All Reviews for Kayaking Tours & Canoe Paddling

We had a great tour with (creepy) Uncle Kevin today on the North Shore of Oahu! We've been touring all around the world and can seriously rank Uncle Kevin as one of the best tour guides. The Surf Bus has the right equipment, the right itinerary and an excellent attitude. The bus was on time at every stage and Kevin had good solid connections at every stage. He took the time to work with each group on tour to insure they had the right experience. Some of the stops had multiple options and he was able to call ahead to report those options to the vendor. Kevin recommended great food and knew how important this is to an all day tour. One unmistakable clue that Kevin really knows what he is doing is that he knew so many of the other folks involved with the tour on a personal level. He's a local. He knew all of the answers because he grew up here.

Great attention to detail makes for a great tour. Uncle Kevin obviously knows what he is doing and we look forward to going on another Oahu tour with him soon. Also, kudos to the bus company. They had the right equipment and marketing to make Kevin's expertise shine.

Thanks to my creepy uncle Kevin from Oahu. Mahalo!

This was a great tour! The driver was very good & had a lot of knowledge about the island! We stopped at a Macadamia nut farm & we didn’t even know that it was a scheduled stop! It was pretty cool! We snorkeled & went kayaking as well! They were all exciting activities! You definitely don’t want to rush the experience!

JC was a wonderful guide and super easy to hang with for our tour. Would definitely recommend!!

Very knowledgeable guide and great kayaking! Good conversation and very understanding to beginners

We had a wonderful morning kayaking! Our guide, Dan, was so knowledgeable about the island and made it a great experience. We got lucky and saw at least 10 turtles. I highly recommend this activity!

My daughters and I had a great time The tour bus picked us up on time . The tour guide /driver provided us a lot of information and history about the island, restaurants and all important sites we drive by . He was was funny too . He answered every ones questions.He allowed us enough time for breaks and photos. We had an amazing time at the Waterfall, my youngest had a foot surgery last year and she can’t walk too fast , we where having a great time swimming in the waterfall pool that we lost track of time . We had 15 minutes to make back to the bus , knowing my youngest can’t walk too fast or run my oldest said “ I’ll have him wait mom “ and took off running ( she runs track and cross country) . We had to be back by 12pm , we ( my youngest and I) made by 12:05 , My oldest daughter was happy the driver waited for us , we all were :). Then we drove to the snorkeling site , the tide was low and it was too rocky, I have never snorkel and I’m not a great swimmer, so we walked up to do some shopping and had a fresh coconut. We made our last stop at Haleiwa, the driver recommended some restaurants . The girls and I had a wonderful time , we ate and did some shopping. He was on time to pick us up . On the way back to the hotel we were tired and feel asleep. Overall we had a great time, we visited a few places and I didn’t have to drive through all that traffic I feel bad I forgot the drivers name , He was knowledgeable and I felt safe with him behind the wheel while the girls and I enjoy the activities and sites . The only reason I didn’t rate outstanding is because the snorkeling was not fun , the waves were too strong and the tide was too low , too rocky, but no one can really control that :)

This kayak tour is incredible, the clear bottom allows you to see all the marine life. Kayaking on the waters of Haleiwa was one of the best things I've ever done. The coral formation is so beautiful, you see so many fishes and turtles.
I have never seen so many turtles in my life, they are everywhere, even in the river. OMG it was amazing, Haleiwa is the turtle paradise!
But I have to say that this is tour is not just about the scenery, the guide made this experience be even better. The local guides grew up on the North Shore and they are so nice and knowledgeable about the area. If you wanna see turtles and if you are looking for a perfect day on the North Shore you should book this tour. A true unique experience in Hawaii.

My friend and I woke up early in the morning and drove ourselves out to Haleiwa for this tour. The sky looked really overcast and were already thinking the worst that the tour would not be great however we were wrong. This is the perfect kayak tour to do on a sunny or even rainy day. Visibility was still clear and when entering into the Turtle River with all the rain, if felt like we were in a National Discovery scene exploring the amazons. We seen so much turtles in the river and so much fishes out in the ocean. It is also a plus that the kayaks are clear ans see through so you can just record and take pictures from inside your kayak instead of risking it out and losing it.

Guide (Kevin) was very professional, informative and accommodating. This tour is a great way to explore the north shore area.

This is the tour for people who like to be on there own once they get there. This is broken into two parts morning activity and afternoon activity. You have a fully narrated ride over to the North Shore telling you virtually everything about the island. Also all landmarks are pointed out. You arrive get snacks if needed. You are then dropped off at your first activity. The falls etc. Pk up time is set you meet back at bus and your off to bike,kayak,shop or lunch or whatever. Your pk up time is set for your hassle free ride back to waikiki. All fully narrated back. Worth every penny. AC was our guide and knew everything about the island. Was the highlight of our trip.

AC was our guide for this tour and he was funny and full of information. The lunch at the waterfall was not the best and very limited. We heard from other people that the lunch at the burger place was very good. It started to rain right after lunch which cut short afternoon activities. AC took us to the Dole plantation to try to make up for the rain. AC really tried to make the day better for us.

Our guide was excellent. The problem was that the monsoon rains from the night before had caused the river mud to cloud the sea water making the see through aspect of the kayak non-functional

To begin, customer service over the phone was fantastic. The tour itself was exactly what I was hoping it would be. We got Ocean, we got River ( the glass bottom kayaks are fantastic), and we got Steve- an entertaining yet professional
Guide who was the perfect combination of laid back and instructive. He even let one of our group take over his paddle board even though that’s not what we signed up for and she loved it! Overall great experience.

This tour was awesome! We had plenty of time to do the waterfall hike and swim in the morning, then a relaxing lunch hour, then AMAZING surfing lessons with Uncle Bryan's very capable instructors. Honestly one of the best experiences of my life!

This was a lot of fun but I think it would have been better if the bus would go to the waterfall and one beach place to allow more time to do activities. Our bus driver was informative but repeated himself alot which did get a little annoying at times.

Picked this tour to the north shore due to the choice of activities and since it had pick up from Waikiki. Mike was our guide and informative. Snorkelled at Shark's cove then headed to Waimea Bay for some snorkelling and beach time. Then chose to paddle boarding down the river near Haleiwa instead of kayaking. Ended the tour at Haleiwa. Good tour for the time spent up north and activities you could participate in and p/u provided.

Good activities. Well organised
Bus driver/guide was very informative and friendly.

Such a great day! A fantastic way to discover the north shore, just the right blend between organized activities and free time! I would do it again without hesitation

Sam was our driver and tour guide. He was very informative and we learned a lot about not just The North Shore but also Hawaii.
We were able to change activities if when we checked them out we changed our mind. Sam explained the activities well and made everyone feel comfortable.

The best of tour plusses without the negatives. You spend most of your time at the location you choose and doing the activity you choose. Justin was very knowledgeable and personable. He let us choose our activity on site and even let people customize it by picking 2 morning activites and no afternoon ones. It was awesome.

Fun day off activities. Good driver and guide, well organised, good options of activities. Saw a variety of different beaches including sea turtles.

Driver only spoke of food! Then it was not very clear on what was included so we missed the food trucks and NO lunch (after all talk and no food).

It was great, i got picked up and he drove out to the northshore, showed us around the town and then the activities started. He was very available to pickup after each activity and drop you off where you wanted to go. Waterfall, snorkeling, shrimp truck, beach time & stand up paddle board, it was great. There are other activities to pick from. He even stopped because he saw a sea turtle was sitting on the beach, so we could see it and take pics, it was great!

This tour is a great way to see and experience the North Shore from the land and in the water. Our tour guide (HC) knew his way around the island like nobody's business. He went the extra mile to ensure we had a great time. Plenty of time for snorkeling, bike riding, checking out waterfalls, SUP or kayaking AND SHOPPING! I highly recommend!

Taking this tour was very helpful in making sure we made the most out of our visit. Our guide gave us a detailed review of the area so that we were able to make an informed decision on our activities. I would definitely recommend this tour.

We loved this trip. The guide was super helpful and friendly. We will be booking this trip again.

I think our guides name was AC... he was amazing, had so much interesting information, made the drive to the north shore very entertaining.

First stop was Haleiwa Town on the north shore where we could have a look around and even got to try the famous shave ice. Next a drive along the shore to see all the amazing beaches and even some celebrity houses, then had a stop at the pipeline for some photos, and then he took us to see all the activities so we knew what they all were.

My friend and I chose the waterfall hike/swim, then AC took us the Waimea Bay for a swim, then the kayaking in the afternoon, and a great burger from Haleiwa Town. On the way back to Waikiki we stopped at a beach famous for turtles and we saw one on the beach. AC then dropped us off at the dole plantation - a complete surprise - so we could have a look around and try the dole whip. On the drive back AC played some stand up comedy on the tv so we could all relax and have a laugh.

Overall an incredible day!

I wanted to head out to the North Shore, but did not want to sit on a stodgy bus all day and listen to someone drone on and on. The Surf Bus was the PERFECT choice since I not only got to experience the highlights of the area, but got to do some fun activities as well.

I decided to do Snorkeling, the Waimea Falls nature walk and SUP. Harry was very accommodating about squeezing in two activities for the morning section, and I am so happy that he did. The snorkeling was AMAZING! It was literally like swimming in an aquarium. I got to be in the water for a little over an hour and then I was picked up to go to Waimea Falls Park. The walk was quite easy, and if you have a hard time walking, shuttles are available for $10 round-trip at the park. I didn't go into the water since I just wanted to sit and relax, but the walk to and from the waterfall was about 45 minutes total. REALLY beautiful.

For my afternoon, I chose SUP and even though I had never done it before, I figured it out pretty quickly after the briefing from the guys at the surf store. I never quite made it to the "stand up" part of "stand up paddling", but my "sit up" paddle was just as fun and I made it all the way down the river.

With about an hour left before I had to meet the bus, I had a delicious burger and fries at Teddy's Bigger Burger and washed that all down with some shave ice from Matsumotos (lychee and strawberry YUM!). All in all, a great experience and wonderful way to see the best of the North Shore in a day :)

I mentioned this before on the phone. This was fun, but was only able to do one activity. Unfortunately the ad misleads you into thinking you can do whatever activities, whenever. You are allowed to swim, snorkel, bike ride or hike in the morning. Then you can either surf(which you cant cause it will cost you more when you never did it, apparently you have to take a lesson before using their boards), kayak, or stand up paddleboard in the afternoon. It just was a disappointment to have an expectaion of what to get for my day, then not do it. In other words, two spereate locations for the morning and afternoon activities, so majority of your time is traveling. Which is fine, but also would of have a different opinion. Knowing what i know now, i probably would never choosen this activity.
I missed the bus to go to the afternoon location, needless to say i was given the wrong time by tourist, but honsestly by the time i got there, i was out of time. One thing that is odd is the memory game, being dropped off somwhere and being picked up elsewhere. However, the people that works at the snorkel rental place, especially that young kid, clueless to his surroundings. Knew who i was & i who else i was there with in regards of the other party on the tour bus & couldnt inform me of the other party making it back. So knowing the time i had to be picked up, this kid not being observant and missing the bus is all my fault, right? So thanks for that! I had to wait for the city bus to pick me up to find out where the tour bus was to get back on it.
All in all, i only did one activity and did a lot of sitting & waiting around. Snorkeling was fun, but was my excitement was short lived with the turmoil. I had fun snorkeling, and thats about it. Oh yeah, dont worry, ill take care of that bus fare!

We had a wonderful day with AC as our guide. He was very knowledgeable, pointing out local sites and giving history along the way. He bent over backwards to accommodate everyone on the tour, taking each group to their favorite locations, running back and forth moving us around from hot spot to hotspot as we each finished our excursions. He was very professional at all times. We would hIghly recommend him as a tour guide. We had a blast! He even went out of his way to go back and find a lost article for us- which fell out of the van at a previous stop.