Waikiki's Most Affordable Turtle Snorkel Boat Tour - Mana Kai Catamaran
Overall Rating
4.75
Staff was amazing
Reviewed by: Kim, 2023/06/26My family had so much fun turtle snorkeling. My son got scared going in the middle of the ocean but the staff had him on his board and took him around to see the turtles and taught him so many fun facts. We had a special treat of having dolphins swim alongside the boat. Would recommend this to anyone thinking of snorkeling with turtles.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2023/06/23 |
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Wonderful time.
Reviewed by: Michelle , 2023/06/23My family of 9 had a great time. Price was amazing, staff was great. Fun boat ride with 3 kids 14y. Water was so clear was able to see several turtles and so many fish. I would recommend this to anyone.
We are so happy to hear the whole family enjoyed their time with us! Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/06/21 |
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Definitely a must, we’ll worth it!
Reviewed by: Monica Quevedo, 2023/06/23This was a super fun activity. Staff members were super friendly and very responsible, making sure everyone was safe at all times while on the boat and in the water! Family saw lots of fishes and couple of turtles! The ride was a fun one and you get a great view of Waikiki. Mahalo to the team!
Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/06/18 |
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An absolutely beautiful experience!
Reviewed by: Lauren R, 2023/06/12We had so much family fun! Such a beautiful experience! Thank you so much to all the crew that gave us instruction and kept a very good eye on us! We would definitely recommend this fun activity! We have ao many beautiful pictures!
Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/06/10 |
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Such a great time!
Reviewed by: Hallie, 2023/05/11Easy to find
Saw dolphins and turtles!
We had an amazing time :)
Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/05/09 |
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Chill atmosphere, kind service, and amazing sights among the fish and turtles!
Reviewed by: Nick Pettyjohn, 2023/05/01My wife and I had a great time. The two guides, captain and turtle-whisperer, were confident, relaxed, and funny. The pick-up location was incredibly convenient for us, near our hotel on the Waikiki beach strip. The ride to the canyon was just 15 minutes, and looking back on the city was breathtaking.
Once there, we distributed masks and floaty-belts and jumped right in! I foolishly wiped off my mask and it clouded up, but the captain was keen to fix it after I brought it to his attention. The turtle-whisperer was around to spot turtles and check in on our snorkelers, but otherwise we were allowed to roam.
There were quite a few other tour boats and snorkel groups at the site, but we were able to still find turtles and fish while staying a bit away from the groups of other snorkelers. We ended up among a school of black fish and had two turtles swim very close to us! Once while my wife and I were holding hands. A highlight of our vacation!
Don't go into this expecting a private/guided tour of the reef. Instead, it's a relaxing transportation to a great snorkel spot, with equipment included. For this price, I highly recommend it.
Mahalo for such an amazing review and sharing your photos!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/04/25 |
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Turtle snorkel
Reviewed by: ErinQ, 2023/04/29Staff on boat were helpful snd professional. Snorkel equipment was ok, kind of old but worked. It was nice to be able to bring our on snacks and drinks on board.
Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/04/08 |
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Amazing!
Reviewed by: Melissa, 2023/04/26Such an amazing morning! The crew were very friendly and knowledgable. Everything was provided and very easy, they were willing to assist and answer questions and offer advice. I have some incredible videos and memories.
We are so happy to hear you had a memorable experience! Mahalo for joining us!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2023/04/24 |
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great tour, great staff!!
Reviewed by: Christy, 2023/04/01This is my second time with this outfit. The crew is great, and kind. We had a blast. they are all super chill and fun. It's not a loud party boat with maI tais. Great time. I had a blast on the trampoline in front, laughing the entire time!!!!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/03/30 |
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A must do!
Reviewed by: Paul, 2023/03/26Amazing experience for us. The crew were incredibly nice and helpful. We saw lots of turtles and was one of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii.
Mahalo!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/03/20 |
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Had a great time.
Reviewed by: Khoa, 2022/11/21The crew was great and was very friendly. Made my experience terrific.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/11/18 |
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Good Option
Reviewed by: J Krieger , 2022/10/15I booked the morning turtle snorkel tour hoping that time would ensure we saw turtles and we did! There were 5 turtles and occasionally 1 would surface near us and then swim back down. Great experience seeing them up close.
This tour was the best price I found and since it's a short sail, glad I did.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/23 |
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Great snorkeling
Reviewed by: Janet, 2022/10/07We saw lots of green turtles as well as a variety of fish. The staff on board were excellent, making sure that everyone was enjoying the experience. I will go on this tour again when I come back to Waikiki.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2022/10/05 |
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1000/10 stars! Choose them for your snorkel adventure!
Reviewed by: Nicole, 2022/09/25Such a fun and welcoming crew, nice boat and great experience! We Sat on the net at the front of the boat, highly recommend, super fun and exciting! The turtle post was awesome, it was at the feeding grounds so we saw tons of turtles. Lots of fish varieties. We were all beginners and instruction was super clear we jumped right in easily. Would definitley return to this company again when visiting.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/23 |
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This tour is definitely worth doing!
Reviewed by: Michelle, 2022/09/24I've been to Oahu many times. I brought my fiance this time since he's never been. I wanted him to try out snorkeling and see things other than fish, so the turtle tour was a perfect fit. Honestly the crew did a great job. Even the people we had on the boat with us doing the tour was a wonderful group. The only few downsides were: it rained. And I mean it poured! Not for very long and I'm sure the people in the water didn't notice it much, but I was sitting on the boat at the time and I was trying to cover our backpack and towels, since we would need them to dry off later, and it was coming down like pellets. But it didn't last more than 10-15 min and was more or less over. But the sky stayed dark making it hard to see through the already dark water. The turtles became less visible and it made our whole group decide to get out of the water and come back onto the boat to head back in. We were out there for a good amount of time but not the full time. The other problem we had was it got very crowded in the water looking at the turtles. 4 other boats full of passengers were doing other turtle tours as well. There was just a lot of people bumping into each other. I tried to stay away from most people and still saw a ton of turtles, but my fiance on the other hand had a harder time. It was also scary when I'd look up and not see him through all these other people. The last problem was that there were a few people who didn't know how to swim or snorkel. So it took a long time to explain how to use the snorkel equipment and pass out floaties. The positives were the boat was smooth sailing. Everyone was on time and nice. The turtles were wonderful. Hard to see them when they get super deep but they were big and beautiful and did not disappoint. Lots of fish to see too. The couple who run the boat are wonderful and so are there family who came and helped out as well. For the price I would definitely recommend this and probably do it again when we go back!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/03 |
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Love this tour
Reviewed by: Tyra, 2022/09/11The sailing boat was very clean and was able to hold our group with 6 families. The Staffs were so nice and helpful.I spotted 2 turtles, one was very close to me, super exciting. Some of my friends even saw more with babies, we all had a very remarkable experience.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/08/17 |
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SO MANY TURTS!
Reviewed by: Tom C, 2022/08/26The experience was brilliant from start to finish. When we first arrived, we were worried there was no clear booth for arrival, but THEN like Maui himself on the ocean, the catamaran came out of the waves and docked right on the beach! The friendly crew checked us in, told us to grab some snacks if we wanted and then got us onboard.
They said if we wanted a fun, but wet, ride, we should sit on the net at the front. We did, and got SOAKED by waves and it was so fun!
We got to turtle canyon and were given high quality snorkels and instructions. There were other groups there, only one of them were slightly annoying but there’s plenty of turtles to go around!
We saw more than 15 turtles, ranging from babies to grown ups. They got so close but don’t forget- don’t be a turtle toucher!!! They were so visible and it was a once in a lifetime experience. We are still in Waikiki and honestly considering doing it again!
Do not book ANY other turtle snorkel experience in Waikiki other than this one!!!
5 stars and a huge tip
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/08/24 |
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Easy and fun snorkel trip
Reviewed by: Paola, 2022/07/29Super easy and fun. Short boat trip with essentials provided to jump in, snorkel, and see some turtles. Crew was friendly and accommodating. Bring your own snacks, towel and fins too (only snorkel, mask, and floaty provided). Snorkel spot was a bit crowded with other tours but seeing honus did not disappoint. We say 7-8 turtles at one point, Amazing!
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/07/20 |
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Snorkeling with sea turtles
Reviewed by: Diana S., 2022/07/14Great time! From the boat ride, to the snorkeling it was a great experience! We saw a couple of turtles, they even came up twice right next to us to get air. The wife was very helpful and friendly. Highly recommend!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/07/12 |
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Turtle Snorkel Sail Tour
Reviewed by: Will, 2022/07/03Mana Kai Catamaran sailing tour was awesome! We had a great experience seeing many sea turtles and fish in the ocean. The Captain and the snorkeling tour guides were very kind and helpful. I highly recommend this snorkeling tour to anyone who wants to see sea turtles.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/07/01 |
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It is affordable
Reviewed by: OCFD519JH, 2022/06/09Like I said it is affordable. The kids running the boat we’re friendly an did the best they could. 22 people, some of which had not only never snorkeled, but were clearly uncomfortable in the water were too much for the crew to safely manage. I personally had to save a struggling passenger while the guy that was working the lifeguard shift was wrangling other dingdongs! Not the lifeguards fault he was just dealing with too many other folks and couldn’t get to the panicky woman fast enough. I don’t mind, I am a water rescue swimmer with my fire department but still… Her screaming for help couldn’t be heard over the clamoring of the other passengers on deck and the music playing onboard. When folks are in the water 100% attention to the swimmers is the only safe option and if you can’t hear them then the music needs to be off and eyes need to be on the swimmers. The operation was also billed as a sailing and snorkeling adventure with sailing being the key word for me. The wind was fine and other boats were sailing but our sails never went up. If you’re on a budget do it. but for 20-30 more you could do the same thing with a power boat, dolphins and turtles, food and water, and a photographer who would gladly sell you the images from the trip for a few extra dollars. In all honesty a confident swimmer could have reached turtle canyon in a easy half hour of swimming but that’s not for everyone.
For those of you who don’t swim, don’t feel comfortable in the water, or have small children that don’t swim. this is not how you spend your money. Endangering yourself or your family because “anyone can snorkel” in open water, when you’ve never done it before makes the trip that much less enjoyable for everyone including the crew. It is not their job to pay all their attention to you, and it becomes unsafe for everyone else.
Any chance to get in the water will always be awesome for me so like I said it is affordable. If it’s your best option yay!
Go for it!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/07 |
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Incredible experience
Reviewed by: Mike Dirty, 2022/04/16What an amazing experience we had swimming with turtles. Captain even took us out to see some whales before we hit turtle canyon. We had kids with us and it was perfect for them, wasn’t too long and they didn’t get bored. Crew was knowledgeable and very helpful. They had all the equipment on board and were even playing some tunes for us. 10/10 would do it again.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/22 |
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Definitely get to swim with turtles incredible
Reviewed by: Rose , 2022/04/15The catamaran was lovely great staff. The catamaran was clean and nice. Staff was helpful and knowledgeable. We were thrilled to swim with tons of turtles in the beautiful waters. Success! Highly recommend.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/10 |
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Beautiful tour
Reviewed by: Tammy koop, 2022/03/23Friendly, relaxing and beautiful life memory and experience.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/21 |
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Great price to snorkel with turtles
Reviewed by: Leif, 2022/03/07Well run, quick, efficient, saw turtles. Good price.
What more could you want?
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/05 |
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Excellent
Reviewed by: Merideth, 2022/03/06We had a great time. We saw so many dolphins swimming around the boat. I only saw one turtle but had a great time anyway!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/04 |
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Great turtle sail!
Reviewed by: Josefina, 2022/02/27We had a great time snorkelling with turtles with Mana Kai Catamaran, we saw around 6 of them! Friendly crew, easy to check in and find the boat. Recommended experience.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/21 |
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No frills catamaran sail in Waikiki, lots of Turtles
Reviewed by: Yes to Hawaii, 2022/01/17With this cruise, we were provided with snorkels and snorkel vests. However, no fins are included. I'd recommend finding some fin rentals as it can be pretty exhausting to snorkel without them. Saw lots of turtles and fish! This catamaran is also a beach catamaran so the boat comes right up on the sand. It's right across from Duke's Statue (not to be confused with Duke's Waikiki restaurant). If you'd like a short activity in Waikiki to get out on the water, this is perfect! We did the AM cruise and visibility was perfect.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2021/08/25 |
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great crew and fun experience
Reviewed by: amy, 2021/12/30Family of 5 had a great time. Crew was very nice and knowledgeable and made the experience even better. Beautiful turtles and fish.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/28 |
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A blast chill vibes
Reviewed by: Matt & mariel , 2021/11/03At first it we questioned ourselves on where to meet (no signs whatsoever) but it was exactly where the instructions said- beachfront in front of Duke Statue. Otherwise instructions were all very clear & easy to follow. Guys on our boat were friendly and super relaxed- could bring anything on the boat in terms of food and drinks. Boat ride was beautiful. Was a clear day so we saw a lot of turtles- got to spend lots of time on the water. Chill vibes all throughout just the way we like it. Had a blast for first time snorkelers!!!!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/01 |
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We are so happy to hear your son was able to enjoy the experience with the family! Mahalo for trusting us to host your tour!