Waikiki Guided Turtle Snorkel Tour with Snacks & Drinks - Holokai Catamaran
Overall Rating
4.84
Up close and personal with sea turtles
Reviewed by: Stan Flouride , 2020/03/16This well-run tour took us to a place known as Turtle Canyon a few hundred meters off of Waikiki where sea turtles come to get cleaned by algae eating fish.
There were a couple of dozen of varying ages (judging by their sizes) and though touching is prohibited, it was easy to get close enough that you could have.
Sharp, amusing crew, well maintained and clean masks, snorkels, and fins provided, and cold local beer.
A great combination.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2020/03/14 |
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So much fun!
Reviewed by: Andres, 2020/02/20It was great! Got to see 8 sea turtles and a lot of fish. After snorkeling, they did a couple of laps around which was really relaxing and even got to see a whale (although I´m sure it might not be that common to see a whale).
The only down side was that it´s in Waikiki so there were several other tours in the same area so it was a bit crowded.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/16 |
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Great adventure
Reviewed by: Laura L. , 2020/02/19It was a great day filled with great adventure. I saw a bunch of turtles and even Had a few swim a little closer than the 2 meters we were told to give them. The crew was fantastic. They were always checking on us on the boat and were always with in sight in the water.
The only thing I didn’t like was the 42 people (plus the 4 crew members) on board. It felt crowded even when were spread out on the nets and side (hard to move around to and from the bar.) capping the max to 35 guests (plus 4 crew) would have made it an outstanding day.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/15 |
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Fun
Reviewed by: Sarah, 2020/01/05We have been snorkelling a couple of times but this was different. We saw so many turtles and fish. Great fun for our teenage kids. The boat team were fun, experienced and professional. The boat was spotless and well maintained. The sail after snorkelling was a bit rough going out due to the weather but that made it more fun! Coming back was smooth and relaxing. Free snacks on board and drinks reasonably priced.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/03 |
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Amazing experience
Reviewed by: MomK, 2019/12/31Fantastic experience! The turtles were amazing as advertised. Boat crew was friendly and helpful! I recommend this excursion. It was a great way to start our Hawaiian vacation.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/12/28 |
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Aweeeeeome experience
Reviewed by: Lilo, 2019/12/29Everyone was great, experience was wonderful. Crew made you feel really safe
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/27 |
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Got to see turtles, dolphins and lots of fish!
Reviewed by: Woodsy, 2019/12/28The staff were great. They were helpful in pointing things out and when helpful when a tour member was unwell.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/12/23 |
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All the turtles
Reviewed by: Natalie, 2019/12/03Seeing the turtles was so fun and the guys that helped us get all set were amazing. They filled our drinks after and made she we were well taken care of.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/30 |
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Awesome time and crew was great!
Reviewed by: The Maier's, 2019/11/09All I can say is it was exactly what we wanted. Great Great and Great!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/10/17 |
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Loved it!
Reviewed by: Jellie , 2019/08/30Great snorkeling! We saw tons of green sea turtles, fish and spinner dolphins! The sail after the snorkel was fantastic as well!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/27 |
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Turtle Paradise!
Reviewed by: Family from Japan, 2019/08/25It was an amazing experience to see so many turtles at once. I have been to Oahu about 20 times but never seen so many turtles! Some of them came to the surface and I was able to see them very close, I could even see their nostrils. After snorkeling, we went sailing to the Diamond Head and the boat jumped up and down the wave and my children were so excited! I would surely want to come again in the near future.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/03 |
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Awesome up close & personal experience with the turtles!
Reviewed by: Ashley, 2019/08/25We took our family of 4 (including twin 7 year olds) to this experience. We all got in the water and couldn't believe how many turtles we got to experience up close! The excursion was well managed and very fun! The ride after the snorkel encountered some big waves, which my kids freaked out about a tiny bit, but overall we had an excellent time. It was, hands down, our family's favorite experience in our 10 days in Hawaii.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/21 |
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You will Love Sea Turtles after this!
Reviewed by: Donny, 2019/06/14I didn't know I could get seasick, but these guys came ready with meds and drinks. Super informative and care for your well being. My girlfriend had a blast and she was so excited to see turtles peeking out the waters. Awesome experience and thanks!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/31 |
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Highlight of our trip
Reviewed by: Bethany Vaughn , 2019/06/07We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the snorkel catamaran. The boat crew was not only incredibly informative on use of equipment, but ensured first time
Snorkelers like ourselves had adequate support. They were also pretty comical as well! Seeing the sea turtles was awesome! One crew member even dove down to to the reef to retrieve my dropped cell phone! I had so many priceless photos and memories from my Dad’s funeral on the phone, that I would not have been able to replace them. Thank you for the incredible experience.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/06/04 |
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Great Time
Reviewed by: Schleicher, 2019/05/13My husband and I had a great time snorkeling and saw lots of turtles up close. While sailing we even got to see dolphins playing around the boat. The staff was very professional, helpful and fun...highly recommend this activity!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/11 |
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Amazing!
Reviewed by: Meghan, 2019/05/06Such an awesome trip- got to see 3 sea turtles right off the bat. Great staff, very friendly and they go out of their way to make this experience as best they can!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/03 |
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Saw lots of turtles
Reviewed by: Chris M, 2019/04/28Had a long dive with the turtles. We saw 6-8 turtles and tons of fish. Crew was super friendly and very accommodating to our needs. Felt very safe with my 11 year old daughter with us. Snacks were plentiful as most were hungry after the dive. We had a nice sail after the dive too.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/25 |
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Amazing turtle viewing cruise
Reviewed by: bamboo, 2019/04/20An amazing cruise and sailing. We saw lots of turtles and tropical fishes during the snorkeling. It was amazing.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/19 |
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Catamaran was very good but snorkelling site was poor
Reviewed by: PMR, 2019/03/27Crew were friendly and fun and the catamaran was very good and comfortable.
The snorkel site was not very good though. Visibility was very murky and the few Turtles we saw were grey blobs in the distance. Poor assortment of fish to see compared to other locations we have been to.
Would book again, but only for the sailing tours, not the snorkelling.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/03/18 |
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Great adventure
Reviewed by: Kkb, 2019/03/22We had a great time. Our guides were wonderful. The turtles are amazing I highly recommend this tour
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/03/19 |
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great underwater views when snorkelling
Reviewed by: Charlie3, 2019/02/18activity instructions were not clear as there are 2 Outrigger hotels on Waikiki beach- maybe that can be made clear for future bookings.
safety instructions were good and snorkelling excellent with 2 helpers in the water to show where the turtles and fish were and keep you in the area. Waves were picking up when we left and I'm not a good sailor, so I didnt have any snacks or drinks . Sails were raised and all the crew were very good for the sail around the harbour.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/02/09 |
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Amazing sea life and sail
Reviewed by: Nancy, 2019/02/14We took the 12 pm tour and boarded the catamaran from the beach. It only took 10 minutes to motor out to the snorkel site so it was not far from shore. There were 3-4 other boats with groups in the same area but there was plenty of space. We snorkeled until everyone had returned to the boat. Then the crew raised the sail and we had a great time coasting over the beautiful blue water, returning just inside of the 3 hour advertised time. Free snacks (chips, granola bars) were provided and you could buy drinks.
The crew were funny, friendly, and gave clear instructions. They kept watch over us during the snorkel. They regularly checked up on each guest after the snorkel to make sure everyone was comfortable. I wear glasses, and have a -5.25 prescription. They had prescription goggles on board that were -6.0 and I was able to see so clearly without my glasses! We saw a group of spinner dolphins on the way out, and I saw 5 different sea turtles below us during the snorkel. Several of them surfaced to breathe close by which was amazing! We saw a baby octopus, and lot of beautiful fish. The crew member in the water with us was good to caution people to give the turtles their space which was important.
Advice: you are barefoot to board the boat and on the boat, and you store your bag and shoes in cubby holes on board. It's good to bring a sun shirt so your back doesn't burn. You do get cold while snorkeling, but less so if you keep moving. Bring a towel and warm clothes to wear after if you tend to get cold. Hats will fly away easily so you need one with a draw string. They provide sunscreen if you forget your own. I took gravol before the trip, so I'm not sure if I needed it!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/02/08 |
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Wonderful, given the circumstances :)
Reviewed by: Kelsy, 2019/02/13I booked this tour back around August of 2018 for a February 2019 trip. The original date was supposed to be Sunday morning on their first tour; however, they reached out to us on Saturday morning to notify us rescheduling might be required, as the island was going to be hit with an extremely severe storm over the weekend. Sure enough, Sunday morning came, and it was determined the waters were too unstable to enjoy a safe snorkeling experience. We were able to re-book to Monday afternoon, with the hopes the waters would mellow out and clear up by then. We arrived at the meeting spot, and right as we were about to disembark, we were notified the waters were still too dangerous. We were then given the option to either reschedule, or go sail with them for an hour or so, and get a refund on the snorkeling portion. Given we were leaving the following day, we were unfortunately unable to reschedule, and opted for the sailing. The captain, Ryan, and the rest of the crew were all wonderful, and made it a memorable experience. We were out sailing for around an hour and a half, and the views were breathtaking. They also provided everyone a few free drinks to help make up for the inconvenience, and the free snacks provided were much appreciated. While we never got to enjoy the snorkeling itself, I can vouch for the company and their customer service. Thank you for turning lemons to lemonade! Also, in February it was a bit chilly, so I would recommend a light jacket, and definitely sunglasses :)
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/02/11 |
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Amazing tour - a must do in Waikiki!
Reviewed by: Jennifer, 2019/01/19This tour gave everything we wanted and more in only two hours. Not only did we see 7-8 turtles swimming right under us for 45 mins to an hour, but we also saw whales jumping around after when we were sailing around on the boat. Our tour guides were really friendly and followed the whales for a while for us to see. It was pretty amazing! I’d definitely recommend this tour for anyone even though it’s expensive. It’s totally worth it! My only regret was not buying a go pro or underwater camera because we didn’t get any pictures. So keep that in mind that the company don’t take professional pics for you to purchase, you need to take your own.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/01/13 |
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Awesome snorkeling and even saw whales!
Reviewed by: Ashley, 2019/01/16The guides were hilarious and very inviting! We saw a ton of turtles and even a shark while snorkeling! After getting back on the boat we cruised down Waikiki and saw a baby whale breaching and playing in the water. Such a fun morning! Best experience here on Honolulu!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/01/13 |
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Awesome adventure. Great company and crew.
Reviewed by: Rod Miller, 2019/01/07The most friendly and courteous staff and crew. Great time snorkeling and sailing. Very nice boat and equipment. Definitely on my to do again list. Thank you and aloha.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/01/04 |
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Amazing!
Reviewed by: Joe, 2018/12/11Had a great time and the guides were hilarious! Saw a ton of turtles and fish!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2018/12/08 |
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Good value. Kids had a great time.
Reviewed by: Sus, 2018/11/30We have a 4 and 7 year old. 4 year old had no interest in going in the water but really enjoyed the boat ride. The amount of time we were on the boat was just right for little ones (2-2.5 hours). Our 7 year old really wanted to snorkel with sea turtles and she saw several, so this was perfect. Super fun and really nice crew. They were kind to our kids and made sure that our little one got to see some fish and even pointed out sea turtles coming up for air so she didn’t feel like she missed out on anything. If you are comfortable with adult beverages being around, this is a great excursion for families with kids and beginner snorkelers. Compared to some of the other outfitters around, they are also very well-priced. Felt like this was a good value and an afternoon well spent.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/27 |
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Beautiful people, beautiful boat!!
Reviewed by: Jon N. , 2018/11/29Thank you to the crew for making our trip so special. Local couple who wanted to feel like a tourist for a day. They did not disappoint.
Amazing water and great knowledge of the ocean.
Mahalo!!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/26 |
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