John was a great guide, my family had a blast! My younger son is obsessed with turtles so we knew we had to take him. We sprang for the photo package and John delivered, he took some amazing video too of my kids just having the time of their lives. Highly recommend. read more

Maui Kayaks - Turtle at the "cleaning station!" - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me

We had great time due to Andres. He is very good 5/5 stars for him. Very knowledgeable, makes you comfortable. Thank you Andres.

Andres did an amazing job today. We booked the snorkel and turtle town adventure in kayaks with him and ended up on a whale kayak tour when a pod showed up. So amazing! He got us so close to them and was very knowledgeable. At one point me and my wife were maybe 15ft from a breaching humpback. He asked us many times if we wanted to continue onto the turtle portion of it but a majority of us voted let's keep chasing the whales! So cool. Awesome guide. read more

Maui Kayaks - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me

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Carlos is the man. He was so attentive to our group, took pictures that we could purchase from him after (we did because we forgot our gopro at the hotel) and made sure we all had a great time! He is the best and Maui Kayaks is the way to go if you want to swim with turtles! read more

Maui Kayaks - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me

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This was awesome. We went on the makena/wailea explorer eco-adventure. Kayaked around for an hour or more, then snorkeled on the reef and swam with the turtles. It was amazing. John the guide was awesome and did a great job, very knowledgeable. John also offers pictures with his underwater camera for $60, which is awesome. Loved it, would gladly go again. Definitely recommend. read more

Maui Kayaks - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me

Our group of 8 had a kayak and snorkeling tour this morning with John at Maui Kayaks. He was awesome! Genuinely loves his job and is very knowledgeable of the marine life, which was plentiful. We've been on enough tours to know that not all guides get into the water with their group and actually interact with everyone - But John did. We paid for the photography package and it's definitely worth it. John is on it and constantly snapping away with his underwater camera. Another key thing to consider with a tour like this is group size. Ours was 10 total. I wouldn't recommend a group larger than that. It becomes less intimate and you're slowed down by sea sick participants, first time snorkelers, etc. read more

I have been on many kayak tours in California and Hawaii (Big Island), and I have to say that our guide, John 'Shappy' Shappell, was the best ever. There's an old saying "go slow to move fast", and John lives by that. We got the best briefing on how to get a kayak to fast and straight. I learned some things! We also found four turtles, and that was great too. 5 stars to John! read more

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The short version: My family and I kayaked from Makena Beach, and had the pleasure of having John Shappell from Maui Kayaks as our guide. Not only did we snorkeled with turtles and saw other sea life, but John was able to preserve the memories for us with his great photography! Longer version: I'm not a swimmer so I let John know I could kayak all day but I'd stay in the kayak while he guided my family under water to go exploring. The day was awesome, the water was calm, and John swam back to me after a few minutes and without putting any pressure on me, he relayed what a great experience it would be if I joined them down below, and he swam away, not before saying he'd keep checking in with me to see how I was doing. By the time John came back a second time I'd already put my gear on and was ready to get into the water. John made sure I was calm after getting my bearings in the water, and quickly encouraged me to take a look down below. WOW, what an incredible sight! After giving John a shaka down below, we were off to join everyone else. I swam with turtles, saw some native fish, and just marveled at the coral down below. I was able to experience with my family a great underwater adventure, which I will remember as my first snorkel experience in my life! Mahalo nui loa to John, and to Maui Kayaks, for this GREAT kayak and snorkel adventure! read more

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This tour company was recommended by another kayak company and we were glad that we had booked with Maui Kayaks. We had Greg as our instructor for "Lahaina Paddle tour". We were so happy and thankful that we had him on our first kayak experience. He has a great sense of humor. You can tell that he loves what he is doing. Also, he was very knowledgeable about the sea life. We saw four different turtles. He let us hold a sea urchin and a pebble collector urchin. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the sharks. Overall, would definitely book a different activity when we come back. Thank you Greg! You're awesome! read more

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We did the Makena/ Wailea Explorer Eco-Adventure with John Shappell and it was our favorite adventure during our week-long visit to Maui. John was an amazing tour guide, he brought us to an excellent place for snorkeling, where we saw so many sea turtles! He also took beautiful underwater pictures of us during our excursion. Highly recommend. read more

We had a really great experience on this kayaking/snorkel trip. Our guide, Carlos, was very experienced and knowledgeable and really fun! We had a fabulous time! read more

Absolutely outstanding and a must do, if you are in the Wailea area. John, our guide took the time to give us a full safety briefing on kayaking and procedures. For a first timer like myself, that was very reassuring (we are going into the open ocean after all, and shit happens..And I do want to come back alive. Which I did..) John was also very in tune with the Hawaiian culture and history, which is refreshing and educational. This is a good workout, paddling along the coast of Wailea, which I've really enjoyed. You can see the beautiful island from this angle of the ocean. Snorkeling from the kayak was an interesting experience. John, also took the time to make us a fantastic lunch after this great experience! Thank you so much. This was the highlight of our trip! read more

Our family had an amazing experience on a kayak and sea turtle tour with Maui Kayaks. Our guide, John, was the best -- patient with the kids, knowledgable and inclusive. We saw so many turtles -- my 12 year old is still talking about it a week later! John is a skilled photographer and took a ton of beautiful pictures which we were happy to buy from him directly. I could not recommend this tour more -- if you are on the fence, do not hesitate to book. Thanks for the memorable experience! read more

Maui Kayaks - My son snorkeling with the sea turtles - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me

We had such a great time on the kayak/snorkel adventure. Absolutely worth the money and Carlos was AWESOME!! He made sure we were able to see plenty of fish/turtles. He genuinely wanted us to have a great time and made our trip memorable. Carlos was very informative, helpful, and made sure everyone was satisfied and doing well. Unfortunately my group went elsewhere two days prior and paid twice the amount per person and were very disappointed. So glad we tried again with Maui Kayaks prior to ending our vacation. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to experience a great time kayaking and snorkeling. read more

My family and I did this, this morning and it was great! Our instructor was so nice and had tons on information about the island and fish. We kayaked about a mile and a half out and saw some whales (we were the only group out today that saw whales) then we kayaked back to the shore and snorkeled with the turtles. Today I saw and swam with more turtles than I ever have before. I have ever been so close to a turtle and it amazing. I am so sore from all the kayaking and I cannot lift my arms above my head but in the end I have a great time and I would recommend this tour to everyone that comes. We were so lucky that the weather was perfect the ocean was glass and our instructor was awesome. Everyone should do this read more

This tour was totally worth the price you pay. My boyfriend and I decided to do the Makena Turtle Town Adventure and it was pretty freaking awesome. We had John as a guide and he brought the experience to a new new degree of greatness. John was very knowledgeable about the area and the best places to snorkel and find exotic fish and turtles. We saw 6 turtles and one baby turtle on our snorkel adventure. John has been doing this for 10 years, and he makes every trip very personable as he actually scopes out the best snorkel spot of the day considering conditions. He also does a great job telling you info about the fishes and turtles in addition to informing you of the history behind Maui's vast landscape. It was great to both kayak and snorkel. John made it easy for everyone in showing us how to get in and out of our kayaks, both when we hop aboard and when we anchor and go into the water. It's way harder than you think it would be. I got a face full of sand water when entering the kayak. I'm pretty scared of the ocean, and you'll be snorkeling far off shore, but this tour made me forget about my worries because of all the awesome things I was able to see when I was snorkeling. Plus, he gives you life vest (and you have the option of not wearing them) if you are not a strong swimmer. A must do in Maui, plus Makena Landing is beautiful. read more

This was an amazing trip that my husband and I were looking forward to all week. Well worth the wait & the money! We took the four-stop tour which was awesome. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. We saw at least five turtles! The lunch at the end was amazing! We will most definitely do this again!!! ~One thing that NO ONE told us before we went: Snorkeling and pretty much anything dealing with the ocean is only good from early morning to about noon because of the wind. Good to know if you've never bin there before because you'll have a lot of open afternoons!!~ read more

We did the Olowalu whale watching/snorkel trip. John was a great guide. We went longer than expected, total bonus, and since there were just two couples on our trip we all agreed to do paddle with the whales for the whole trip. Nothing compares to having a mother and calf humpback nudging each other just in front of your kayak. Or seeing these beautiful giants come up just in front of your kayak as if coming right at you only to see him calmly turn on a dime and go the other way - only yards from you. Oh ya, there were lovely sea turtles breathing next to us as well. If you are here this time of year - end of January/February - do not miss this opportunity. Sure whale watching boat trips are tons of fun, but NOTHING compares to kayaking on the ocean like this. Thanks John! read more

We had the BEST time on our Makena Turtle town Kayak/Snorkle trip. We intended on coming to Maui and doing absolutely nothing (other than eating, lounging at the beach/pool and drinking). Day 3 of our trip we decided that we should actually do an activity. Someone suggested we use Maui Kayaks and we had an AMAZING time. We got to Makena for the 7am tour. This is a perfect location if you're staying in Wailea. Kaleo (the Hawaiian dude) was our tour guide and he was the best!! I've been on snorkeling trips where I've just been "Let Out" in a area and told to frolic for 30 minutes. Not on this trip. Kaleo actually jumps in the water and brought different random things up for us to touch and see. At one point he went into a cave to look for a shark...fortunately he didn't find one. He also found a baby octopus - I got to let it wrap around my leg...super cool. We also saw some awesome sea turtles during my trip. I'm not the adventurous type - so this 2.5/3 hour trip was perfect for me. Being able to snorkel and kayak in the same trip was the perfect adventure for us. Overall - GREAT experience and the highlight of our trip. Would definitely use Maui Kayaks again:) read more

Did the Lahaina paddle on our recent trip to Maui, we are not regular kayak people so we wanted to do something chill. Plus we were on vacation and didn't really feel like getting up at the crack of dawn for one of the earlier trips. Figured kayaking in the ocean would be a lot different than kayaking in Newport bay. We were right, it was a bit tiring fighting the waves, but it was a lot of fun. Our guide gave us some great history about the area, I won't give away the goods, but there is a giant "L" that has some meaning to those on the island. Also got to see a Hawaiian monk seal sunbathing on a rock. I'm sure that the longer kayak trips would be even more fun, but for our first time a couple hours was sufficient. Our guide Noel (or maybe it was Noah, I'm kind of brain dead right now) was super cool. Would love to try another trip in the future. read more

Highly recommend! Very well priced, easy to navigate (mostly). Good for all experience levels. We went with our family of 4 (2 kids 12 and 5). We were scheduled to leave from Makena at 7am, but couldn't due to rough water (understandable as safety was a concern) Carlos was so sweet and clearly bummed that we couldn't go. He recommended we call Paul, the owner to get rescheduled, which we did for later in the day to go from the Lahaina location. Other than the frustrating parking (which has nothing to do with this company) it was excellent! Timothy was a great guide and took us to the perfect snorkel spot where we saw lots of turtles and fish. On the way out we got to see a monk seal. Couple tips: if you are up for learning as you go or asking questions to get help, this is a good tour for you. If you want to be "spoon fed", find a different company. We were good figuring it out (have experience kayaking, but not snorkeling). Timothy did do a quick paddling lesson at the start which was a nice review (and good for the kids), but no snorkel training (though all questions were answered well). Bottom line, definitely worth it and would go with this company again. Thanks for making our first snorkel experience a great one! (Booked through trip advisor) read more

I did the kayak, whale watching snorkeling trip. All of it was great. Spent an hour watching an adolescent male do his stuff. I couldn't believe it was really an hour. Kayaking you don't see as many whales, but being on their level is extraordinary. Next was the snorkel. Lots of turtles where we stopped. Not much variety in the fish at that time, but if turtles are what you want, you'll see plenty. A turtle and I almost had a head on collision as I paddled. All of a sudden there was a turtle in front of me. Our guide was great. I get tired of arrogant and condescending guides putting in their time. Grif was none of these. He likes what he does. His love of the area, the whales and other wildlife showed through. He was very attentive to everyone's safety. read more

Yesterday we had the highlight of our trip. We took a kayak tour with John. He was great taking time with us old folks to make sure we had fun, AND WE DID. Never thought we would be outside look to shore to see a mom whale and calves, plus turtles and beautiful fish and coral. Thanks John for taking the timing and for the great memories. This was even better than golf!! read more

Tristian was the best guide and cool dude to hang all day on the water. Cool history and really about the Hawaiian culture, was like a bonus to hear him speak about Hawaii / Maui. Saw a bunch of turtles, a school? Of dolphins, bazillion fish, I can go on but I'm on 10th mai Tai. He also shared all these secret local spots that I won't share. Tristian is the man. Ohana read more

We had a really good time doing this - it is a good workout and you get a solid reward for all your paddling. We did the 5-hour Eco Adventure. We were able to see several whales at VERY close range - scary and AWESOME! We also saw a couple of sea turtles while snorkeling which was really neat. I have to say though, based on the description where it says "Five Caves" and "Skylight Cave" ...well, I was hoping to kayak through some caves. But when I asked our guide about this he explained that these are actually underwater caves that only experienced divers can get in to. Ok? One other thing was, for being an "intermediate" skill level tour, there sure was a whole lot of up front talking about how to get in and out of your kayak, how to put your flippers on, etc. Plus he was really insistant on helping us push off and land which will be strange if you usually do that yourself (not to mention slooooow). The lunch was better than I expected - still cold sandwiches and fruit, but he took the time to buy quality, hawaiian made ingredients and he set it up so you can put your own sandwich together. He also cut up tomato and pineapple right there on the beach! I would definitely recommend this activity - there is no match for being 20 feet away from a whale in a kayak! read more

During this Maui trip, I decided to try things that I never tried before. What better way to kill two birds with one stone, kayaking and snorkeling. John was our guide and he was awesome. You kayak in teams of two. My group was 3 so someone had to kayak alone. I boldly volunteered although I was shaking in my beach shoes. It turned out to be great. I thought it was going to be very difficult but now I can say it was a breeze. Snorkeling was great as well. John did an awesome job giving us an explanation of how to use the equipment and what to expect. Very detailed in his explanation. We were ready for any surprise that could come up. The hardest part was getting use to breathing from my mouth because it's so natural to want to breath from your nose. We followed a school of spinner dolphins. Yippee! And got to see a couple large turtles and more fish than I could count. Then to top it off, John had the best picnic lunch ready for us once we returned to shore and cleaned up in the restroom. Final note of encouragement. If you never tried this, the view from the shore can be intimidating before you start. Don't let the waves crashing up make you think you cant handle it. You may want to chicken out. But the ocean is much calmer once you get out. John is an expert in making sure you get out and return to shore safely. I am soooo glad I did! read more

We had a nice time in the Makena Turtle Town Eco Adventure with John. He explained how to kayak on the beach, and we were paddling out to the snorkel spot in no time. The snorkeling was also good (although the snorkels themselves were not the best as water kept coming in and it was hard to breath). We saw at least five turtle, many different fish, beautiful coral, and even an eel. My only disappointment was that the website said there were going to be two snorkel sites, but we only visited one. Also, our tour went from 7 to 9:15 instead of 7 to 10. Our guide talked a bit too much and kept hinting that we should buy his photos. read more

My husband and I did a kayak and snorkel tour with Maui Kayaks on 10/17/21. The tour was great however Andres our guide, told us about the Photos he would be taking. We already paid $150 for the two of us. We gave Andres a tip along with $40 he requested for the photos he would be taking. Since he was going to be taking pictures we did not bring our camera. He asked us to pay at the end of the tour. He said he was going to send us a link For the pictures. We never received the pictures. We text him multiple times reminding hI'm. He said he would be sending them. I continued to text him. we kept hearing "tomorrow for sure, tomortow For sure"'". We never received the pictures. So our tour guide got us for $60 on top of the $150 we already spent cor the tour. NOT HAPPY! read more

Wow, where to start! I booked our "Turtle Town Kayak adventure off Makena a week before we came to Maui for our honeymoon. Having never been to Maui I did not know what to expect from a snorkeling adventure out there. It rained our first day so that was kind of a bummer. The second day was cloudy but at least not raining, when we met at 7:00 am at the landing. I was not excited to have to be up that early. I also did not receive clear communication about where to meet. We were to meet at "Makena Landing" which sounds simple, and Google Maps brought me to "Makena Landing Park" with no problem, but we sat there and saw nobody until after 7:00 I gave up there and drove up the hill & around the corner, where I saw the trucks with all the kayaks. So I got there a little frazzled. Ok so we get in the water and paddle out. John Shappell was our awesome guide! This was early March and there were lots of Humpback whales visible in the distance. Suddenly some surfaced near to us. John suggested we paddle out to see them better. As we were paddling, I heard what I thought was my wife humming a tune quietly while we were paddling. Then John stops paddling and asks if we can hear the whale singing! That wasn't my wife after all! Wow, now the water surrounding our kayak was humming/ringing with this whale song. I am amazed. Then mamma whale and her baby surface close to us. Because we don't have a noisy engine, John says they can be curious sometimes and come closer. These whales do. They dive again and surface this time less than 40 feet from our kayak! Wow how amazing. We spent most of our time paddling around the bay with the whales. We did finally leave the whales about 9:00 and paddled over to a reef close to the shore where we had snorkel time. I got to swim with the turtles and fish at the reef, and all the while underwater I could hear what sounded like several whales off in the distance. For me, even though this morning started off rocky, this was by far the highlight of our honeymoon adventure! I can't recommend it strongly enough! John Shappell knew exactly how to orchestrate our time. Ask for him when you book! read more

Excellent excursion! Definitely the highlight our our week in Maui. Carlos Ramadan was awesome! He took amazing pictures too!!! Do yourself a favor and do this excursion. read more

A kayak is a kayak and mother nature makes no promises on conditions or sea life​, but the guide makes or breaks the experience. John,​ our guide is the best kumu I have experienced​​. John is clearly skilled at water sports, but more importantly at connecting with people and helping them to connect with the ​moana and aina. He truly is passionate about Hawai'i and does his best to exemplify Aloha demonstrating both malama and pono. And yes you will see some pretty cool things like eels and octopus​. read more

I had an amazing morning kayaking and snorkeling with Maui Kayaks! Our guide John was super knowledgeable and took us to all of the best places to see turtles. Unlike the huge snorkeling boats, our group was just 8 people which created a more intimate and personalized experience. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who loves being on the water and wants to snorkel with turtles! I know I will be back! read more

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We went on the 7am ride also and had a funny and knowledgeable guide in Mr. K (Kaleo maybe). Mr. K took us to a great diving spot, pointed out the sea life, even bringing some up to touch. He answered all questions and had a great sense of humor. Unfortunately the 5 other people in the group were dowdy and not that adventurous, bordering on the complaining, and very slow paddlers so the guide had to deal with them, but it was no fault of the company. If you don't want to snorkel, don't go on this tour. We who wanted to snorkel and were willing to work hard to get to great spots to see sea turtles and other sea life really, really enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend and use again! read more

Best Adventure Tour Ever! My wife and I wanted to see some sea turtles and do a little bit of kayaking. We booked the Turtle Kayak and Snorkel Adventure with Maui Kayaks. We met at Makena Landing Park at 7am in the morning. It was a beautiful warm day with calm and clean water. John Shappell was a tour guide. He was awesome. He knows all of spots to find turtles. We saw 7 different turtle, large and small. There were times we even had multiple turtle swimming around us. It was amazing watching them up close (within 2ft) while snorkeling. John even found an octopus in the reefs. Very cool to play with an octopus if you have not before. We would definitely do this tour again. It was perfect. Thank you John. read more

Our tour guide, Rama Covarrubias, did a wonderful job. He was extremely accommodating, personable and professional. My girlfriend has very little experience with kayaking and snorkeling, and his instructions were very thorough and helpful. Rama took our small group of six to an area that was practically to ourselves, which was a huge bonus. Loved seeing the Honu! Overall, the excursion was enjoyable and completely worthwhile. Highly recommended! read more

We attempted the Makena and Lahaina kayak tours. The first was canceled due to high surf with notice the night before. The second was never canceled. My family got up at 5:00 a.m. to drive from Kihei to Lahaina for the tour. Only because we had to call for help finding the office were we notified that our tour had been canceled again due to high surf. While the weather is an understandable and disappointing variable, the company should have notified us. Thankfully they did agree to issue a full refund. read more

Our experience with Maui Kayaks was simply amazing! John showed us some great snorkeling and made us feel comfortable and safe! He was patient and kind, giving our group with ages ranging from 7 to 60-something individual attention and a fantastic experience! Will definitely come again! read more

Meredith was amazing! She was so positive and fun to lead us through our kayak tour. She made sure we had a great time. We saw four turtles and two sharks. Highly recommended! read more

Most amazing thing we have done in Maui in 35 years of coming! I had wanted to kayak down at Makena for 20 years and finally we did it! John Shappell, our guide, made it the best activity ever! He is "the man" and the "whale whisperer" for real! I must say the ocean Gods were with us because the water was flat and conditions were perfect, but John led us to a mother whale and a baby and we got to spend over an hour watching them. They swam under our boat and totally mesmerized us! John knew exactly what to do and he did not rush us, he read the group perfectly and everyone had the time of their life! Then he ended with snorkeling and turtles. His words were helpful, encouraging, patient and just very kind! It could not have been a more perfect morning. Thank you John S. and keep up your stellar customer service - we will be back! read more

What an amazing way to spend thanksgiving!!! John was our guide and was fun and easy going !!! We had 4 in our group a 15,11 year old and two adults!!! We saw turtles turtles and so many species of tropical fish!!! One of the best snorkeling we have ever done and our last trip was Costa Rica !!! I would recommend this trip again!! Do the longer trip and you will snorkel more !!! read more