Hawaiian Paddle Sports
Hawaiian Paddle Sports
5
Scuba & SnorkellingSurfing & WindsurfingDolphin & Whale WatchingKayaking & Canoeing
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Private Kayak and Snorkel Tours, Whale Watch Tours and Surf Lessons. Hawaiian Paddle Sports offers a private alternative for Ocean Activities on Maui! If going out on crowded, diesel burring boat isn't your idea for ocean activities and you'd rather avoid going out with one of Large Kayak Companies or Surf Schools perhaps we are what you are looking for! We focus on attention to detail and the over all guest experience. Guide operated, Hawaiian Paddle Sports sets the bar for ocean activities on Maui. Whale Watching and Sea Turtle Snorkel Tours on Ocean Kayaks. We also offer "Guaranteed To Surf" Surfing Lessons.
Kihei, Hawaii
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Hawaiian Paddle Sports
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,381 reviews
Excellent
1,358
Very good
21
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0
travelbird26
Denver, CO17 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
We had an excellent time with our guide, Heather. She offered great instruction and made sure we launched our kayaks without a hitch. She shared her wide-ranging knowledge about the fish we encountered and about Maui in general. We loved the photos (including several underwater pictures) that she took. Highly recommend and hope to come back some day!
Written August 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VW10
Illinois279 contributions
May 2024 • Family
We did the snorkel / kayak trip with Lowe and it was fantastic!! She was very friendly and eased my wife's fears about kayaking on the ocean by herself. We saw a bunch of turtles ( the wife's favorite animal ) an eel, a small octopus and a lot of fish. Going to come back next year and book a kayak whale watch with Lowe because it was such a good time.
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
Written May 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LINDA W
9 contributions
Feb 2025 • Family
What a perfect morning on the water with our guide Katie! We saw so many whales, and her enthusiasm and knowledge made it even better. She even took tons of photos and posted them for us. Thanks, Katie!
Written February 19, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aubrey B
1 contribution
Oct 2021 • Couples
My husband and I signed up for the guided "Molokini Challenge" as the highlight of our Maui trip. We loved every moment of it! Our guide, Zeke, made sure we knew the game plan and felt comfortable with everything before we launched. We were fortunate to catch incredibly favorable winds (read: nearly none!) and even clear skies over Haleakala in the background. We are rather experienced paddlers and with Zeke leading the way, we made it out to the crater before it was too crowded with boats and with enough time to snorkel for a bit. The visibility was incredible and we were treated to an impressive variety of sealife, from colorful fish to sea stars. My husband even spotted an octopus! Zeke took some amazing underwater photos for us. The best part of this journey wasn't the snorkeling - it was getting out on the water in a sustainable and clean manner, knowing that you are enjoying the local beauty in a responsible way while getting a highly personalized experience. Yes, it's an extremely early morning (woke up at 3:45 to get ready and make the 1 hour drive to the beach in order to launch at 6:00), but it is so worth starting your day (and truly making your trip!) with this epic adventure. Not to mention the guilt-free calories and relaxation earned after such an awesome morning workout! Sincere thanks to Zeke for sharing so much of his knowledge, humor, and expertise with us. He really went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time. We most definitely did!
Written October 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
deltafan
Atlanta, GA100 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
We did 2 tours with this company during our stay on Maui: the whale watch kayak and turtle snorkel. First off our guides were outstanding. Madisen was our guide for the whale watch and despite not seeing any close up, it was an amazing experience. I would do it again-early morning on the calm water in a kayak is so peaceful. We are in the early part of the season, so I would love to try again in February during peak viewing! Our extended family (13 of us) did a turtle snorkel with Lowe and Madisen and again they were great. They considered our group when choosing locations, took great pictures, helped our little ones who didn't love it as much as the adults. I would love to go out with them again in the future. Also, the messages they share about their company, reef-safe sunscreen, responsibilities around wildlife were important to hear and I was happy that they enforced these messages.
Written January 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CandyGirl1507
52 contributions
Feb 2022
Our guide, Russ, was fantastic! Knowledgeable about the whales and kayaking and able to lead our group of 7 paddlers (4 kayaks) along the coast until we found some whales. Note that DH and I are experienced kayakers but some of the group were new to kayaking and had no problem keeping up - the pace was leisurely since it was focused on whalespotting.
Russ was very respectful of the whales (beyond the letter of the law) and was careful to keep us from getting too close. At one point, we were tracking 3 different groups of whales - two mama/baby pairs (one with an escort) and what looked like another male or two looking for the ladies. It was simply incredible! The whales were so active we didn't know where to look. I love paddling so this was the perfect way to spend the morning! Russ also took photos of us which we were able to download at no additional cost - he got some of us and the whales in the same shot! He also shared some recommendations on places to snorkel and local restaurants. What a fabulous experience!
Russ was very respectful of the whales (beyond the letter of the law) and was careful to keep us from getting too close. At one point, we were tracking 3 different groups of whales - two mama/baby pairs (one with an escort) and what looked like another male or two looking for the ladies. It was simply incredible! The whales were so active we didn't know where to look. I love paddling so this was the perfect way to spend the morning! Russ also took photos of us which we were able to download at no additional cost - he got some of us and the whales in the same shot! He also shared some recommendations on places to snorkel and local restaurants. What a fabulous experience!
Written March 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim M
2 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
I cannot say enough wonderful things about our whale watching kayak tour with Katie. The guides of Hawaiian Paddle Sports are great lovers of the ocean, and knowledgeable about the North Pacific humpback whale. We enjoyed many encounters with whales during this tour. Katie’s energy and enthusiasm for educating, leading, and respecting our massive oceanic friends absolutely made our trip to Maui so memorable.
Written February 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elbert C
3 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Katie did an awesome job guiding us to see these majestic animals while keeping us safe and showing respect to wildlife. There were whales in every direction and luckily two passed through right next to us. The water was very calm and kayaking was a great workout. Thank you for a wonderful time!I’m
Written February 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen
Santa Barbara, CA36 contributions
Jan 2022
We went out for the whale watching kayak tour. Don't get me wrong, watching the sun rise from a kayak on Maui waters is NEVER a bad experience. Being out on the water with whales blowing in every direction was fantastic. However, I wish that I had not booked the pricier private tour. We got landed with a young guide named Evan who had only been in Hawaii for 2 months (HI being the 45th state he's visited, a checkbox on his list, probably soon to be behind him as he moseys on to see the last 5.) Though he had some very basic whale knowledge, he also gave us a lot of misinformation, such as telling us that the flying fish we were seeing skimming across the surface were Needlefish and that they were dangerous because they could impale you... Said the bombing of Kaho'olawe included atomic bombs (it did not) and also pointed out a very large whale performing huge repetative tail slaps, telling us it was a calf... it surely was not! I wish we had booked the group tour instead of the private tour. We hung around with one of the larger groups for a while, trying to see some close up whale activity, and their guide sounded extremely knowledgable. Oh well - can't win them all. And as I said, a day of kayaking is never a bad day.
Written January 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amandine S
5 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
The whale watching tour with Kris from south Maui was great. The ocean was calm and we were lucky to witness a mom and its calf slowly going up the coast, and a few other whales. Kris was awesome at all times and helped everyone board and unboard the kayaks and she shared her knowledge with the group throughout the tour. Highly recommend!
Written March 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Last I checked, the 10 ft distance requirement applied to everyone whether land or sea where sea turtles were concerned. That isn’t the case in your marketing photo. How will we protect turtles for the future?
Written September 15, 2019
NOAA and DLNR recommend, for your safety and the animals’ protection, that everyone stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) from all sea turtles. We abide by these recommendations on our tours. Distance and depth cannot be conveyed in underwater photography. Our team is trained on the Endangered Species Act and protecting our marine life. Our company is involved with NOAA to report marine life in distress as well as monk seal sightings. We also work with Hawaii Wildlife Fund in reporting sightings of Hawksbill Sea Turtles and the Manta Pacific Research Foundation in reporting sightings of Manta Rays. We protect the marine life by educating our guests about the use of reusable waterbottles vs plastic one time use waterbottles, we abide by a no touch policy underwater and we also educate our guests about using reef safe sunscreen.
Written September 16, 2019
I do not believe so. As others have saod, we met the guide at the location
Written July 1, 2019
My husband and I are both strong SUP paddlers, doing it for many years (both ocean and lakes/rivers). Do you or anyone on the island offer a SUP tour to Molokini? Thanks!
Written February 26, 2019
We went canoeing and kayaking with a company called Hawaiian Paddle Sports and were very pleased with them. I think they do SUP as well but I'm not sure where they go. I would second the earlier comment about the wind. Our outrigger canoe trip started out pretty calm but got windier as time went on.
Written February 27, 2019
Yes. In th kayak we all wore life jackets. My wife and I also wore ours during the snorkeling. My children swim like fish and did not wear them however my wife and I, although we can swim, wanted the extra safety of the jacket.
Written June 27, 2018
Do you provide full-face snorkelling masks as I struggle to use the traditional mouth-piece snorkels?
Written June 21, 2018
Do you provide full-face snorkelling masks as I struggle to use the traditional mouth-piece snorkels?
Written June 21, 2018
Do you take guests out in outrigger canoes? Last trip to Maui, I saw OC6 in the water and thought my girls might enjoy it. They don’t paddle but I do.
Written June 6, 2018
Went in kayaks. It was really great. We saw many turtles. The guide was perfect. Our children are 19, 17, 15 and 13. It was very safe.
Written June 12, 2018
I'm planning our trip for a family with 2 girls (age 11 & 12). How would the setup be for the kayak and snorkel adventure? From the photos, I would guess they would be in a tandem kayak with an adult. Is that correct?
Written April 21, 2018
Yes, that's what our group did. We had both singles and doubles. You can ask when you make the reservation. Have a great time!
Written April 25, 2018
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