Hawaii kayak tours provide some of the most intimate sea life experiences to be found in Hawaii. View your choices here at Tom Barefoot’s Tours!
Hawaii Kayak Tours Have Grown in Popularity
Hawaii kayak tours are a very popular category of activities enjoyed by island visitors. Kayaking in Hawaii provides so much in the way of excitement, outdoor adventure, marine exploration and overall healthy exercise that it attracts people like a magnet. No island is immune from this attraction and all the major islands offer a healthy selection of kayaking. The experience you have when you are sitting atop a kayak in the water is very different than the experience you have when you are on a boat. When you are close enough to the surface of the water to see down into the coral gardens beneath you, close enough to hear the splash of a flying fish landing behind you, close enough to see the immense head and hear the explosive rush of air coming from the spout of a humpback whale, then you are close enough to realize the unique perspective you truly have while kayaking in Hawaii.
Hawaii Kayak tours are usually taken in small groups of kayaks watched over by either one or two guides. The intimacy of these groups allows for a very personal experience and also allows you to be able to ask many questions of your kayak tour leader. Most kayak operations will permit you to have a single or a double kayak. Most kayak tours do not require too much in the way of exertion but the double kayak will provide an opportunity for those who do not feel as capable to be able to be on a kayak with a stronger paddler taking charge from the rear seat position.
Each Island Offers Different Hawaii Kayaking Experiences
Each island will provide you with a different Hawaii kayak experience. Kayaking on the island of Kauai is probably the most unique because it is the only island in the state that has navigable rivers that are capable of being paddled and explored by a kayak. The rivers found on Kauai are very tranquil and picturesque. They meander their way from the ocean back up into the interior of the island, in most cases through thick jungle and provide a wonderful way to be able explore many areas of the island that you would not have access to in any other way. In most cases these kayak trips will also allow for hiking as well and a jump in a beautiful rainforest waterfall and stream. Kauai is the only island in the state to have a beautiful ocean coastline like Na Pali and the experience of paddling this coastline on your kayak is one that you will never forget. This kayak tour is a bit more challenging than most as it follows an eleven mile coastline. Waves and currents can be very treacherous here in the winter time so this tour option is only available in the summer season. Navigating this coastline is a totally rewarding experience because you will be able to hug the coastline and kayak into caves and pull up onto remote sandy coves and beaches. You will find the sea life here remarkable and dolphins will almost always enter into your day's experience as will turtles and if you are lucky a Monk Seal as well.
Oahu is the only island that offers a Hawaii kayak tour to another island. On Oahu's windward coast near the town of Kailua there are a series of islands, called the Mokulua Islands, that lie about a mile off the coast. These small and beautiful islands are separated from Oahu by a shallow area of coral reef which is probably no more than five of six feet below your kayak. Paddling out to the "Moke's" is astounding in the sense that you will be able to look straight down onto giant coral heads and colorful reef life. The Mokulua Islands themselves have sandy beaches and provide a unique location from which to view back on Oahu. These islands are interesting to explore and they are protected as a seabird sanctuary.
Hawaii Kayaing Excursions Can Be On A River, The Ocean or To Another Island
Kayaking Hawaii coastlines on the island of Maui is usually done on its southern and leeward seashores. This is the most protected of all the coastlines on the island and makes for the most enjoyable ocean experiences. Winter is a very special time to kayak in Hawaii as this is the period of time the great Humpback Whales are present and Maui has the greatest contingent of visiting whales of any island. Dolphins often frequent these coastlines as well and may also be seen on your kayak tour. Mornings are usually the best timing for Hawaii kayaking tours on Maui because the trade winds often come up in the late morning and afternoons making paddling considerably more difficult.
The Big Island is perhaps considered to be the island with the best snorkeling and this plays a big role in the kayaking tours found here. Most of the Big Island kayaking is found along the leeward coastlines and the area from Keauhou Harbor down to Kealakekua Bay is one of the most popular areas for kayaking. This area is also a spot where you will find sea caves and cliff diving is also popular for those who kayak here on the Big Island.
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