First time on the island and had a great time fishing with Lahela! Cody is very personable and gave my wife and I some great knowledge of how they fish the waters and the history of the island! Scott is all business and worked very hard to get us a fish! Nothing is guaranteed on the water, and I feel like because of the knowledge and experience of Captain Scott, and the attentiveness and hard work of Cody, I was able to get in the chair and land an Ahi! Thanks again Lahela Sport fishing for a great time! read more

First off, I would like to thank the crewman who helped us, very sociable. He was the only positive of the trip. The captain spoke one sentence to us at the end apologizing for the lack of fish. I understand when fishing there is no guarantee ,but not one bite. We didn't even get to touch the poles. My biggest complaint was the engine's fumes. the entire four hours we were breathing in exhaust fumes. Not normal, I have been on charter fishing boats my whole life and never experienced anything like that. Definitely not a pleasant experience. Would not recommend. read more

DON'T BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! Ibooked a shared charter for Lahela Sportfishing and was looking forward to a fishing trip tomorrow morning. I sent an email the day after booking to inquire about Lahela's catch policy and received a canned response a day or two later. This morning I received a confirmation email with instructions for my fishing trip. Shortly afterward I received a call from Cody informing me that my shared charter was being cancelled since the minimum 4 people per boat did not sign up. Cody went on to tell me that the captain had tried to call me and email me yesterday, which is simply not true since I have no missed calls and no cancellation email. While I understand lahela's shared charter policy, I'm very unimpressed with this company's lack of professionalism. I was notified only one day in advance, AFTER being sent a confirmation email about tomorrow's trip. Due to the lack of notice, I will likely be unable to schedule a charter fishing trip on my vacation. I should have gone with holo holo charters, or literally anyone else. Don't book with this company. Read some of the reviews about unprofessionalism and poor customer service. read more

We found this charter through the "blue book", The Ultimate Guide to Kauai - which is part of the "Hawaii Revealed" series by Wizard Publications. But even as they say, you need to experience a vendor/restaurant a couple of times before you can pass judgment on them. So here's our onetime experience: Getting Captain Scott to talk, or just emote, in anyway is far greater challenge than hitting the mother lode of big eye tuna. This trip was scheduled mid-September, which I guess is a slow time for him. I didn't know until the night before if our trip was a 4 hour or 6 hour charter. He charged $219/pp, but sets the time based on the number of anglers. Luckily we had a total of 4, so we made it to the 6 hour tier. We headed down from our hotel up in Princeville (north shore) at about 440a due to some lane construction and all the speed traps, as well as the expected traffic later in the AM. Surprisingly, we got to the dock at about 530a, met Captain Scott as he was coming up from the boat. First impression was that he's a real standoffish guy. I was told to go sit in my car since the charter didn't leave until 6am...30 minutes, really Scott?! About 10 minutes after that I guess he decided he'd better come get our money before we could bail. He invited us down to the boat to get settled in. Now, it's important to note that this would have been a horrible trip if it were not for the antics of Capt. Scott's deckhand, and color commentator, Howard. Howard is the life of Capt. Scott's boat; without his antics and personality I would most likely be giving Lahela 2 stars or less. Howard is hilarious, talks with everyone, is attentive to your needs and doesn't talk down to anyone, regardless of their skill. Lahela is definitely a boat that comes equipped for the fish; 400lb test line, a plethora of lures, six rail mounted poles and a couple of outriggers. Captain Scott didn't say much (strike that - he doesn't say anything) for the 6 hours we were on the water. Howard would run up and down to the fly bridge doing whatever tasks that needed doing. He was fast on the change-ups and always had at least one line in the water for each side of the boat. We trolled heavy lines, jigged light tackle and even threw a skippy on a harness for some top and weighted outrigger trolling. We landed a total of 4 skipjack, lost 5 and had a heavy lure and 400lb line shredded by a wahoo. Seas, as the say, were below normal - but being from Southern California were pretty high with 3-6 foot swells. I can't say that Captain Scott's heart was in our charter, but Howard's back was always into the work; with a smile and "unverified" bits of information. Perhaps Captain Scoot is just super laid back, or perhaps he just doesn't care. I wasn't able to figure him out, and have since stopped trying. Would I charter Lahela again? I think I'd have to try another charter service, like Kai Bear, to have a standard to measure him by. I do know that if Howard wasn't with Scott, I definitely wouldn't suggest him to a friend. Deep down I don't feel we got value for the money spent, but then again maybe I had higher expectations for a Hawaiian deep sea fishing trip. At least they don't have sea lions chasing the boats and eating your fish as you reel them in. But, that's fishing, and you can't always hold the captain responsible. To paraphrase Howard, 'fishing is like baseball - you can have a late inning rally, and sometimes you just get to play.' read more

Lahela Sportfishing - Lahela's 34' Radon sport fisher - Boating Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

We caught a dozen tuna due to excellent navigation. And the crew was amazingly knowledgeable. Afterwards, Captain Scott set us up so that we could send our catch home. He had a cooler available for us to purchase and provided what we needed to ship it back to Nebraska. It was my best experience on our Hawaii trip. read more

My wife and I chose to hire Capt. Scott and the Lahela Ocean Adventure for an anniversary. We chose this specific charter because you get to keep all the fish that you catch without being charged by the pound like most charters that we have been on in the past. Well that is what we thought due to conversations had with Capt. Scott and their website. This IS NOT the case. The fish is included in the cost but it a a HUGE amount that they require you pay for processing and handling of the fish. We paid for our fish to be processed and FEDEX Overnight to our home. We were excited for the arrival of fish for many dinners to come but WE NEVER RECEIVED IT!!! No fish, no refund, no nothing. Capt. Scott has done nothing to make this right and has refused to once he realized that there is no way that we would be receiving our shipment of fish. Save your money. Choose a vessel that is bigger and a Captain that is more trustworthy. The only thing that this charter left us with was a much lighter bank account and sea sickness that I have never witnessed before. This is there website. http://lahela-adventures.com/ read more

Booked a shared charter for a 4 hour trip. Had a great trip and everyone caught a fish. I would definitely book another trip with them.

Ted almost hit the nail straight on the head with a sledgehammer, I don't know how much more value I can add to my review, but I'll give it a shot. Deep sea fishing in Kauai (or all of Hawaii) is no cheap excursion and I was down to the decision between Lahela Ocean Adventures and Captain J at Deep Sea Fishing Kauai. After a few e-mails and phone calls, Lahela provided much more detailed information and were not as stuck up as Captain J of Deep Sea Fishing Kauai. I got quoted $219/person for a shared charter with only two people on a late September weekday. With applicable fuel/boat fees, the total came to $229/person. I was able to forego paying any taxes by letting them know that I would pay in cash (gotta do what you gotta do in a recession). I concur that Captain Scott was not quite a "people person" and was strictly "business" which was unlike any skipper that I've ever been with on a deep sea fishing trip. You figure that if you are gonna drop like $460 (and provide a decent tip), that you'd lighten up a bit and make the entire experience enjoyable from a social point of view as well as a fishing POV. Luckily Howard was the crewman on board and he was an extreme joy to be with. The 4 hour, half day fishing trip would have been quite a miserable one if Howard were not there to keep us comfortable and attend to anything we needed. He also does not shy away from conversation and kept my gf in really good care while she was seasick on the trip. Fishing in Hawaii is much different than what I'm used to than in the Mainland. The most notable differences are: 1) The fish of course. We caught only one fish on the trip but it was a beautiful, 10 lb mahi mahi with a great blend of colors with the deep blue on the top fin with a vibrant yellow on the bottomside. We almost had another mahi mahi but it escaped off the hook right as we were bringing it on board. You can also catch skipjack, wahoo, and different types of tuna. 2) Inability to keep all your catch. There were 4 poles on the boat, and the single mahi mahi was caught on a "boat pole." Therefore, even though we were the only paying customers of the day, we only had "rights" to 2 of the 4 poles on the boat. If the fish is caught on a different pole, you're more than welcome to bring it onboard, but not welcome to keep a single fillet off it. I imagine the skipper keeps it for himself or sells it to the local fish market. I have NEVER been involved in this policy before. Lahela claimed in an e-mail that the customer is able to keep 100% of their catch, but the memo on the boat states fish keep rules that say quite the opposite. 3) You only have to go off shore about 3-4 miles to be in good, deep waters to catch these fish. You are not spending 1-2 hrs out into the middle of the ocean just to get to the prime fishing spot. It's very nice that in a half day trip, most of that half day is spent fishing. For our trip (and for most trips I believe), the boat is always moving and trolling your jigs along. Overall, a pretty good experience and I'm very grateful that we didn't get skunked and were able to catch that mahi mahi. It was also the most expensive activity we did on Kauai so if you're on a budget, I'd stay away. It's great to do once, but I wouldn't recommend it again. read more

If this review were limited to one word, it would be: Meh. But it's not, so I'll elaborate. If you are visiting Kauai and want a fishing excursion, then there MUST be better options for your money. It isn't cheap, there are no guarantees, and the ocean may be choppy and uncooperative -- but the common thread that weaves this together to make it fun Is the captain. He sets the tone, the tempo, provides the leadership and hopefully gets us into some fish. The tacit implication when spending this much money is that the captain will be upbeat, communicative, and generally friendly. He was none of those. Did we catch fish? Uh, yes...but...I wouldn't hire this guy again. Why? Because the entire excursion was treated as if we were lucky to be afloat let alone offered an opportuniity to touch a line or some tackle. I'll explain: Captain whatever-his-name-was simply didn't exist the entire time we were out on the water. Not a word. The most interaction we had was at the beginning of the sojurn where money changed hands. The total was $595 for three people, so we paid with cash that totaled $600. The $5 difference was never addressed, and a true professional would have promptly provided the change. Not so with this outfit, but after the effort who is going to split hairs over $5? At 5 a.m.? We let it go. Still....My instinct immediately told me something as amiss because his focus was on counting the cash and not on the outing. The tempo was set - this was about money, not fish. After a curt briefing we were off to sea, lines out, trolling "the buoy". No chatting, mind you. Just trolling. Then a strike! Reeled in a 15 pound Mahi-Mahi. Then another - a tuna this time. So we we are catching fish! Speaking of catching fish, where is the captain? Oh, yeah -- he just drives the boat. The first mate? Well, it wasn't Howard...this guy just grunted things like "yeah" or "reel faster". No interaction with him either. So it went. Since we're catching fish by the buoy, the captain decides to leave and go somewhere else. Somewhere he can catch his trophy to sell at the markets later? Somewhere besides the best spot I've ever fished in my life. WTF, captain? No explanation, no discussion. And no more fish! And the rest of the morning went very slowly. No more fish and no more talking. While I appreciate the particulars of business, there is poise and professionalism expected of a service provider who caters to the vacationing tourist. This outfit is a poor example f how it should work. read more

My brother booked a deep sea fishing adventure for his friends and me the week of his wedding. Overall, it was a great day. Eight of us enjoyed our own private charter boat, and the Captains Howard and David were great company. I spent a while talking with Captain Howard about his experiences in Hawaii and out on the water, and I was absolutely fascinated. While we were out there on the open ocean, he pointed out several dolphins and even a whale. We were able to catch a total of 12 fish (11 skipjack tuna and one yellowfin tuna) about halfway into the day; we spent the remainder of our time boating around and attempting to catch larger fish, but didn't have as much luck. We were pretty happy with our catch, however, and ended up giving five of the fish to the crew since our coolers weren't even large enough to hold everything! If you enjoy fishing and want to spend a great day with Captains Howard and David, I would recommend preparing seasickness medication, LOTS of sunblock, water, and snacks. They gave us some juice but didn't have food. For some reason our party brought nothing but beer, and toward the end of the day everyone became pretty hangry. :( Once we docked, my fiance, who is a sushi chef, was able to butcher some of the fish right on board, which was an incredible experience for him. He made some amaaazing poke from all of this fish for the day of my brother's wedding! read more

I waited till I was in Kauai to book my trip on The Lahela booking only 3 days before. I saw on the website that their was still availability for the day I was free from scheduled family activities during our trip, I even called to confirm before booking. I signed up for the 6 hour trip for $200 which said a maximum of 6 people. We all gathered on the boat and I noticed there were 7 people and I figured no big deal one is probably just a spectator. Nope when they started giving out rod assignments they gave out 7 numbers and of coarse I was number 7. Quiet me just figure oh cool maybe we are doing the 8 hour trip. Well the Boat untied and left the harbor at about 6:40am and lines were in the water within 10 minutes. About 10 fish were caught within the first 3.5hrs and of coarse mine was one of the 2 rods that didn't get a bite. Scott then announced that the people that haven't had any action are up next no matter what rod gets hit. Not 10 min later we get a hit the other person was up first because they were a lower number, sweet I'm up next no matter what. Well no bites and 30 minutes later Scott said okay everybody back on their own rods, WTF. Fished sir a little bit longer than headed in. Got back to the dock and tied up at about 12:25pm, little under 6 hours. I felt like I was just some extra cash in Scott's pocket. read more

Keep your Catch!!!! Got my Fresh Mahi Mahi that I caught Fed-ex to my front door. Our family traveled to Kauai and couldn't decide what Fishing Charter company to book with as we were frustrated with the pushiness of two of the sales agents with the activity desk which were trying to convince us to book only with certain companies. They actually ignored any questions we had about some of the other companies that we read about on-line and really wanted to go out with someone that was born and raised on the island of Kauai and maybe learn something about the island through their eyes. Obviously they had their favorites probably for sales reasons.... Anyhow, we took it upon ourselves to do some footwork on our own and see some of the vessels at Nawiwili Harbor in hopes of meeting up with a captain or crew and feel it out. Fortunately, we caught Lahela Ocean Adventures coming into the harbor with a charter and walked down to the slip to see if they caught any fish, They had a variety of fish which was a nice size Tuna which the locals call them Ahi, two Mahi Mahi - Dolphin Fish and several skipjacks. The passengers looked really happy and more so I found out was they got to keep their catch and were staying in their timeshare for a week so I guess they had their meals covered. I was really impressed watching the activity on the boat from the dock and approached a gentlemen and he introduced himself as Scott. Which was nice to know that he was the Captain and owner of the company and was very friendly and offered my sons and myself to see the vessel so we jumped onboard. I was sold!!!! and fortunately my family was able to book a 4 hour morning trip that same week due to a cancellation. We were so happy to pick Lahela Ocean Adventures as my sons really like chatting with Bubby and though my wife wasn't into the fishing she enjoyed the bonus Whale Watching show that we had while fishing and captured beautiful pictures that she still brags about. During the fishing trip we had several strikes and caught 3 Mahi mahi's, which 2 of my sons and myself got to reel in our own catch. The only complaint I have was I only wish that I booked the 6 hour charter instead of the 4 hr, as we would have gotten more fish. (not being selfish but liked the fighting fishing chair). Like how they say in Hawaii - MAHALO!!! Mahalo Captain Scott and Bubby for making our fishing adventure such a memorable one. We have the photos of the boys with their fish and the photo of the breaching whale framed in our Living Room. We will be back one of these years and saving up for our next Hawaii trip. read more

It was fine until the end. The first mate was great. The captain was not nice at all, however. He got mad at us after losing a fish (and we only had two bites all day). He continued to yell "watch your spool," but he didn't explain what we are supposed to watch for and then what we are supposed to do in response. We are not professional fishermen but people on vacation in Kauai and looking to have some fun fishing. Therefore, I'm not sure why it was necessary for the captain to get so angry and cuss at us when we paid over $400 to go on the trip and get yelled at after already feeling bad about losing a fish. You might have more fun in boot camp with the Marines. read more

Captain Scott was not only rude, but inconsiderate. We paid $600 cash to drive around the ocean. He did nothing to assist Bobby his assistant about assisting us to catch fish. He stayed above while we drove around for four hours with no live bait and no real effort was made to catch fish. What a waste of time and how pathetic to come out and just ride around for four hours. We didn't even get one bite. Where were the fish and where was the captain. Bev C read more

Went out on an all-day personal charter (3 persons) with Capt Scott and his crew. It was definitely worth the time and money. Each of us ended up landing a yellow fin tuna over 100lbs. Although we only got two strikes during the trip, each was a double hit. The first time we had a marlin and a yellow-fin. Unfortuantely the marlin got away. The last one ended up with us reeling in two tunas. Scott and his crew were great. I would definitely go out with them again. read more

My family and I went out with captain Howard on a four hour private charter and it was excellent. We had several bites on the line but ultimately we caught one yellowfin tuna and one wahoo. Both crew members were helpful and friendly and we all highly reccomend them. read more

When we arrived in Kauai in early October we knew we wanted to go fishing but had no idea which company to choose. So while we were waiting for our bags at the airport we picked up several brochures on fishing charters. When we arrived at the condo we went though the choices and decided to start calling. Well our first and only call we ended up needing to make was to Lahela Ocean Adventures. Captain Scott told us what the cost would be and where and when the charter leaves. He said he would be down at the boat that day for a bit longer so we went down to check it out prior to booking. Once we arrived and spoke with Scott we decided right then that we would book our first of our two trips that we ended up taking. Our experiences with both Captain Scott and the deckhand were good. Prior to going out we were given instructions on what to expect during our charter as well as how things would be handled once a fish was on the line. At no time during either trip did anyone seem to leave unsatisfied with their catch or experience on the boat. We were lucky and caught fish on both of our excursions. They did fillet the fish for us to take back to our room and we froze some to bring home with us. The boat is well kept and clean, the captain and deckhand were professional and knowledgeable. Captain Scott did everything within his power to try and make our fishing trip a success. We will be sure to book again with Lahela Ocean when we return to Kauai. read more

Scott and Bobby were great. We booked a 4-hour private charter and never expected to catch so many fish the largest being a 107 lb. Ahi tuna. It was also a pleasure to see the crew releasing the smaller schooling tuna for another visit to Kauai. We recommend using Lahena Ocean Adventures - Professional, clean boat and great guys! read more

10 of my family members went on a deep sea fishing trip with lahela adventures and it was nothing that we expected for the price we paid. The crew was beyond rude, we had to ask for the "provided beverages" 2.5hours into the trip and there was no selection, Then we asked how many fish they catch per trip they responded "4-5". Why would they book a boat with 10 people on it and only catch 4-5 fish???? Needless to say there were 4 of us that didn't even get to touch a fishing pole. Very disappointing! Then when we got back to shore they tried to give us half of one of the four fish that we caught, when we asked for more of it they were very reluctant to give it to us. They also prefer you pay cash, I find that very strange. Definitely would never recommend them. read more

My girlfriend and I went deep sea fishing with Lahela on our recent trip to Kauai. It was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation. We were staying on the North Shore and after looking around Lahela had the best prices. We called and got a charter for two days later, and the Captain Scott was very friendly and gave us directions to get there. The morning of Scott gave us and the other couple a "low down" of the boat and how everything works and answered all of our questions. The two deckhands Bobby and Kevin were also very friendly and were extremely helpful. They made sure we had everything we needed and when it was time to fish, they helped coach us and made sure we were safe. On our way back to the harbor the line caught a 200lb+ Ahi Tuna, that I was able to reel in. Bobby, Kevin, and Scott were so helpful and made the experience unforgettable. Back at the dock they took the fish out for us to take pictures and they let us take some fillets home. Overall it was an amazing day and everyone so friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Very fun! Also when we got home to California, Scott was very prompt in emailing us photos they had taken. read more

Lahela Sportfishing - Boating Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

I came over from Cairns Austtralia and met up with two friends from Southern California. We were pretty excited about catching some Ahi and Capt Scott and crew did not disappoint. None of the other boats caught that day, so I sure was glad I was on Lahela. Sadly I dropped a marlin but Scott quickly made up for that with two double hook ups of 120 lb plus Ahi. My friend and I have been game fishing all over the place including Cabo, Tahiti, Cairns etc and this was one of the most experienced crews I have been with. They clearly live and breath it! Thanks for a fantastic day and I look forwward to goiing out again! read more

Great fishing Trip! Captain Scott and Bobby made the trip great. When you can deal with puke, fish, and a boat all at the same time and still catch good fish and make people happy then you have great team. The water was claimer then normal for fishing off Kaua'I as I have had the eye opening experience of 10 foots sea a few years back. First we caught some bait fish which crew man Bobby seem to have mastered very well. Then we traded them up for 5 amber jacks and two gray snappers. I have fished off Kauai 4 times before and Lahela is the first charter company that offered for us to keep our fish which was nice to hear for once even though we didn't ship our fish home. Lahela is definitely my top recommendation to friends and family for fishing. . read more

My wife and I recently booked a day of deep sea fishing aboard the Lahela with Captain Scott and Bobby. There were 4 in our party as we were traveling with our son and his girlfriend. We reserved his whole boat for just ourselves, got to keep the fish we caught, and enjoyed the personal attention of the skipper. Scott is a very experienced captain and fisherman. The boat is quite comfortable (has a toilet). Thanks again Scott for the experience of a lifetime, and rest assured the tuna made it home and was enjoyed by many friends and family. When I am back on Kauai, I will definitely fish on the Lahela. read more

My husband booked this charter for just the two of us. The boat is nice and clean, well maintained. Captain Scott said that he would spend most of his time above as this is where he captains the boat and gets the best view for looking for the fish. He was right, he does stay up there, which is fine, however I would think being a charter he would be more outgoing especially when we are sitting below not getting a single bite, not one! He came down to change the lures a couple times and to reel in the poles at the end, all without saying a word to us. Just think a friendlier atmosphere would be nice. You can carry a conversation and look for the catch at the same time I would think ;) His crewmember, Howard was a really nice guy. He kept us entertained as much as possible throughout the trip. Made for a very expensive boat ride when you don't catch anything, although we are well aware that it's called 'fishing' and you're not guarantee a catch. read more