Kaneohe Bay Kayak & Snorkel Self-Guided Tour [Tour Not Available]
Overall Rating
4.69
Tough
Reviewed by: Katie , 2022/09/24We weren’t anticipating the sunken city and surrounding sandbars for snorkeling, so in four hours we went out that direction first then went back to the main sandbar almost to the bird sanctuary. Didn’t see many people out there which was surprising. Didn’t look how we expected it. Felt like the only kayak out there. Took forever just to get around fighting the current and have lots of shoulder pain the following day. Glad we survived to tell the tale. We did see many many turtles.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/22 |
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Disappointing
Reviewed by: Elsmeister, 2022/04/29We chose this company due to the reviews, but unfortunately we were disappointed with the reality. The guy checking us in was fine, but very serious and not really friendly. The weather was pretty windy, so the conditions were not easy. However we were given no guidance from the staff on how to deal with this, or any tips. When we asked where we should aim for to reach the sandbar, we had the very unhelpful advice of 'its kind of where that yacht is now, so head for that'. Bearing in mind the yacht was moving! It would really have helped to have some clear markers or something to aim for, especially when wind and tides are taking you in the opposite direction! We got lots of don't go here or here' but not much else.
While the sandbar is around 1.5 miles out, so not too far, it really required knowing what you are doing, and some real strength to cope with strong winds and currents to reach it. Otherwise it could have been very dangerous. The sandbar was really interesting to see when we got there, but the strong winds bashed the kayak around so much we couldn't stay too long. Obviously that's not this company's fault though. Overall it wasn't what I expected and a bit disappointing unfortunately.
Aloha, I am very sorry to hear that your experience was a disappointing one. Unfortunately the wind/conditions are something we cannot control, and 1.5 miles in ocean conditions is quite a long paddle. You are correct, it definitely does require a good bit of strength and paddling ability. So, it's great that you made it to the sandbar in those conditions. It sounds like you did a good job finding your way and paddling in some challenging conditions. I am more sorry to hear that you didn't find our staff's instructions or briefing to be helpful. They limit how many characters my response can be, but we'd love to give you a better answer to your concerns if you want to email us directly. But I'm sorry our instructions fell short and weren't as helpful as they should have been, and sorry that led to a disappointing experience. Thank you for your feedback. That is very much appreciated, and hopefully something that we can use to improve our process for the future. Mahalo.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/27 |
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Not as advertised.
Reviewed by: Kirk, 2021/12/29Kayaking was fun but it was a little disappointing to find that the sandbar and related islands are all under water. The pictures showed a sandbar above water where you could exit the kayak and walk or play. In reality, the sandbars are 3-4 ft. under water. You can stand on them but you are just standing in the shallow water. According to the employee, the sandbars are under water most of the time - rarely are they exposed, due to tidal conditions. Need an extreme negative tide and the right time of the year to actually see sand. Would have been nice to know before we showed up for our trip.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/27 |
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Half day paddle
Reviewed by: Lisen, 2021/12/27It was a very windy day unfortunately so we couldn’t paddle out to the proper sand bar ( they told us not to). We paddle to the smaller sand bars closer to the shore, but we should have needed a guide, it was hard to know if we were in the right place and we saw almost nothing such as fishes and stuff, we did see one turtle that raced past us so fast. We had booked for a half day but we where only away for 2,5 hours because also the water was cold…
Maybe this excursion should be during the summer months and not during winter time.
The crew where really nice and friendly and did there best to help us and guide us, although next time we would pay a little bit more and get a guide and maybe take a boat!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/24 |
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Pretty area
Reviewed by: AJ Black, 2021/10/08We had fun….but tt was windy and a tough paddle. Snorkeling was a zero. Sandbar was under water. It’s a beautiful place, though. Maybe wait until it is not windy.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/10/06 |
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Don't take small children.
Reviewed by: Mom of 4, 2021/09/16We had a party of 6, 2 adults, 14yo, 10 yo, 7yo, and 5 yo. We took 3 tandem kayaks. Wish we could have done 2 since the younger 2 were basically extra weight! The guide did not show good snorkeling so the tedious paddle to the sand bar was not exciting for the family.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/09/14 |
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Aloha Katie,
Thank you for joining us for a kayak and snorkel adventure, and for taking the time to leave this review. Glad to hear you saw quite a few sea turtles. Hopefully that was rewarding and a good experience. Otherwise, sorry to hear the experience didn't meet your expectations. It sounds like you paddled quite a far distance overall, and kayaking in the ocean should certainly be expected to be a pretty strenuous workout. Hope your shoulder is okay. Mahalo.