The ride alone is worth the $14.95 per person that Nelson's charges to have a direct pickup & dropoff from your hotel to Hanauma Bay. Brian P. and I went on a snorkel tour on 09/03/14 thanks to a coupon that was provided by our hotel. It was a nondescript coupon that simply said "snorkel tours." (Same price without a coupon.) When reserving the tour, they answered "snorkel tours." It wasn't until we got on the van did we find out the actual name of the company. The vans are pretty wrecked inside. Definitely not luxurious. Imagine having your friend pick you up in their beater van and that's basically what you're taking. Our driver was on time and we picked up 2 more couples before heading out. Once we got to Hanauma, we were given masks, snorkels and flippers and asked when we wanted picked up. Our pickup was 7:30 am which meant we were in the water around 9 am and we chose the earliest pickup of 11 am. On the way back, we knew by seeing which van had a bunch of trash in the windshield that it was our van to pick us up. Our driver made a weird stop and had us transfer vans about 5 min down the road back to the hotel, but it wasn't a big deal. Very, very no frills. Worth the cost just to get a ride and avoid the bus. Even if I had my own snorkel, I'd probably use them again just because it's so cheap for the ride alone, and the other stuff is a bonus. read more

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As the old saying goes: "you get what you pay for", and while not always true, this certainly and undoubtedly is the case for Nelson's Snorkel Tours. Rachel S and I found their coupon while looking through a coupon book given to us by our hotel. The coupon simply said "snorkel tours" and stated that a RT van to Hanauma Bay from Waikiki including snorkeling gear was $14.95 plus admission fees into the park. There were 2 phone numbers on the coupon and when I called the 1st one, a lady answered with the name "Snorkel Tours", so I was led to believe this was the name of the company. I told her I wanted to book a pick up for 2 adults at our hotel the next morning at 7:30 am The next morning at about 7:15 am, the same lady called me back and told me that we would be picked up at 7:20 and to be outside waiting for them. We quickly rushed downstairs to find a beat up old van with a cardboard sign in the dash that read "Nelson's Snorkel Tours". When we got on the van, I almost regretted booking the cheapo tour because the van smelled funny and the lady shuffled us around at each pick up location and separated individual parties, including Rachel and I, so that we'd fit better or something. Very odd. Riding in the van was also an experience in and of itself because the lady was a terrible driver and it didn't help that she attempted to multi-task on several occassions on top of that. It seemed like she was answering the phone while driving and booking future tours... Upon arrival at Hanauma Bay, the lady handed out snorkels, masks, and fins and collected the $14.95 + tax from each passenger. She also asked us what time each party wanted to be picked up and we chose the earliest time of 11 am so that we could get to our afternoon plans on time. Nervous that the lady wouldn't return at all and based on the Yelp reviews we read during the initial trip over to Hanauma, we sat at the pick up area hoping that the lady didn't forget about us. As we sat, we noticed a van turning into the parking lot and holding up a line of many other vans. We looked through the windshield of this van and saw a bunch of garbage on the dash and said to each other "I guess Nelson's is here"...and sadly we were right. We handed our rental equipment back to the lady and boarded the van. About 5 min down the road she had us get out and change vans with another group so that a male driver could take us back to Waikiki. WTF! At least this guy was a much better driver and we made it back safely. So why does our experience still deserve 3 stars you ask? Simply because just the ride down to Hanauma Bay is worth it for the 15 bucks per person. Next time if remember to bring my own gear from home, I would still consider Nelson's just because it's a cheap, quick ride compared to a long, multi-stop ride on TheBus. There are definitely many many other snorkeling tours around but none are cheaper than Nelson's. Other ones I saw were at least $20-25 per person although you may have a more enjoyable and trash free ride. read more

We booked through the tourist agent at our hotel and paid about $35 for the both of us. Pick up time was set for 1030am, but the driver was late about 10 minutes... Originally we expected the driver to come in front of the hotel and we weren't sure what kind of vehicle we were awaiting for. Once she arrived after parking across the street she rushed into the van. The driver seemed really frazzled and we never got her name. She multitasked, booked more reservations on the phone, drove, and entertained us. It wasn't a bad experience and we enjoyed the ride to Hanauma Bay. The cost of the trip didn't cover everything as we upgraded our snorkels for $2 each to have the water stopper, purchased a life vest for my boyfriend for $4, and we paid the $7.50 each for the entrance to the beach. There was no lesson on the snorkeling as we were just given the gear and let go, but it wasn't difficult to understand how to use it. However, I would have liked more organization ahead of time and heads up that our ride would've been late. At our arrange return pick-up, our original driver's van was full so we pushed into riding with another van. Never got his name either, but the van was remarkably organized, clean, and he gave us candy. The guy gave his passengers his full attention and pointed out houses of famous celebrities like John Travolta. Overall, the trip was nice and worth it? However, I wish I had done more research coming to Hawaii and found other tours that would've let us see turtles! But for a last minute trip since scuba diving was booked, it was an okay experience to try out Nelson's Snorkel Tours. read more

Nelson's Snorkel Tours - hanauma bay - Snorkeling Near Me

Well, where do I start? I guess you can read all the other reviews for how a successful trip would be. Lynn is certainly a character, and we thought she was a lot of fun once we met her. We were actually in a different van than she was, driven by Bob. Apparently, several people in our group were supposed to be picked up at 7:00a, but they were asked to wait for the 9:00a pick-up. This created a large group filling two full vans (12 in our van, about the same in the other). Bob was very quiet, so our drive toward Koko Head and Hanauma Bay was peaceful. However, things got weird just before we got to Koko Head. Bob got a phone call, then pulled into a big parking lot. Lynn pulled up next to us and told us that the Park had rules that she could only take eight people in at a time, so we would drive to the Park's parking lot and some of us would get out and wait while she shuttled us all in in groups of eight. Then she passed out snorkel gear and gave a very brief overview on use, basically, "put the mask over your eyes and nose, and the tube in your mouth, then breathe". It was at this point that she collected money from everybody, about $15 each, plus $3 extra for the "dry cap", which most snorkels already have on them, but not the ones she uses. My wife and I had already paid online through a service, so we were fine. We got back in the vans and drove just about another mile up the road to Koko Head when we pulled off in a scenic lookout parking area. It was here that Lynn told everybody that Hanauma Bay was closed due to an influx of jellyfish, and we would be dropped off at our respective hotels now. She apologized for the inconvenience and graciously returned $5 of the recently collected cash to each person (except my wife and me) to cover the unused snorkel equipment. When people asked why she kept $10 each, Lynn explained that it was not her fault the jellyfish came, but the $10 was to cover the gas. Between the two vans, she escaped with about $240 to cover a round trip of 22 miles! I called the service I purchased our tickets from as soon as we got back to the hotel and asked for a full refund. After a long hold, they said that Lynn refused the request, but they would refund my money regardless. Kudos to them! Would I recommend Nelson's Snorkel to anyone? Well, as long as you pay by credit card and have a way to recover your money if things go wrong, sure. Lynn really is a joy and quite entertaining. Her business practices are far from ideal, maybe even a bit unethical, but even if you do get nothing but an entertaining drive across the island and back, it's not a very expensive lesson...unless you just paid for a family of four or five, like a couple families in our van... Overall, if not for the jellyfish, we would've had a day snorkeling for not a lot of money. The one-star rating is just for the horrible business practice of keeping money for an unsuccessful trip. Unexpected things happen like this. It is the tour guide's duty to suck up these types of losses. This next part is purely speculative, but it seemed obvious to us that she knew beforehand that the Bay was closed since it is her business to know, and the Park stated as much on their telephone info line that morning. Also, the weird stop to collect money just before we got up the hill was unnecessary and seemed to be planned just to get the money before telling us the Bay was closed. Also, she delayed the earlier people to the 9:00a slot, seemingly to get two full groups at the same time and collect all the "gas money". Again, this part is just an opinion. read more

Nelson's Snorkel Tours - Add-on "dry snorkel" cap to prevent water leak. Most snorkels do this. "Tips..." they charged van of 12 $10 ea to closed beach. - Snorkeling Near Me

It's was great! My family had a good time with Nelson Snorkel Tours. We bought the package through travel agent. The $14.95 package included mask, snorkel, flippers and snorkeling instructions. Also, included pick up and drop off at our hotel. It's was a mazing huh! We will come back again and use Nelson Snorkel Tours. The driver was friendly and drive safety. Equipment was great, we got all dry snorkels. She gave us equipment such and snorkeling instructions It was very help full. Our tour time pick up at 10:30 pm, she came 10:25 to pick us up. She was very nice and very help full. Very good driver. Oh! she was funny too. We did the other tour last year, we did not remember the name of the tour, we paid $28.00 per person, we paid more then Nelson Snorkel Tours, the driver he came late 15 minutes and he was rude to us. read more

What can I say about Nelson's...well first off, when you call to make a reservation the lady who answers is a bit hard to understand. She sounds a bit pushy on the phone too. Their service is pretty cheap if you have a coupon. We used them to go snorkeling. They provide you with goggles, breathing tube, and fins. Even though on the flier it says their schedule is flexible, it is not. Let me say the lady who picked us up is definitely a multi-tasker. She can drive, talk on the phone, and take reservations all at the same time!! Of course I'm being sarcastic. I thought I was gonna die before I even get to snorkel. The drive there is about 40 mins (depending on if she has to pick other people up). During the whole time she probably took down 10 appointments while driving on the freeway. Also, she overload the van. The van sits 10 people and we had 16. Talk about lack of respect for the law. Overall, I will not be calling them to make reservations again. My advice, spend a little bit more money to take a boat out to snorkel. They also provide you with lunch. You get to see sea turtles and you don't have to wait in a long line to pay an admission fee. Trust me it will be worth the money and you will have a more enjoyable time. read more

As said by others, the lady on the phone was a little hard to understand. She took my credit card number over the phone & told me when the driver would be there. Our driver came right on time, but unfortunately we were looking for a van that said Nelson's and he actually came in a limo with no markings on the outside. Like most hotels, ours had various people waiting for different companies to pick them up, so it's not obvious who is there to pick up whom! When the driver found us he asked for payment & I said to leave it on the card I gave them over the phone and he said they take cash only. (so I guess they take your card so they can charge it if you don't show up, but they won't charge it if you do???) We didn't have enough cash on us, and he helpfully pointed us to an ATM (which of course charges a $2.50 fee for getting the cash, plus the $2 my bank charges me). I told the driver that the lady on the phone should have told me it was cash only so I could have been ready, it seems like common sense, but hopefully he relayed that message. Other than that the ride was fine & he showed up on time to pick us up at Hanauma! It cost $14.99 each w/ a coupon and they provided mask, fins and snorkle. read more

HORRIBLE! Although we only paid $15 for a ride to the Bay plus snorkeling equipment, the driver was absolutely unprofessional. We had arranged for a later pickup time than the allotted 2 hours but when it was time for us to leave, there was no driver in sight to take us back...We ended up leaving with another driver who said that our first driver asked him to pick us up. Seriously?! Luckily, he was way friendlier than the lady driver and even gave us candy. I guess we got what we paid for. read more

Avoid at all costs! This place is unprofessional and shady. The lady Lynn is rude and very unorganized. I was charged TWICE, once for the regular charge of a set of dry snorkel for $22 and then another time for $116!!! When I called her to ask why it was showing two charges she did not give me a straight answer and refused to refund me because she insisted that I purchased $116 worth of equipment. Although it was only me and she charged me $22 for that equipment. Avoid this place unless you want a headache and to get screwed over $100. read more

You did a good job Nelson Snorkel Tours. Try to keep your price $14.95 We will come back to you. OK read more

I would not use this place unless you are into a rude driver and very sketchy stuff. The driver was rude. And she made reservations while driving. She didn't really interact with anyone and she put like 16 people into a van suited for 8. She had to drop 8 people off on the side of the highway and keep 8 to bring them into the park and then had to go back and get the ones she left on the side of the highway. The snorkeling gear wasn't very good. And when we left she left 2 people who were supposed to come back behind and made them catch the next bus. Not very responsible and not very good AT ALL! read more

My husband and I called this company, from a coupon book we got at our wonderful Waikiki hotel...great price, but wish we had gone somewhere else....we were picked up on time, but crammed into a beat up old van with 7 other people...the driver lady was on the phone most of the time, taking more reservations and hardly paying attention to the road at all. The equipment was old, not very good, my husband's mask leaked, and we were worried that someone would come back when we wanted to return. They did, and then we had to transfer to another van after a few miles. Guess we were lucky that we even got back! Would not use this company again. Even for less $$$. Not worth it, for sure. read more

Awful! The driver was rude and late. she loaded 16 people in a van that only could seat 8. Then, she proceeded to drop off us on the side of the hwy since she could only take 8 people into the park. Equipment was poor. My snorkel breathing apparatus did not work. Avoid, avoid, avoid..unless you like erratic driving, waiting along the side of the high way, and wasting a day of vacation. read more

2 stars cuz everything in the first review is true but i was entertained by the driver (Lynn? Linh?) ok maybe the second star cuz she is vietnamese and i could understand her haha we had made reservations for a 7:45 pick up. she told us to be at the valet area at 7:40. at 7:50 we called and she told us she was stuck in traffic and would be there soon and to wait for her. i think it took like 10-15 mins for her to get us and she rushed us into her van. she was frazzled! she couldnt stop talking. she had trouble reaching one last couple she had to pick up and eventually parked at one hotel and ran over to get them. she totally knows how to multi-task and she did indeed take appts over the phone. to speed things up she had us get our fins while on our way to hanauma bay. she gave us the mask and tubes upon arrival. she was a little unorganized when arranging pick up times and somehow from the moment we arranged a 12:30 pick up and getting out of the van we had a 1:50 pick up. it actually worked out really well cuz we had enough time to dry off on the sand. would we book with this place again? i dont think so. im definitely going to go back but hopefully with my own snorkel gear and i wouldnt mind taking the bus for $2. round trip per person was $14.99, safety vest was $4 cuz i cant swim even if my life depended on it. haha read more

We decided to go to Hanauma Bay using this tour company(that's what they call themselves) We were picked up promptly and taken to an area to switch vehicles...a scene out of a mob movie.we tried on our flippers and masks out on the sidewalk and were then rushed back into the vehicle..We were dropped off at Hanauma Bay and spent a couple of hours out on the bay,unfortunately we decided to leave as the wind picked up and started to rain..as we headed up into the parking lot where we were dropped off,we saw that our shuttle had just arrived and were dropping people off..we asked the lady if she could take us back into Waikiki and we were told..NO..We asked a couple of times and she clearly didn't wan't to take us...She got our money and that was it...Luckily the local bus came by and we were able to get a ride back into Waikiki...This company is awful and I definitely would not recommend,i would pay the extra money and use a company that is reputable.. read more

Terrible service, 4 of the snorkel masks leaked and one of the snorkels was broken. We were told both they and Hanauma bay accepted American Express by one of the van drivers, but when we got there, the van driver said cash only, and Hanauma Bay did not accept it, though luckily, the Bay did take Visa. Me and my family will never use their service again. read more

Probably the worst experience I had on the island and was here for a week. We only booked this "tour" because it was lower costing. Read reviews and thought oh it can't be too bad. Well we were picked up at the correct time, however they say the van seats 8 in the back, this is crammed in between other people sweating and not fun. The lady who drives, drives in between the lanes, almost hit two pedestrians that were luckily spared by maybe 1 foot. From what our group could tell the lady does not clean the masks, snorkels, or the flippers. She puts them back in the box she got them. She calls you when she will pick you up. Thankfully she called and said it would only be 15 minutes later from the original time. Every passenger got car sick both ways and this was only a 15 minute drive. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY AS LONG AS YOU KNOW YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. read more

We read the reviews and were skeptical, but we decided to use Nelson's Snorkel Tours. My review is May 2019, the past reviews were 1-3 years old. The driver was very funny and nice. You pay for her to drive you to the bay and pick you up and provide snorkeling gear. She did all of this. No complaints read more

Just got back from great vacation went snoorkling for the the first time at first it seemed scary as could be but the instructor was calm and gave good advice. I saw bubble fish and sharks and a baby sea turtle worth every cent of my money read more

Summary: Decent, but can encounter problems, you get what you pay for. Driver multitasks and English is hard to understand. Equipment didn't fit that well and fogged up after a bit. Pick up at hotel was early, Hanauma Bay return pick up was a little late, but we got back on time to prepare for our flight home. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Being from NYC and living/working/hanging around near a heavy Asian neighborhood (Flushing) and used to Asian businesses/taxis/Chinatown vans/etc. where they don't speak English all that well and using hand signals to communicate but still working out alright, this business wasn't THAT bad for my girlfriend and I. But your experience might be different and I can see why. I was a looking for a cheap way to get to Hanauma Bay earlier than taking the 22 Beach Bus with the snorkel gear included. Preferably I was looking for one that left around 6AM, but I couldn't find any. I found their number in that little thick Oahu book you find on the street for tourists in the coupon section under "Snorkel Tours". Called in the morning for the 730AM pick up. She actually got there earlier at around 715AM and picked us up right in front of our hotel. We picked up another group and headed towards Hanauma Bay. Like other reviewers noted - she definitely takes calls and reservations as she drives and tells us random tidbits of info about certain spots that we pass by. The instructions on how to use the snorkel gear is in a pouch in front of you in different languages. Basically a bunch of paper with plastic covers stapled together. On the back were instructions on what to do once we got there. It said you can wait at the drop off area for another smaller van to take you down to the parking or you can walk along the highway then crossover into the entrance then walk to the parking lot and admission window. She doesn't drop you in the parking lot, she drops you off at a scenic point lookout outside of Hanauma Bay. At that stop she gives out the fins, mouthpiece, tube, and goggles. Dry valve, life vest, etc. are extras you have to pay for, but you don't need them at all. Just blow the water out the tube using your mouth and it's not deep enough that you need a life vest (unless you swim further out than everyone else - if you swim that far out, then you should be a good swimmer anyway). The fins were ok, however my gf had a hard time with the snorkel equipment. It didn't fit well, especially the mouth piece part. Mine fogged up as well. However, we made the best of it and I still saw a lot of fish - just had to keep defogging my goggles. None of us wanted to wait for the smaller van so we just walked up and crossed over. Probably takes around 10-20 minutes of walking depending how slow/fast you are. After paying admission of $7.50 each, we saw the video, then went down to snorkel. By 830AM we were already in the water and snorkeling. We left Hanauma at 1045AM to rinse, eat, and get back up there for the 1110AM pick up. There was another older Asian man and an older Asian lady there asking if we were waiting for Nelson's Tours to go back to Waikiki. I feel like it's a family business run by these 3 people. There was some problem with the other family that had them leaving not with us, which flustered the driver lady and she was rushing around collecting equipment and talking to them. Finally left a bit late after the 1110AM time but got back to our hotel before 12 noon to shower, pack, and check out in time for our flight back at 320PM. If you have an afternoon flight around that time, it's definitely possible to go visit Hanauma Bay in the morning and getting one last snorkeling session in before the flight home! read more

Late van, rude customer services ... many had only a 1 hour swim in our group. Terrible terrible experience

The driver was incredibly rude. She told us she would pick us up at 3:15 pm and then changed the time to 445 pm pm because she over extended the amount of people she was taking back. She made us wait another half hour for another bus. She did this to another family as well. The bay was wonderful we had a great time but this shuttle service was horrible and we would not recommend it to anyone. read more

Please be advised, you should not use Nelson Snorkel. It was a dangerous situation we were put in. We traveled to Oahu the week of April 9 with our two young kids. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and booked a snorkel trip through a tour group that is located on, and inside the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort property. They operate out of the middle of the main lobby. The tour group we booked through was a third party, and books other tours with other vendors as well. We were told to meet our snorkel tour guide in the back of the hotel to be picked up at 9:00. We waited there with the dozens of other people waiting to be picked up for various tours. A man with a sign which read - Nelson Snorkel was walking around mumbling. I asked if he was picking us up. He responded by asking if we were the "Kevin party of four". I said, yes we were. My husband asked them if they were affiliated with the tour group which we booked and he showed him our voucher. The guide said "yes" and told us to get in the van. They took us to a few more hotels to pick up other guests, then on to the top of a mountain where they were to transfer us to another van with a woman driver. As we were about to get on to the van, she explained to me and my family that they picked up the wrong people and that they could not take us snorkeling. She went on to explain that she REFUSED TO TAKE US BACK TO THE HOTEL UNLESS WE PAID HER $10 FOR GAS. I had my 12 year-old, and my 7 year-old with me. We were miles and miles away from our hotel in a strange area. She continued to yell at us and threaten to leave us unless we paid her more money. They held us hostage and told us we could walk back unless we gave them more money. We were helpless and were forced to pay her the money so we could get back. The ride home was horrible. We were afraid they were going to take us somewhere else and rob us of more money. We feared for our lives. They did in fact return us to the hotel. Upon arrival, the man let us out and we left. We went to Hilton Hawaiian Village and explained to them what happened. They washed their hands of us and explained that they do not control the vendors and it's our responsibility. Hilton Hawaiian Village, Nelson's Snorkel, and the booking vendor all pointed fingers at each other and no one would take responsibility. We paid $387 for the trip, that never happened. After a few hours of haggling, the tour company refunded the money. The tour company was NOT Nelson Snorkel. Nelson Snorkel did NOT refund our money. Hilton Hawaiian Village allows the vendors to use their property to solicit business, but does not manage the treatment of the guests and customer service towards the guests.. Be aware. Be safe. Be careful when booking anything with the vendors at that hotel. The hotel does not protect you or take responsibility. The tour operators can be shady. read more

Avoid at all costs! Disorganized and dysfunctional! They are unclear with where they are picking up guests. If you don't know where to go, be prepared to be yelled at. Tosses your things around. And, the worst of all... Takes approximately two hours just to get there because they transfer you from vehicle to vehicle as if they're selling you to another country. You're better off driving. Seriously! If anything, book with a different company and ask before knowing what you're getting yourself into. Oh, mind you they don't speak English well at all, so you're constantly... Huh? And, communicate like a mime. Hahaha Oh my! read more

The only reason I'm giving it two stars is because we did arrive to the beautiful bay safely. They picked us up late for my hotel the van was not in the best condition to transport riders. No instructions on snorkeling no instructions on how to pay. On the way just about midpoint we pulled into a gas station jump out of one van into another. The communication between riders and drivers is very bad. They picked us up late from the bay we wanted to be picked up at a different time listed in the brochure they told us no that they will be back at a certain time. As another review said you get what you pay for I would have rather taken the bus read more

Great value and helpful driver. She waited to meet us and then helped us navigate Hanauma Bay and the snorkeling process. She was polite and helpful with a good system. Would use Nelson again. read more

I am going to buck the other yelp reviews. We loved it. Everything all the other reviews say about sketchy vans etc. is all true. But for the price, they really did a great job. Only 2 people but the lady ( called us "my dear " constantly) worked her butt off to serve. They are low overhead and not afraid to push the envelope. The vehicle change before entering the park is obviously a way to skirt some permit fee. I am ok with that. Look at the whole thing as an adventure and you too will love it. read more

Well, where do I start. The shuttle was 25 min late and a cab not a shuttle, but the cabbie was nice. They basically throw the snorkel gear to you and send you on your way. Snorkel gear was bottom of the barrel , leaky. On our return they dropped us at a park to be picked up by another van which ended up picking up other passengers going up to the bay. The driver wasn't honest about when he would take us to our hotel. We fled the scene and walked to our hotel. No flexibility on return trip. It was a total nightmare . read more

Stay away Nelson's tour!!! Well, like most of the reviews said the lady was multi-tasking and definitely not to a safe driver standard. But I was really upset because she took advantage from us. She lied to us all along the trip. Ya. i got her name -- The driver is Lynn. Phone number is 808-306-8068. 1) She lied to us about the childrens are free. At first when I booked the tour, she told us the two childrens are free (they are both under 3), but she ended up charge us 3 adult prices because we didn't put the 3 year old in out lap while there are still seats available in the van (SHE NEVER ASKED US TO!!). But on the return, guess what, my kids has to squeeze in little space left because she decided to take two extra passengers who were not in the in-bound ride. 2) She lied to us about the return time On the phone, she kept emphasizing and I quote "Oh, call us any time, we will pick you up". But in the end, she set a strict time to pick up you. And we have to wait for her because she is late!!! Among the happy memories of visiting Oahu, taking Nelson's shuttle is like a smudge of our trip. If I can do it again, I will probably take the bus or even taxi!! read more

have never written a bad review but ... here goes . From booking to drop off these guys were a worry. First pickup van taped together and driven by a guy who yielded to an ambulance only when forced much honking . Sorry guys for slowing you down ( and on the wrong side of the road ). SCARY . Then we change cars at a gas station to be ambushed by a surly stern asian lady who insists on charging full fare and equipment hire costs for the kids aged 3 & 5 even though they can't swim and we're never going to snorkel . Mentioned this when booking but thus same lady's grasp of English appears not to extend that far it's as good as her math even at 5 x 15 it doesn't add to $85 I guess she factors in her own tip because it wouldn't be coming voluntarily too often . Hanauma bay is awesome but go with someone else read more

One Star simply because there are no options for NO STARS which is all that is deserved! We should have known when booking the tour that the Vietnamese lady on the phone was as crazy in real life. When i phoned the lady she was yelling at me - don't be late, don't keep me waiting. When we were picked up the equally crazy man "Johnny" was just as rude - "show me your flier", "show me what number you called from" when he finally allowed us to see the board with names on surprise surprise our booking was there - i sense he was trying to determine if we were trying to catch him out! We (family of 6 including 6 year old) crammed (literally) into a van that isn't road worthy to reach a location where we were met with another van & Lynn (the crazy lady) to get our snorkel gear and pay (by cash only with no receipt). We were then crammed into a smaller van to access the park, I envisaged based on what i witnessed that these people don't pay or have access required to drop people accordingly and operate outside the laws of what is required. Lynn drove atrociously, crossing the center line, taking bookings while driving, writing while driving and general lack of safety - seat belts didn't even work on some seats! We were asked at drop off what time we wanted to be picked up, we were told don't be late..... We were back at pick up point early - Lynn was there and says "take a seat i'm not ready". We wait.....and wait......and wait, she takes all our snorkel gear (which was as average as) and then takes a call, appears Johnny cant get in to get the 11 people including us who were waiting, she makes a comment to him that she will need to come back and get him, but does not communicate this to us - just leaves. 30 minutes later and she is still no where to be seen so we pile into a taxi back to Waikiki in comfort. This organisation should be shut down, investigated by the IRS and most certainly prosecuted. Hanauma Bay is beautiful, the place is amazing and these operators give a bad bad name to both Hawaii and Hanauma Bay. We have had a great experience with every other tour during our 12 days here from New Zealand, thankfully this experience has not changed our view of Waikiki & Hawaii. Shame on you Lynn 7 Johnny!!!! #Neveragain read more

Description of the lady in previous posts are very accurate. She was rude, multitasking, and angry. She wouldn't smile unless u have $ in your hand. Our tour for 2 ppl cost $38 or 39, we gave her $40, and she didn't even give us the change (it was in the beginning of the trip btw). She was in a hurry when she handed out fins and stuff. She actually threw the fins onto my sister's lap. She multi-tasked a lot when she drove, which was pretty scary. We could tell she was not happy because some ppl (including us) didn't tip her @ the end of the trip. AND, WE DID NOT BOOK THIS TOUR WITH NELSON!!! We booked this tour with HANAUMA BAY SNORKEL ADVENTURE, which has a way better yelp rating. According to the lady, the guys @ HBS were lazy so they pass the customers to her. So beware if you are planning to book a tour with HBS, cuz you might end up with Nelson. read more

I only gave one star because we actually got picked up. The van had duct tape on the seats, and the arm rests too. The front row had no foot room due to all the gear laying everywhere. We arrived at our destination but wasnt expecting that we had to walk the rest of the way in. If we wanted a ride to the enterence we had to change vans and drivers. The alternate (female) driver (might be the owner) was pushy, hard to understand, and VERY frazzled. She kept cutting in and bouncing around from passenger to passenger. She must have told us to hold on 2-3 times while she ping-ponged collecting money and scheduling retun times. She was like a hummingbird on crack. If you use a coupon for $14.95 don't expect to receive your nickle change. Not that that matters, but she had no intention of making change. She packed you in her van like a sardine. Althought the ticket shows multiple arrival times and multiple return times it is not a free for all. You do not get to choose what retun is best for you. Depending on what time you get picked up the driver insists that she will return in 4 hrs to pick you up. We returned for our scheduled pick up and the female driver again was pushy, rude, and frantic. I asked her if I could ride in the front seat since I was really motion sick from the rough water, and she said "no, it was only a 2 minute drive to the exchange site." I tried explaining it to her again and she started to get pissed at us. She started yelling and jumped into another a van and was screaming at the top of her lungs to the passengers how we were giving her a headache. We eventually walked around looking for an alternate way back to our hotel. Although we had paid her for a round trip ticket we ended up paying a taxi driver another $46 to take us back to our hotel. He wouldn't discount our service but did offer this piece of advise - He hangs out at huanama Bay on a regular basis and "often encounters troubled travelers at the hand of that Fucking Bitch" :( When we were trying to pull out she made a U-turn and blocked us in, ran over to the taxi driver waving her hands and yelling how we were her customers. Absolutely NOT will we ever use her service again. When you call the number on the coupon and someone answeres the phone and tells you to look for the NELSON van....RUN, and RUN FAST!!! read more

Nelson's Snorkel Tours is not a reputable company. Do NOT use them. They refused to honor the reservation made with us. On 10/20/13 we made reservations with them to pick us up at our hotel at 11:50 the next day to take us to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling. On 10/21, they started calling at 9:15 saying there were only two of us going at 11:50 and wanting to move us to 10:30 or later in the. We hadn't been breakfast and we had other plans for later in the afternoon, so we said no. They refused to take us at 11:50. We ended up taking the bus. read more

No, no, no. Horrible experience. They do NOT take cards, cash only. They don't tell you, but offer to take you to an ATM!! Actually, just forget Hanauma Bay. There are other places to snorkel around Waikiki that are every bit as good. And free! But if you go, don't go with Nelson's! read more

We booked this tour through Hawaii Discount tours. The shuttle buses were in poor condition and the staff was surly. I paid for the tour in advance, but the driver asked for payment again. Fortunately I had the e-mail confirmation on my phone as proof of payment. I paid $3 for the upgraded snorkel. It would not allow air in to breath so I removed it in order to snorkel. On the return trip, we pulled off the road at Koko head and we were instructed to change buses. We sat there for 30 additional minutes waiting for more people to be dropped off. After a long day snorkeling the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a hot van in a wet bathing suit. The staff spoke limited english and was generally rude. I won't use them again. read more

I just wanted to let everyone I know how great this snorkelling tour in Hawaii was for me. First off, upon clipping the coupon from the brochure the picture of the Bay was just captivating. Then I called the reservation number and received this warm friendly young lady who gave me a complete description of all the packages they offered. She also gave us a variety of pick-up times. The one very personalized thing I enjoyed was the fact that she offered us something I would have never thought of, which was to purchase of an underwater camera to capture our entire experience and memories that we could share with my family and loved ones back home. This tour company and employees were very warm, professional, and courteous and I would highly recommend this tour to all my friends and family to book when they visit Hawaii. Keep up the great work Nelson Snorkel Tours! read more

I have gone to Haunama Bay multiple times and this was the worst experience I ever had. First off the lady of the phone is extremely rude, was late to pick us up and crammed us into the bus like we were sardines. They aren't licensed to drive into Haunama bay so they drop you off on the highway and ask you to walk or to cab down. Driver is extremely rushed and basically throws your snorkel gear at you and off you go. We were told the pick up times were flexible but they aren'st you can either stay for 2 3 or 4 hours. The snorkel gear was on the cheap and our masks took on water and flippers hurt our feet, not a good time. Everytime we have done this tour we have been picked up in the bus loop and if the tour isn't licensed to drive down then they shuttle you with a cab. We sat there for an hour waiting for someone to pick us up and because there are so many ppl that do no speak english we had a hard time asking someone what was happeneing. Finally found a really nice gentleman that works for snorkelfest that told us we have to walk back up the highway and that is where we would get picked up (I have a fractured foot so walking up and down a hill is not exactly comfortable for me). We start walking up there and the say gentleman stops and says he will give nelson tours a call and ask her to come get us. Well her response to him is that She is NOT coming back to get us. If you have never been there Haunama Bay is about a $60 cab ride and the bus only goes there once every hour. To say the least we were never told to walk back up, and she left us stranded there. We were lucky enough to have found snorkel fest and they took us back to our hotel. Go with any other company but not NelsonTours, Worst experience ever!!!! read more

The unfriendliest and most unhelpful driver I ever had. I asked on the way back, if he could drop me off first, as I had a shuttle to the airport to catch and we run already late. He insisted on his tourplan, what meant dropping me off last! He drove very slow, not even the allowed mph. I was already 5 minutes late for my airport shuttle, when he started to speed up a tiny bit (speeding from one red flashlight to the other - completely senseless) and told me, he does his best and I shouldn`t be angry. As I was still angry, he asked me, if I want to walk!!! Finally, he dropped me off 15 minutes too late and I missed my shuttle. If we had switched the tourplan, I easily had made it - despite the first 15 minutes delay of the first driver. read more

DONT DO IT!!!! This "business" is SHADY. At first, the lady seemed pretty decent since she called us back after missing our call and then called us again to help us with directions. She told us to meet her at the Chevron close the to the Bay because the gates to the park were closed which was a LIE. Another reason why she told us to meet her at the Chevron was because this business operates out of their van not at a proper location. On the pamphlet where we found this place the price said $14.95 for renting the dry snorkel which included the mouth piece, googles, and fins which was true. Our party decided to go ahead and rent life vests as well which was an additional $5 dollars which would be a total of $19.95 but when she told us to pay $24. We asked where the extra charge came from and she couldn't give us a direct answer. During the ride we saw that the parking was open and we told her that it was open and she claimed they just recently opened it...the parking was open since the park opened. Additionally, During the ride she told us that there are specific pick up times she said 3 and so we agreed. By the time she picked us up it was almost 3:30. By the way, she drops you off so far from the entrance. She gives us the snorkel gear and the gear is terrible quality they seriously looked old used and abused equipment. In the water the goggles kept adjusting and got loose all the time. Overall experience was one of the worst my whole group has ever encountered. This place is a total scam and a place that hustles for your money. Please don't go to this place to save your money and so you can have a pleasant experience with a wholesome business. There are rentals down when you get into the bay, just rent from those places because at least you know they aren't a scam! read more