Oahu
The Beach on the North Shore tour was beautiful, very clean, and a refreshing change from Waikiki Beach. The waves were much stronger and had great surfing beaches along the way for those interested in that. Really enjoyed watching folks on that diving rock there. The ride was long, but the driver was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and relayed lots of information about Hawaii. The stroll through the small, older town with shops and eateries was unique. Loved the music provided by that musical family that lives there and entertains the tourists. A relief to see more enjoyable aspects of Oahu without the hassle of driving.
I have been to Oahu several times and this has been my favorite tour so far!
We did this "tour" on our second trip to Hawaii. It is a great opportunity to experience the North Shore on your own but still get the guided tour experience. This is a "tour" you could take multiple times and have a new experience every time. We loved the options and being able to choose our adventure once we got there.
We were first timers kayaking and while the 2.5 miles we paddled to our destination was physically challenging the destination and overall experience was well worth it. Our guides, Sheila and Alex were great. Sheila has alot of experience and education and was very informative throughout the tour. We would do this again!!! Magnificent and beautiful.
We had a great time on this tour. The staff was great and it was a very laid back atmosphere. The weather even cooperated with us. We would defintely recommend it to others.
I really had a great time...I was looking for snorkeling and that was the best part of the day. Then we also saw the turtles beach and the Haleiwa town...really a lot of fun! I'd do it again if I will ever go back to Hawaii :)
This was my third time to Oahu. I was looking for a North Shore tour that offered a visit to Haleiwa and Waimea Falls, this was the only tour that offered both!! The tour was fantastic and I would definitely partake again. Cheers : )
This way a great way to explore the North Shore without having to do the driving. The driver, Keoki, was great! He showed much aloha which made this trip very special. Thanks again Keoki!
We had a great time on this tour. The group was small, so the guide could be flexible and give individual attention to each participant. There was a range of activities so you could choose how active you wanted to be. We did the Wailea Falls hike and stand-up paddling. We had lunch at the cafe at Wailea Falls, very good Hawaiian-style food. We were glad we paid the extra for an instructor on the paddling as it was challenging. I would only recommend doing it on your own if you are experienced. I highly recommend this tour if you are interested in learning more about the North Shore.
We opted for the 4 hour guided tour. Our guide Sheila was fun and extremely knowledgeable. She gave us history, marine biology, and geology lessons as we kayaked out to one of the off shore islands and while exploring the island. The folks on the 2 hour tour were there as long as we were, but they spent less time kayaking and did not visit the island we did - I highly recommend opting for the 4 hour tour. You'll get a lot more kayak time and a much more interesting island to visit.
We booked this tour on line before arriving in Waikiki. Wondered if we had made a mistake, but the tour was great. We were picked up on schedule exactly as promised. Our tour guide, Sam, was informative and knowledgeable about the island and the culture.
The best part of this tour is the choices! The next best thing is how much time you have on your own to enjoy the activity choices. Couldn't have been better. Absolutely loved it! Would go again.
Hello All!
My husband and I took this tour on Tuesday, Oct 6th, 2009. It was the best tour ever! North Shore is beautiful and absolutely amazing. We had one activity and rode a beach cruiser to all the beaches. We hung out at Waimea Beach and the waves were pretty insane. There was a surfing competition on the other beach. We saw sea turtles and that was a SIGHT! Our tour guide Sam is the definitely the coolest guide ever. We 100% recommend this activity to everyone. No joke. If you don't believe, you guys can contact us at mdot42@hotmail.com. =D
The location was amazing! I would definitely recommend this to first timers to kayaking and hawaii. This was my boyfriend's first trip to hawaii and I wanted to show him what hawaii had to offer. This tour was the cherry on top. Kailua Beach is one of the best/beautiful beaches on the island. I felt more secure doing the guided tour since I have never went ocean kayaking before. Drew, our tour guide, was the coolest and he passionately knew everything about the location and wildlife. We actually flipped over in our kayak. It wasn't that scary since we had life jackets and the other kayakers and tour guide helped us back on our kayak. I'm glad we flipped cuz after we got situated back on our kayak which was further away from the group, we wouldn't have seen the sea turtle that was swimming by.
The tour started with paddling to an island 2-3 miles away. We explored the island listening to stories and facts from the tour guide for about 30-40minutes. After that we kayaked back
The ride from Waikiki was long, but the driver entertained us with great facts. The hike to the waterfall was nice. Unfortunately there seemed to not be enough time to do two activities in the morning. We hiked back down to the beach and only had enough time to jump in the water before pick up. I missed jumping off the rocks:( The kayak was relaxing and provided us with a great tan!
One of my favorite activities of the trip! We opted for the all day rental which is a steal at $59!! I was a first timer but my partner is, at least, intermediate. I had so much fun! On the all day rental you can keep the kayack for 8 hours but we only went out for about 5 hours...its def. a workout! We were able to paddle out to different uninhabited islands and explore and snorkle. I like the idea of the self guided all day rental bc we werent on a time line and we were ale to go at our own pace. However, if youre a beginner i would def. recommend the kayacking tour. A few of them stopped by the island when we were there and everyone seemed to be having a great time, as did we!! It was great to spend the day in the sun while doing something different... i can only lay on the beach for so many days before i get bored :) If your considering the kayacking tour or just rental...do it, you wont be disappointed!
I highly recommend this tour to anyone who has never been to Hawaii!! Our tour guide was super nice and very knowledgeable. We rode the beach cruiser and it was really nice to just ride along the beach, but you have to be careful as you do share the road with cars. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and spend the whole day at the North Shore. We had an awesome time and I cannot wait to do it again.
Sam our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun! It was the best tour we went on, on our week long vacation to Oahu.
The Surf Bus tour to the North Shore was the best tour that we took. Our driver Justin was awesome. On the tour of the island he was very knowledgable and pointed out lots of things that we would have missed if we had just taken a rental car. This tour also gave us lots of options as far as activities and a choice of beaches to spend time at. Waimea Bay was the best beach on the island and the jumping rock was a lot of fun. I would recomend this tour to anyone!
This was a blast! It was strenuous but as a middle aged beginner not too. We teamed up in a double kayak and there were two other parent, young adult teams in our group who also expressed great enjoyment.
Biking the North Shore was awesome
Guides Justin & Gabe were great. North Shore is amazing-must do if staying on Oahu. We got to see sea turtles, Waimea Falls, the Bonzai Pipeline & surfing was even an option.
Our tour guide Justin picked us up promptly outside our hotel when expected. He was very laid-back and friendly. We had a small group of 10. The bike ride was wonderful!! I would recommend it to everyone. Justin pointed out the must-see beaches (Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea) and north shore roadside eateries. North shore was unbelievable, unlike anything I've ever experienced. On the second half of the tour, we rode paddle boards which was also a blast! It was quite an upper body workout and was inexpensive too. Justin was very knowledgeable about the history of HI and kept us entertained during the drive. I would highly suggest everyone take this tour!
We had a great time on our kayak trip, however our originally scheduled trip was cancelled due to heavy rains. Unless you love lots of RAIN... do not visit Hawaii in December! My husband is not a strong swimmer, so we avoided any waves near the islands. The water was not as clear as I expected, but it was very fun, none the less!
I booked this kayaking trip with some anxiety since I was taking along my nephew who's previous experience in swimming was strictly in swimming pools and boogie boarding in the Texas gulf coast. I was pleasantly surprised how enjoyable and safe this adventure turned out to be. Our instructor, Bailey Coogersberger (I'm not sure of the spelling), a Korean American chef out of Georgia was most helpful, and very patient with his instructions and very knowledgeable of the terrain, flora/fauna not to mention the folklore of the area which made for an educational trip to boot. He even shared some places where we could get some good local eating, being a former chef myself. Incidentally, I did check those he recommended and very happy that i did. More power to your company and will definitely recommend this trip if you have that extra day to spare.
I took the biking tour through North Shore. Justin was a very good guide and showed us the ins and outs of the North Shore community. Justin showed me the best routes to take with my mountain bike. The tour was right on time and he was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour as it is a great value. It was a nice touch that water and snacks were provided on board.
Our family of 6 had a great time on the 2 hour kayak tour to Flat Island! Our guide Cyrus was very knowledgeable about the island and the near-by beaches. He also shared a few Hawaiian stories explaining the history of Flat Island and some of the flowers growing there. All in all, I'd recommend the activity to anyone interested in kayaking the crystal clear waters of the eastern Oahu shore. And if you're a more experienced kayaker, or in better shape than us, try the 4-hr tour!
The description of the Falls "hike" should be reworded to "casual stroll". All the interesting parts that might be qualified as hikes were barred as off limits for falling rock or just closed off. Also, the change in elevation was laughable. It was more like going to a park.
The waterfall actually had water, but not enough water yet for swimming, which was teh main point of it. That part was very underwhelming.
The snorkeling on teh beach was great. Amazing area and great knowledgeable staff/tour guides. highly recommend that part.
The 4 hour guided kayaking excursion was amazing! We had Matt and Andy and could not have asked for better guides! They made the entire excursion so much fun! My husband and I cannot wait to come back again!
I THOUGHT KAYAKING WOULD BE HARD TO DO BUT IT WASN'T AT ALL. I LOVED IT. BE SURE TO GET THE BACK REST...IT MADE THE DIFFERENCE...
Firstly,at best my partner is a moderate swimmer, so she really isn't confident in the water.
We booked a 4 hour kayaking activity with some apprehension. I can honestly say it was the best day of our holiday.
Not only because Lanakai beach was fantastic but mainly because of the young staff, like Andy and Nick our guides. The staff don't wrap you up in cotton wool. They are young, laid back but professional if needed and full of local knowledge.
Super, super day. Many thanks. Mandy and Mark (UK)