South Maui Kayaking & Turtle Snorkeling Tour with Seasonal Whale Watching reviews, Maui tours & activities, fun things to do in Maui | HawaiiActivities.com

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South Maui Kayaking & Turtle Snorkeling Tour with Seasonal Whale Watching

Overall Rating

4.74 4.74 / 5

Reviews

27 reviews
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Kayaking

Reviewed by: Brandy, 2022/06/18

John Hess was fabulous. Our whole family had the most amazing time. After talking about our week every one of us said this was an activity we would do again especially if we could have John as our guide.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/06/16
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We saw so many turtles!!

Reviewed by: Deed, 2021/07/19

This was a wonderful adventure that added such fun to our stay in Maui. We stayed on the west side but made the 1 hour drive to make memories. And what great memories and pictures we have! This was the perfect amount of time! A total of 3 hours. Some paddling and some snorkeling. For a family of 4, two of which were kids, this was the best kayak trip around. Our guide/teacher made the trip even better. Jake was knowledgeable about the area, made conversation and connections with everyone in our group. He was very confident and thorough with what to expect and what we would need to do to maintain safety. He engaged the kids and even brought of ocean life for them to explore!

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/07/17
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Wonderful time on and in the water

Reviewed by: Andrew Brown, 2021/07/13

Had a wonderful time from start to finish with our tour guide John. He kept the trip lively and made it something special with his knowledge of the islands and aquatic life. Captured some really amazing sights of the fish and turtles on what felt like an intimate excursion. Would highly recommend!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/07/10
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Pure magic

Reviewed by: Sarah F, 2019/07/24

Cole was our tour guide, he was extremely informative and helpful. We were nervous not knowing how difficult the paddle was going to be but it truly was easy. We paddled over to the turtle cleaning station and we’re amazed at all the turtles we literally just hanging out with. Cole showed us different sea life and explained the history of the surrounding islands. It was the best tour we had during all our trips, clear waters, lots of coral and mostly turtles!!! We highly recommend

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/07/21
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Turtletastic!

Reviewed by: Karen & Randy, 2018/10/30

Our tour guide Matt was remarkably knowledgeable of both the local marine life and also local folklore, history and geography.

He guided us to two spots where we were snorkeling an arms length from some of the most beautiful sea turtles I have ever seen. The best part was because our group was small and coming off of kayaks, we had the entire area to ourselves for the most part. It was truly a breath taking experience.

Matt was engaging, funny, patient and willing to answer any and all questions we all had. I will definitely be doing this tour again, the next time I am in Maui. You will NOT be disappointed! Great value for money - an incredible experience!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/10/27
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Fun day with Jake!

Reviewed by: Harris family , 2018/07/12

We had an amazing day kayaking and snorkeling with our fabulous tour guide Jake . He was so knowledgeable about the islands and the ocean and even gave us a Hawaiian language lesson ! He was super hands on and made us feel like he was our friend and not just our tour guide ! Fabulous !

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/07/09
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One of the favorite things I did in Maui

Reviewed by: Kevin , 2017/11/13

Our guide, I believe his name is Roger, was helpful and informative. He made it enjoyable and a very memorable experience. Told us about the different islands and other facts about the sea life. We saw several sea turtles and other colorful fish.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2017/11/10
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Great time!!!

Reviewed by: Rachel, 2015/06/28

My family and I had such a wonderful time! Our guide Rusty was awesome and was so informative. He made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Definitely will be booking with you again.
Thanks again

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2015/03/31
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Awesome guide

Reviewed by: Kim Hamilton , 2015/04/17

Steve was our guide who has 24 years of experience and knew exactly where to take us to find the best marine life. We saw an eel, octopus, lots of beautiful turtles and tons of fish! We will do it again next time we come back. Mahalo Steve!

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Attended as:Couples
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Awesome guide

Reviewed by: Kim Hamilton , 2015/04/17

Steve our guide was so knowledgeable and took us to the best places to see marine life. We saw an eel, octopus, turtles and plenty of fish! Will do it again next time we come back :)

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2015/04/14
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rusty was great!

Reviewed by: Matt and Alicia, 2015/02/23

Had a rainy start to the morning, but it ended up a beautiful day. Started with a trip out from shore to try and see some whales. Sadly we didn't see any, but we were able to hear them calling under us, which was amazing! Snorkeling was great, rusty was able to point out to us some of the reef life that often gets missed and was great about getting us into the water. Great time!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2015/02/20
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Disappointed

Reviewed by: Allie, 2014/10/13

I booked the west side snorkel safari online and was initially booked into the wrong time slot due to a glitch in the system. This wasn't a big deal. They were very helpful in sorting this out and assured me that they were working on fixing the glitch. The morning of the tour however, I took a taxi out to the meeting point only to be told that the trip was canceled due to high winds (it seemed calm to me, but I'm not an experienced ocean kayaker) $55 later I was back where I started. To be fair, they did try to phone me, but I did not have my phone turned on because I was trying to avoid roaming charges. I do not feel that one attempted phone call is sufficient customer service. I would have appreciated an email (this is how I had been communicating with the company from the beginning). I would suggest that anyone booking a similar tour contact the office before you leave in the morning to confirm that it will proceed as scheduled.

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Attended as:Solo Travelers
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Lots of fun

Reviewed by: Laura, 2014/09/27

Kayaking tour guide was friendly and informative. He gave us simple directions for basic kayaking and we did well. We followed him away from the crowd up the coast to clearer waters. Saw all kinds of fish, he pointed out a turtle, and also gave us information about the islands. Just the right amount of time. We were also given juice. One item to improve upon is cleaner snorkels as our friend found hair on hers. Although we snorkeled near our hotel and saw as many fish and turtles we enjoyed this kayaking experience.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2014/09/19
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South Maui Snorkel & Kayak: South Shore Explorer

Reviewed by: Caitlin Stein, 2014/07/16

I would give this 4 1/2 stars! My husband and I ended up getting a private tour because no one else signed up! Our guide was great (didn't give name)-he constantly was bringing things back up to the surface to show us and was very knowledgable about anything we asked about. I had a very personal and special experience with a female turtle while snorkeling and we saw some while kayaking, but I thought we would see more at the turtle cleaning station. Would recommend this to anyone with experience. The total time was good but we wish it could have been a little longer-our guide didn't want us to be on choppy waters. Our tour was around 3 hrs. They provide you with snacks and water. Our guide was snapping pictures for us and will e-mail them to us for free! Can't wait to see them! Mahalo to our guide and this company!!

Tip: After you are done, ask your guide about the Jaws Food Truck-delicious fish tacos and burritos with snacks and smoothies!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2014/07/04
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Peaceful and amazing.

Reviewed by: Alex Salmona, 2013/12/09

I have never kayaked or snorkeled before. The kayaking was great the instructor/guide went over everything with us. I liked it so much I will start doing it here at home. My wife loved the snorkeling. I had a bit of an issue in the begging because I sink in water so once I put the life vest on I was good to go. I recommend a gopro camera for some unforgettable footage.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2013/12/04
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Kayak

Reviewed by: Kristy & Tim, 2012/03/31

We had an amazing time with our guide Finch with South Pacific Kayak!! We got to witness so many amazing, beautiful things! Whales breaching out of the ocean, Dolphines dancing 10 feet in front of us and the beautiful, colorful fish and turtles that inhabbit the ocean. Such an amazing time!! We wanted to go back the next day!! This was our first time Kayaking, it was amazing.

Thank you for an amazing adventure!!

Kristy and Tim

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Attended as:Couples
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Amazing Time

Reviewed by: Ashley, 2011/10/16

We Took This Snorkeling Trip Over The Molokini Crater Because We Wanted Something Different And Less Crowded. Well This Trip Was Right On The Nose. Our Guide Peter Was AWESOME. He Was Very People Friendly And Knowledgable About The Things He Showed Us And Talked About, It Was Nice To Not Be Sitting On An Over Crowded Boat But Instead In A Kayak With A Group Of 7 Other People. 4 Kayaks Total. We Went To 2 Different Snorkel Sites And Were Out On The Water For A Total Of About 3 Hours Or So.We Saw MANY Turtles And Lots Of Different Fish, Peter Even Showed Us An Octopus And Let Us Hold And Touch It. My Husband And I Really Enjoyed Ourselves On This Trip And Would Totally Recommend It To Anyone Thats Wanting Something Less Crowded. Sorry I Dont Have Any Photos, Were Still Here In Hawaii!

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Attended as:Couples
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Would definitely do this again...

Reviewed by: Kristi, 2011/02/20

This was one of my and my husbands favorite things we did our first time out to Hawaii. We were thrilled we were in whale infested waters and it was super cool to have the whales literally swimming under us, as we saw and heard them. It was awesome one whale swam right under our guide (Griff) who got amazing photos of the whole experience!

Would definitely do this again during whale season! Snorkeling to see the green sea turtles was amazing too. And all by getting a little exercise, rowing. Nice!

Thanks Griff and South Pacific Kayak!

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Attended as:Couples
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Kayak/Snorkel

Reviewed by: AmyCat, 2011/01/08

This excursion was worth the money spent. My new husband had never snorkeled before so it was nice to have an experienced guide teach us how to do it. The Kayaking portion was nice and good exercise while we got to go out further than we would have without the kayaks. The guide, Steve, knew tremendous amounts about the area, ocean, animal life and more. He was helpful and funny throughout the entire experience. It was great to see turtles in and out of the water, an octopus, urchins, as well as schools of fish. Small group, us and a family, which the made the experience that much more intimate and special.

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Attended as:Couples
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Snorkel & Kayak: A Good Combination

Reviewed by: AKVisitor, 2011/01/05

Kayaking is a great way to observe different snorkeling sites. Lots of friendly sea turtles and was able to hear the songs of the humpback whales. Would have liked to see more varieties of fish. For a kayaker used to a 1-person boat, the 2-person kayak was more limiting. Our guide provided a lot of information about the sea life in the area. It was very informational. Overall a good day.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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South Pacific Kayak and Snorkeling

Reviewed by: Marcie, 2009/12/22

We had a wonderful time with South Pacific Kayak and Kelly - spent the morning enjoying the kayaks and snorkeling. Kelly was able to direct us to some awesome spots and plenty of turtles and fish to enjoy! Would definitely recommend the long trip to everyone!

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Amazing Kayak Trip!

Reviewed by: Frank & Carly Wise, 2009/12/20

We had a superb kayak experience, first-time, and got to see some big fish (whales). Are they any good eating? I kid, I kid! If we ever make our way back to the beautiful islands we'd do this again in a heartbeat! Thanks for such an amazing day!

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Attended as:Couples
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First time with whales & the best!

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2009/12/20

Being from Kansas, my family and I don't exactly get too many opportunities to go kayaking in the ocean, so when my son asked if we could do the kayaking and whale watching, I was little scared but now I am so glad that I did it! This was such a great tour from the moment we met our guide up until we came back to shore. Seeing whales while in our kayaks was completely breathtaking and the professionalism displayed by the guides was top notch. Keep it up folks!

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Turtle Reef Kayak and Snorkel

Reviewed by: Mike and Lindsay, 2008/08/23

We had a great time Kayaking to the turtle reef and swimming with the awesome sea turtles. Our guide, Griff, did an excellent job with instructing us on proper Kayaking and snorkeling technique. He was very knowlegeable about marine biology and gave us a unique lesson on Hawaiian history and culture. A well rounded, fun trip!

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Attended as:Couples
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Untitled

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2008/04/28

This was my first time snorkeling. The guide made it easy and fun. I want to do it again!

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Attended as:Couples
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kayak &snorkeling

Reviewed by: swanson, 2007/10/04

We would highly recommend this adventure to everyone. The guide was awesome and made the experience just wonderful. We had a group of 8 which was really nice.

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Attended as:Couples
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Great fun!

Reviewed by: Patricia, 2007/08/22

We thoroughly enjoyed our Kayak lessons and putting what we learned into practice. It was a bonus spotting the beautiful sea turtles while snorkeling.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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