Dive· Molokini· Hawaii
Molokini Backwall
20° 37.8′ N · 156° 29.9′ W · approximate
The sheer outer (south) face of Molokini drops 250-300 feet into blue water, with black-coral remnants, ledges full of fish and the chance of pelagics; it is one of Hawaii's signature drift dives.
Practical
Approx: placed just south of the islet's rim, about 150 m south of Molokini Island Light (20°37'50"N 156°29'51"W, Coast Pilot); there is deep water close to the south side. No bottom within recreational limits, so buoyancy and depth control are entirely up to you; down-currents have caught divers out. It is normally done as a drift with a live boat following rather than from a mooring, early in the day before the trades fill in; surface conditions can be rough for entry and exit in big swell. Inside-crater sites such as Enenue (max about 58 feet, little current) suit less experienced divers. MLCD rules apply: no take, no feeding.
Best for
Experienced divers doing a wall drift with a boat pickup
Season
Year-round in light winds; mornings
Nearby
- Molokini Crater Marine Life Conservation District0.2 NM away
- Molokini Day-Use Moorings and Anchoring Ban0.2 NM away
- Molokini Inner Crater Reef (Enenue)0.3 NM away
- Puu Olai Reef Dive (Makena)2.6 NM away
- Puu Olai Cinder Cone Hike2.7 NM away
- South Maui Kona Storm and South Swell Exposure2.8 NM away
- Big Beach (Makena State Park)2.9 NM away
- Makena Anchorage (Nahuna Point)2.9 NM away