Maui

Maui South Shore Premier Kayak and Snorkel Tour from Makena Beach

Badge of ExcellenceMaui, USA

3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

On this Maui South Shore Kayak and Snorkel Tour, spend the morning swimming and snorkeling with schools of tropical reef fish, and keeping your eyes peeled for Hawaiian Green sea turtles that casually cruise along the reefs. This family friendly, Maui kayak tour is off the Makena coastline, an historic, volcanic section of shore that’s protected form wind and the waves. And, in addition to multiple snorkel stops, visitors will enjoy oceanfront light refreshments while dining with toes in the sand.

Kayak and snorkel adventure along the Makena coastline
Great views of Maui's south shore
View marine life including coral reefs, tropical fish and green sea turtles
Various snorkel stops
Light refreshments

What's Included

Beach Instructions and Safety Talk
Guide Assisted Launch and Landings
Quality Snorkel Equipment, PFD, and Where Required, Water Socks
Light refreshments
Quality Touring Kayaks - Singles and Doubles Available
CPR and First Aid Certified Guides with Many Years Ocean Experience
Local taxes

Gratuity (optional)
Hotel pickup and drop off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

5230 Makena Alanui, Kihei, HI 96753, USA
<<<< PLEASE PLAN YOUR DRIVE TO ARRIVE ON TIME >>>>... pls Google / Apple Map "Makena Landing" From parking lot, walk 100 yards up over the little hill with the ocean on the right, and you will see the kayaks and us there. Please google map "Makena Landing beach Park" or Maluaka Beach Parking lot

Start time

07:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your Maui snorkeling and kayak tour begins with an early start, which allows you to paddle through crystal clear waters without the midday crowds. Paddling along the Makena coastline, you’ll make multiple stops at snorkeling sites that teem with turtles and reef fish, and maybe even see dolphins or Humpback whales in winter.

Over the course of this 4.5 mile (7.2km) paddle, drink in the sea level, panoramic views of Haleakala volcano, as well as four other Hawaiian islands that float on the distant horizon. After working up an appetite paddling, beach your kayak for a light refreshments, before a leisurely paddle across Makena Bay for a full morning of kayaking in Maui.

Makena Beach

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Paddling distance is 3.5 miles
Wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for child aged 10 and under

Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Haley_M

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.

Reviews

5.0

63 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 63 reviews

Fun morning

jjones4594, Jul 2023

Amazing! John was an awesome guide! Saw two sea turtles and a bunch of colorful fish! Would definitely recommend.

Great sea adventure

Haley_M, May 2023

Sea Turtles and Kayaking Fun

schwartzyc, Nov 2022

Jake is an outstanding guide. His directions and assistance made the kayak handling easy and enjoyable. The snorkeling in Turtle Town was awesome. I was eyeball to eyeball with sea turtles!

Professional and yet casually cool

Erin_K, Jul 2022

I found out instructor John a seasoned, experienced, and passionate, and professional kayak instructor. He took his time instructing, making the remainder of the trip very well managed. John took us away from the crowd that you typically would find at the Makena landing. The place he took us snorkeling was awesome, good and sheltered location with good visibility, and plenty of things to see. All in all a very good kayak experience.

OK but...

Bob_P, Jul 2022

I did enjoy the the kayaking and the one snorkel stop. The problem that there were six kayaks and a couple people got sea sick. We had no choice but to return to the take out location. No compensation for the shorter trip.

We had lost of fun, we...

Yesenia_D, Jun 2022

We had lost of fun, we for sure would do it again. 👏 Thank you Liz, Jordan and Gavin you guys were awesome!

Unforgettable experience!

Christina_C, Apr 2022

This was an amazing tour. Our guide Scuba Steve was thorough with all safety information and took the time to tell us about the kinds of fish we would see. While you cannot control wildlife, he knew all of the right spots to see the green sea turtles. He took time to get good underwater photos of us and wildlife. Being on the ocean in the kayak was incredible and snorkeling with the turtles is an unforgettable experience.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you for taking the time to review and for the kind words. We love Scuba Steve as he is such a pure soul and loves the water and sharing his knowledge with guests, Please come back on your next visit. Mahalo

Choppy water = half the tour getting sea sick. Happy fish.

MARIANNE_P, Mar 2022

Tour guide was pleasant but didn’t introduce himself (found out later his name is Hank). The guide was really nice but didn’t notice that several kayaks were straggling, which turned out to be that several people were getting sick and were having trouble keeping up. Rough water caused half the group of 7 to get sea sick and we turned back about an hour into the trip, and called it quits by 9:15 (started rowing at 7:45, supposed to last until 11:00). No snorkeling since most of the guests were sick. We did see a couple of turtles and two whales breaching, which was very cool.

The absolute highlight of our trip to Maui!

Andrea_U, Feb 2022

Our guide, John Hess, was amazing. He really shared his love of the wildlife with our group. We definitely got lucky with some, once in a lifetime, whale encounter, but John would have made the day super memorable no matter what! He really went the extra mile for our group and made me feel really comfortable with snorkeling. This was the highlight of our whole week in Maui!

Great Experience

Brenda_C, Feb 2022

It was a great “unscripted” experience. We made group decisions about what we wanted the experience to be and ended up experiencing whales up close and snorkeling in two beautiful spots. Scuba Steve was a very knowledgeable guide and added a lot to the trip.

Exceptional tour, worth every penny!

Sarah_U, Nov 2021

Our kayak and snorkel trip in Maui with this company was one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide, Jake, was especially knowledgeable about the history of the islands, the ocean, and everything in it. We saw many animals and a large amount of beautiful reef during our trip. The fish were amazing and all the turtles were beautiful. I highly recommend this tour - it was worth every penny!

Best kayak and snorkeling tour

Kellie_K, Oct 2021

Our guide, John, was awesome! Very experienced, taught us the easiest and safest way to get into the kayak, out of the kayak, gave tips on everything in between (how to paddle properly, how to sit in the kayak so your back isn't hurting at the end of the tour, how to prepare your goggles and fins before getting in the water, etc.), and even got in the water and guided us showing us different types of fish, turtles, and coral. I love learning new things and he did not disappoint! Was very attentive to our needs, provided snacks and water, and one of the absolute best kayak and snorkeling experiences I have ever been on. Absolutely phenomenal!

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Glad you enjoyed the area and your guide John. Both are superb!

Beautiful experience for...

Debra_O, Oct 2021

Beautiful experience for our 50th anniversary trip to Maui. Jake was wonderful, informative, kind, and helpful ensuring a wonderful experience.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Thanks for sharing and happy you had a nice experience. Jakes a great guide and the kayaking is simply near perfect in Makena Bay.

Fun!

Windi_S, Aug 2021

Jake was a great tour guide. Good local facts and very personable. He was professional And knowledgeable. Felt safe.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Aloha Windi... Happy to hear you enjoyed your kayak & snorkel tour the other day with guide Jake.

This rocks!

Dave_A, Jul 2021

Tour was worth every penny!!! There are no guarantees, but we saw tons of turtles. Our Ohana leader was John, and he was FABULOUS!!!

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Glad you enjoyed both the tour and your guide John. He does ROCK! A great individual and guide - he knows his stuff!

Fantastic experience

Kevin_G, Jul 2021

Jake was a terrific guide - helpful, informative, and fun. He also gave great information regarding Hawaiian history & culture and tips regarding great local food. Beyond expectations.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Thanks so much for the great review. We love Jake - a very unique and sincere character. Mahalo and enjoy Maui!

Great experience

Jacques, Jul 2021

Our guide John had 20+ years experience as a kayak guide in Hawaii and was professional, funny, and knowledgeable about the islands, marine life, and Hawaiian culture. Overall, great experience for anyone that wants to get out on the water and see some fish. We even got 50 yards from some dolphins!

Super fun and exciting

Hannah_M, Jul 2021

Super fun ad exciting. It was awesome that you got to kayak and snorkel all at once and the turtles we great.

Awesome!!!!!!!

Meghan_M, Jun 2021

Turtles,coral,fish everything!!! Number one was the tour guide, John! We heard other tour guides out there, he was by far the best!!!

Scuba Steve

Veronica_M, Jun 2021

I was very worried to try this experience. There were so many factors weighing in, open ocean, sharks, drowning, etc. when we got there, our guide “scuba Steve” was very reassuring and probably the kindest person we’ve ever met. He was calm and didn’t rush anyone and was very knowledgeable about the area and marine life. You can tell that this is his true life passion and there was something very comforting about that. Since my husband and I are not strong swimmers, we kept our life vests on and we did just fine. We got in the water saw some amazing things, a sea turtle came right to us and hung by us for a bit, and we saw an octopus! One thing worth noting is I did get very sea sick from the rocking of the kayak, so if you’re prone to motion sickness take medicine before you go!!