EST. 1978
Our Story
A Legacy of Hospitality on the Water
Since 1978, Alii Nui Sailing Charters has set the standard for luxury ocean experiences on Maui. What started as a single catamaran with a passion for the sea has grown into Maui’s premier sailing, snorkeling, and private charter operation.
Now part of the RED Hospitality & Leisure family, with luxury charter operations across Key West, Turks and Caicos, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and beyond, Alii Nui brings a depth of experience and operational standards your guests can trust.
The Alii Difference
Our culinary and bar programs rival the best dining on land. Seasonal, locally inspired cuisine is prepared fresh onboard and paired with Maui’s most expansive charter bar. Cocktails are shaken to order, never batched. Every charter delivers a food and beverage experience guests talk about long after leaving the island.
Respect for the ocean is embedded in how we operate. We eliminate single-use plastics, utilize reusable serviceware, and provide reef-safe sunscreen onboard. Sustainability is not a feature. It is a responsibility.
Hospitality at Heart
Our staffing levels exceed industry norms to ensure attentive, polished service at every touchpoint. From trained in-water professionals and certified bartenders to experienced culinary teams and composed deck crew, hospitality is treated as a craft, not a checklist. This is the difference your guests will remember.
OUR STORY
It Started With One Dive Shop.
In 1978, Maui Dive Shop opened its doors. What began as a single retail location on Maui dedicated to SCUBA diving and ocean equipment grew, a few years later, into the first dive and snorkel boat launching out of the Kihei boat ramp. The waters around Maui became our office.
The early 1990s tested everything. The Gulf War crushed tourism almost overnight, forcing a dramatic downsize. What survived was the core of what we still are today: a commitment to quality over volume, and a belief that the right experience for the right guest is worth more than any number of tickets sold.
The original Alii Nui catamaran came next, outfitted specifically for high-end snorkel and sunset sails. It was the first vessel on Maui built with luxury hospitality at the center of the experience, not bolted on as an afterthought. In Hawaiian, Alii Nui roughly translates to “highest of royalty,” a name once bestowed on Hawaii’s greatest leaders. We took it as a reminder of how guests should be treated.
Today’s Alii Nui was built by hand, from scratch, in Portland Oregon. Two years of construction. Sixty-five feet long, thirty-five feet wide, the widest sailing catamaran in Hawaii. It was transported across open ocean through twelve-foot seas, chasing trade winds home.
Forty-eight years later, the Alii Class fleet now includes four vessels: Alii Kai, Alii Nui, Alii Nani, and Alii Nalu. We are still the only sailing charter company on Maui to offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Still stewards of the waters we sail through. Still hospitality first, everything else second. The boats have gotten better. The standard has not changed.
Five Decades on the Water
The Alii Class Timeline
1978
Maui Dive Shop opens its first retail location. SCUBA diving and ocean equipment.
1980s
The first dive and snorkel boat launches out of the Kihei boat ramp.
1991
The Gulf War crushes tourism. Operations downsize and refocus on quality over volume.
1990s
Original Alii Nui catamaran outfitted for high-end snorkel and sunset sails.
2000s
New Alii Nui built by hand in Portland Oregon. Widest sailing catamaran in Hawaii.
Today
Four-vessel Alii Class fleet. The only 100% satisfaction guarantee on Maui.
Luxury at Sea.
Defined by the Details.
Backed by the Alii Guarantee. The only company on Maui to make that promise.
Explore our experiences