Frequently Asked Questions

Anywhere from 15-25% is the standard gratuity in the United States. Our guides and instructors work diligently to give you the best experience possible on the water. If you felt your experience was top notch, one way to express your appreciation is by tipping your guide.

We love seeing our guests, but we do not have a storefront for you to visit. For that reason, we ask that you use the directions we send to you via email with your confirmation. Please do not use Google maps to direct you to “Maui Kayak Adventures” because your tour is on the water, not at our baseyard.

• • Our group and private kayak tours depart from Makena Landing and Olowalu, seasonally from Honolua

In a group tour there will be other guests joining while private tours are for you and your friends & family only. You must know how to swim to book a group tour. Private tours are great for couples and families that would like to have that intimacy or for those people who do not know how to swim. Private tours have a minimum of 4 guests.

Small personal items such as a cell phone, keys, wallet can go in the guide’s SMALL drybag. Please do not leave valuables in your car.

Kaanapali:

• To Olowalu is approximately 20 Minutes
• To Makena Landing is approximately 1 Hour

Lahaina:

• To Olowalu is approximately 15 Minutes
• To Makena Landing is approximately 45 Minutes

Kihei

• To Olowalu is approximately 25 Minutes
• To Makena Landing is approximately 15 Minutes

Wailea

• To Olowalu is approximately 30 Minutes
• To Makena Landing is approximately 5 Minutes

Due to the way the wind and waves pick up on Maui, afternoon conditions are typically not safe to conduct tours. For this reason, we do not regularly schedule tours in the afternoon. Occasionally when the conditions are calmer than usual, we open up late morning tours, but not more than a couple days in advance.

Unfortunately, we are not equipped to provide transportation.

Parking is available at all departure locations. It is, however, seemingly unconventional on Maui compared to other places. Be prepared to park on the side of the road, not in a marked parking lot.

• Credit card If you made your reservation over the phone, your credit card number we have on file will be used to hold your reservation. Please bring a credit card to make payment the morning of your tour.
• Money for gratuity and merchandise.
• Sun protection Hat, sunglasses, water shirt are all optional for sun protection. If you choose to wear sunblock please consider caring for our beautiful ocean and reefs without harming the marine environment by choosing a “Reef Safe” product. We carry “Badger Sport” natural and organic sunblock which is available for purchase before your tour, just ask your guide.
• If you have water shoes or sandals with straps that will stay on your feet and can get wet please wear them for launching and landing.  During certain times of the year the sand recedes leaving a rocky launching point” and start letting guest know that inquire to wear them.
• Towel and a dry change of clothes for after the tour – One thing to keep in mind is that everything you bring on the tour will get wet.

You are welcome to bring a camera but keep in mind a couple factors: anything you bring with you is likely to get wet or fall into the ocean, our Guides take photos for you so you can kick back and enjoy your experience.

We provide water in reusable bottles and a small snack such as a granola or fig bar.

All participants in group kayak tours are required to know how to swim. We want to be fair to everyone in the group and those who cannot swim require more attention from our Guide. For this reason, we recommend those who cannot swim book a private kayak tour. All private kayak tours allow you to go at your own pace. You will be wearing a life vest and our guide will be there to work with you to ensure you are comfortable each step of the way snorkeling for your first time.

The official season recognized by the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary runs from December 15th – April 15th. It is possible for whales to show up earlier and stick around later. Though nothing is quite like the experience of whale watching from a kayak, it does require human power. Due to this, we limit our season to January 1st – March 31st

We offer a 20% discount to Kama’aina with a Hawaii ID only. Only persons with a Hawaii ID in your party will receive the discount.

All children are different and you know YOUR child the best when it comes to their comfort levels. Ultimately its up to you to determine how your child is going to respond to being in the ocean. We recommended a minimum age of four years and older for our private tours. Smaller children will sit in the middle of the kayak between two other guests. Families with young children and/or those unable to swim in the ocean should book a private tour.  Group tours require children to be age 6 and older.

We really feel like age is just a number, but there are physical requirements to participate in a kayak tour. Guests must be stable enough on their feet to launch and land the kayak and we recommend either both guests paired up in a kayak are physically capable of paddling or are paired up with a very strong paddler.

We supply life jackets for all kayak tours.

It is against US federal law to swim with whales in Hawaii. In fact, it is illegal to approach a humpback whale within 100 yards on any vessel (Boat, kayak, sup..) or no vessel at all. For more information on viewing regulations in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, please visit the NOAA website.

Maui Kayak Adventures observes the recommendation put forth by Dolphin SMART, a self-regulating body that encourages responsible viewing of dolphins and marine life so as not to disturb their natural behavior. Research has shown that humans swimming with dolphins interrupts the natural behavior of the dolphin. Check out their website for complete details.

The weather in Maui is constantly changing and is comprised of several microclimates. National weather websites tend to paint a forecast with a wide brush stroke without taking into consideration the microclimates. We closely monitor several localized weather forecasts so as to make the best decision about the weather before your tour. We usually make the call to relocate or cancel the day before a tour. Occasionally we will make the decision onsite the day of your tour. We do not cancel our tours and lessons during rainy weather. You are going to get wet anyway right? We will, however cancel our tours if the conditions are unsafe. High wind, large waves and lightning are examples of unsafe conditions. In the event of unsafe conditions, you will be presented with the opportunity to relocate to a different departure with better weather, reschedule for another day or cancel without penalty.

Due to the fact that our tours sell out on a daily basis we have a strict 72 hour cancellation policy. If you cancel or change your confirmed reservation within 72 hours of scheduled check in time we will charge your credit card the full price of the tour. If there is a medical reason you need to cancel your tour, please provide a doctors note and we will make an exception.

During busy seasons such as winter and spring breaks, we recommend booking at least two weeks in advance of your visit.

Yes! Give us a call and we would be happy to process over the phone.

Unfortunately due to the many variances we do not offer we do not at this time offer optical masks. There are, however, shops that rent them at very affordable rates.

Due to the nature of the wind on Maui, the Olowalu and Honolua departures tend to encounter higher winds on the tour. For this reason we recommended more experienced paddlers join us in Olowalu and Honolua. If you are at all concerned about the level of fitness required for a tour, we recommend calling us to see if a private tour might be best for you.

The check in time for all tours is the time listed on your confirmation email, you do not need to show up earlier than the ‘start time’.

Sea sickness can get the best of us at any time. If you have a tendency for motion sickness or never been in the ocean, please prepare in advance or speak to your pharmacist/physician about measures you can take for preventing sea sickness.

We do not have restrictions on women who are pregnant. Please bear in mind the following:

• In order to get back into a kayak after being in the water, you must lay on your belly.
• Some women who have never experienced sea sickness may feel ill while pregnant.
• We always recommend checking with your doctor before participating in physical activities.

We use this information to choose appropriately sized gear such as life vests, snorkel gear, kayaks etc.

A: We are friends with many of the other outfits here on the island, many of them do a great job at keeping their customers happy and safe. What separates us is we focus on the experience, we want you to have fun and we want to keep the kayak tour accessible and affordable. Maui Kayak Adventures is sister activity to Hawaiian Paddle Sports, which is a private tour company, we wanted to bring that same experience to the group tour option so that Maui visitors could enjoy Maui even more. We love Maui, the ocean and what it gives to us, we want to share that.