Four Winds

A family snorkel boat from Maalaea Harbor

Four Winds is a snorkel boat on Maui, Hawaii, run by Maui Classic Charters, which the About page says was "incorporated in 1983". The company owns and operates 2 vessels: the Four Winds, its "signature vessel", and the Maui Magic, a faster power catamaran that visits additional snorkel sites. The company's address is Maalaea Harbor, 101 Maalaea Road in Wailuku, and its tours run to Molokini Crater and to Coral Gardens, which the site places "just south of Olowalu" below the West Maui Mountains. The homepage calls it "#1 Molokini Snorkel Tour For Over 40 Years" and shows "Over 2600 5-Star Reviews" (a lower line on the same page says 2500+). Prices are in US dollars.

The boat's pitch is families. The site calls the Four Winds "Maui's Family Fun Boat", and its features page lists a waterslide, kid-sized masks, wetsuits and flotation, free hypoallergenic temporary tattoos, and patented Sea Boards, large clear-bottomed floats with built-in viewfinders for people who want to look below the surface without putting their face in the water.

The tours

The Four Winds Molokini Crater tour is the flagship: 5 hours, all ages, listed at $190 and "now from $180". The site says it offers the "longest time at Molokini" and includes a free tropical breakfast, free lunch and an open bar, with SNUBA and professional photography as paid extras. The Four Winds Coral Gardens or Molokini tour is a shorter afternoon trip of 3.5 hours for all ages, listed at $125 and now $120, with the chance to snorkel with turtles at Coral Gardens. The Maui Magic tour, "Two Snorkel Sites: Molokini & Swim with Turtles!", runs 5 hours for ages 5 and up, leaves early to beat the crowds at Molokini and then visits a second site; it includes a tropical breakfast and a taco bar lunch and is listed at $205, now $195. The site stresses that the Maui Magic "is a completely separate vessel from the Four Winds". The destination pages describe Molokini as a "rare volcanic crater with crystal clear water" that is "considered one of the best snorkel locations in Hawaii", and Coral Gardens as a place for tropical fish and Hawaiian green sea turtles. One guest review on the homepage likes that there was "no tour guide shuffling us around", which gives a sense of the relaxed, go-at-your-own-pace format.

In season, the homepage says Maui's humpback whale season "runs from December through April", and the company sells a Whale Watching and Snorkeling Tour in that window. Outside whale season, the features page says the crew does some sport fishing, which kids can watch and sometimes help with. Private charters for snorkeling and sightseeing are also on the menu.

The glass bottom room and the boat

The glass bottom viewing room is the Four Winds' signature. The site says it is "the ONLY vessel on Maui to have a glass bottom viewing room that you can actually sit in", a 65 sq. ft. room of clear plexiglass below the waterline with a "180 degree, total-immersion" view, and it pitches the room as "suitable for those who are hesitant to snorkel". The About page gives the boat's specifications: a custom double-decker power catamaran of fiberglass, 55ft long with a 30ft beam, twin Caterpillar engines, a cruising speed of 14 knots, a shaded upper deck, an enclosed lower cabin, multiple swim steps, 2 restrooms and a full galley. It is "US Coast Guard Approved for 149 Passengers", and the page adds "we keep this number lower".

On the water

The highlights page says beginners are welcome, "even if you have never learned how to swim", and that the crew offers a "Snorkeling 101 Class", fits gear, and "is in the water at all times when snorkeling". Wetsuit rentals, quality snorkel gear and optional flotation are listed, and the boat has freshwater showers. SNUBA, a shallow surface-air dive, is offered for ages 8 and up; the homepage notes it "is not for first-time snorkelers" and that local sites are 10 to 35 feet deep. Its price is given as $62 plus tax on the highlights page but as "only $75" on the homepage, so it is worth confirming at booking.

Food is part of the day: the features page mentions fruit, muffins, hot dogs, a taco bar and homemade cookies, with gluten-free and vegan options. On safety, the About page says all crew including captains are certified in CPR and First Aid and that many have been with the company for 10+ years.

Photos are handled by Maui Marine Images, whose owner is named as Zack Meggett. The site says its photographers "have logged thousands of hours filming underwater" since 1983, that a photographer is aboard all day, that photo packages are sold onboard by cash or credit card, and that photos are online within up to 48 hours. Camera rentals are available too: the photo page lists an Olympus camera and housing with a 16 megapixel sensor and Full HD video, plus lights, filters and mounts for guests' own cameras. For kids, the features page adds that wetsuit shorties are available in sizes from toddlers to young adults.

Booking and contact

Tours are booked online, and the site has an online waiver to sign before the trip. The office is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm HST, on (808) 879-1571. Gift certificates are sold, and the footer links an FAQ and a Cancellation and Refund Policy page. The About page says the Four Winds has for many years donated "hundreds of trips" annually to children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The tour cards do not show departure times beyond morning and afternoon, and the cancellation rules sit on their own policy page rather than on the tours. The site does not say how many passengers it actually carries on a typical day, only that it stays below the 149 limit, and the two SNUBA prices do not match.

Four Winds suits families with young children, nervous swimmers and anyone who would rather watch the reef from a dry room than snorkel, while stronger snorkelers who want two sites and an early start have the Maui Magic.