Jul 18, 2024
A highlight of our vacation! - Incredible experience, and an excellent company! We originally booked the West Maui kayaking tour, but due to high winds, the company called and texted us to suggest the South Maui tour for our family instead where the winds were lighter on that day. We were able to change our tour, and it was AMAZING! We kayaked with our 10 and 8 year olds, so it was very helpful that we didn't have to fight the winds. Jake, our guide, was very attentive to our family needs (getting the mask fitted, dealing with very minor sea-sickness), and was a wealth of knowledge about the marine life and the history of the area. We learned Hawaiian pronunciation and got introduced to new sea creatures. And we saw 20-30 sea turtles, right next to us!!! Wonderful memories, and a highlight of our vacation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 15, 2024
Great turtle tour - We had such a great second tour with them! Kyle made the experience better! He was a great tour guide. We saw so many turtles. It was an absolute amazing experience that the kids could enjoy and see these turtles up close and personal! We will definitely use them over and over!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 29, 2024
IT WAS AWESOME - It was a great trip. We got to see whales, turtles, dolphins and fish. It was fun to be out in the ocean on a kayak. I would recommend the early morning tour due to the afternoon winds. Also, bring sunscreen.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 20, 2024
Good kayak experience - Did just the kayak rental where you go on your own. Was good experience. Our initial booking had bad weather, and had great communication with owner to reschedule. Very flexible to work with. Equipment was in good condition. Was so glad they offered kayak on own as most companies don't and that is all we wanted to do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 24, 2024
Beautiful morning at sea - What a beautiful morning at sea! John, our guide, was fun, informative and had a keen sense of how to experience the whales. This turned out to be our favorite activity during our visit to Maui. Wear water shoes for the rocky shore entry.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 6, 2023
Great experience and very informative - John was our guide and he is a very knowledgeable person on kayaking, snorkeling in the area as well as Hawaiian culture, geography, and sea life. We have experience in kayaking and snorkeling so he provided additional services in spotting and explaining the local sea life. We were able to see eel, an octopus, and of course all the local fish and their habits. His very personable approach and attentiveness made this a very memorable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 27, 2023
Fun morning - Amazing! John was an awesome guide! Saw two sea turtles and a bunch of colorful fish! Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
May 27, 2023
Great sea adventure - My husband and my first time kayaking. Nico was a great guide and we had so much fun kayaking and snorkeling. We saw so many turtles!! We definitely enjoyed ourselves and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Review provided by Viator
Mar 3, 2023
Chaotic - We followed directions and made sure to arrive plenty early, at 650am. There seemed to be chaos and no clear identification of which group was which, and there was not a way to identify the different organizing groups.
Once we were in the right spot, things were not explained well on the expectation or set up. I have kayak sea experience, so I was not to concerned for my party, but there were others in the group who did not have experience.
Our tour guide was very kind, but seemed to be flustered, and for the size of our group, we could of used another leader. Especially because many of the other groups were in the water and watching the whale by 8 am and we were barely getting in the water.
Not sure if there were last minute additions to parties or what exactly, but all the groups ended in the same area and were swimming on top of each other. 50 ish people in a limited area was a lot.
Things seemed to be a reaction most of the time and became emergencies need to do things right now... that was unsettling when no danger seemed to be present.
Was a decent time, people were all very kind, but so much wasted time trying to get organized, with no clear direction are areas I suggest for improvement.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 5, 2023
Makena 5.0, Experience 1.0 - Scenery and wildlife at Makena location was a 5.0
Experience was a 1.0
South Pacific Kayaks did not respond to email inquiry prior to trip or after the trip.
Tripadvisor is difficult to contact for correction to trip reservation count.
South Shore in my opinion catered to volume rather than a group setting.
There was a 'corporate' group booked (20) which took resources and time from all personnel. Our group of 6 were lumped with another group of 6 added at last minute that morning which further complicated equipment, group size, and ability to hear our guide.
Aside from the 32+/- guests of South Shore Kayak groups, there were two other vendors with their groups in the same area which brought total in water approximately 50. Being the last group to launch made scenery challenging with the 'herd' of kayaks, boats, and swimmers as obstacles.
The majority in our smaller group were familiar with kayaking, however there were two individuals which were not so complicated the group dynamics and flow of trip.
I should have gone with my 'gut': rent kayaks on our own and do a self guide
South Shore, say NO to the total volume approach. I would have respected a call saying there was an over booking due to the corporate account and may we change your date so you have a great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor