and currents are calmer, and the water is clearer. It's also much less crowded then, and it's easier to lose yourself in the serene world inside the underwater crater. -Roadtrippers Molokini is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater which forms a small islet located in Alalakeiki Channel between the islands of Maui and Kaho'olawe, in Hawaii. It has an area of 23 acres, a diameter of about 0.4 miles, is 161 feet at its highest point and is located about 2.5 miles west of Makena State Park and south of Ma'alaea Bay. It is a popular tourist destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.  In Hawaiian legend, Molokini was a beautiful woman. She and Pele, the fire goddess, were in love with the same man. The jealous Pele cut her rival in two and transformed her into stone. The woman's head is supposedly Pu'u Olai, the cinder cone by Makena Beach.