Originally Posted by
avnmgr
I have an off question. Traveling with some young adults to Maui in June and they love the ocean and boats but are kind of freaked out about open ocean snorking. We had a scary experience last time. Any tour company's that it more about seeing the Dolphins or scenery and less snorke time. They don't mind if there is some bug they will probably stay on the boat.
So sorry about the bad experience! You might want to check on one of the trips that goes to or circumnavigates Lanai - there are some snorkel stops but there's also a lot to see, and learn about. IIRC, we snorkeled from shore at Lanai, in addition to snorkeling from the boat (no more than 30 yards from shore in one place, but that may qualify as "open ocean" for the kids). And there are always a few on the boat who don't snorkel, in my experience. Try for a smaller boat for a better experience.
There are also trips to and tours of Molokai, but I found that a bit of a snooze (though the history - it was a leper colony until the 60s - is fascinating)