Scenery of Maui's Beaches & Coastlline.
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A fine day for a dive at Molokini Crater. The boats are all tied up to permanent mooring chains on the floor of the crater. No one is allowed on the island itself, as it is designated a wildlife sanctuary.
Looking due south into the "horseshoe" formed by Molokini's partially submerged volcanic crater.
Dive boats anchored inside Molokini Crater, south Maui. Note the layers of basaltic lava flows exposed near the waterline.
The boat anchorage inside Molokini Island, south Maui. The Island of Lana'i is visible on the horizon. On a daily basis, Alalakeiki Channel is exposed to strong trade winds that increase in strength: as the sun heats the atmosphere and land masses of the islands during the day, the winds increase in velocity. The cove formed by the crescent shape of the island's lagoon provides a natural shelter from the strong winds and heavy seas, and so is a popular anchorage for a few tourist dive boats.
The dive boat anchorage inside Molokini's crater. Wave action has exposed the layers of volcanic rocks accumulated during hundreds of years of eruptions. The floor of the crater is only a few tens of meters below the surface. Outside the crescent-shaped crater, the bottoms drops off sharply into deep water.
The southern end of the exposed rim of Molokini crater. A navigational light graces the highest point on the islet.
The windward (south) side of Molokini Crater. The striations in the rock mark individual lava flows that were built up on the crater rim during eruptions.
View of the southeast (windward) side of Molokini Crater. Wave erosion at the waterline has caused undercutting of the soft volcanic rocks that comprise the exposed crater rim.
Lava flow deposits exposed on the windward side of Molokini Crater. The West Maui Mountains loom on the horizon.
A fine day for a dive at Molokini Crater. The boats are all tied up to permanent mooring chains on the floor of the crater. No one is allowed on the island itself, as it is designated a wildlife sanctuary.
A fine day for a dive at Molokini Crater. The boats are all tied up to permanent mooring chains on the floor of the crater. No one is allowed on the island itself, as it is designated a wildlife sanctuary.
A fine day for a dive at Molokini Crater. The boats are all tied up to permanent mooring chains on the floor of the crater. No one is allowed on the island itself, as it is designated a wildlife sanctuary.
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