Review of Kayak Olowalu - January 8, 2025
I typically don't…read morewrite reviews, but after my recent experience with Kayak Olowalu, I felt it necessary to share my concerns. I've been a loyal customer since 2012 and have always had positive experiences, but this particular tour was deeply troubling. When I visit Maui and book kayak snorkling excursions, I only book it with this company.
Willy's Disrespectful Behavior: The tour began smoothly, but things quickly went awry when my husband started feeling motion sickness. He informed Willy that he wasn't feeling well and decided to return to shore. Willy asked if he was going to tow us back, referring to me and my daughter. My husband said "no..they can stay". After my husband left, Willy began mocking him with exaggerated voices, laughing at his discomfort with one of the guests. This made both my daughter and me feel very uncomfortable.
Willy's Unusual Behavior: As the other guests moved on to the next snorkeling location, Willy became increasingly erratic. He threw his anchor into his kayak with unnecessary force and started letting out this loud, uncontrollable, exaggerated laugh. My daughter and I were left alone with Willy, and his behavior started to feel unsafe.
Willy took my daughter's paddle away and started towing us without any request from me, and shortly after we started paddling toward the new snorkeling location, he unexpectedly turned the entire group around. He then complained that he had to turn the group around because of the extra effort of towing us. I told him it wasn't necessary to tow us, we can manage ourselves. I noticed we were heading back to the meet-up spot on shore and asked if he was taking us back. He confirmed that he was. At that point, it was clear that he no longer wanted us on his tour, and frankly, we felt unsafe, so I was okay with ending the tour early.
Despite my repeated requests to paddle back on our own, Willy insisted on towing us, exaggerating his grunting noises as if the effort was overwhelming. I told him he didn't have to leave the other people and we can find our way back and I pointed at the building on shore to make sure that's where I should go. He claimed it would be impossible for me to paddle both of us back alone and blamed my daughter repeatedly, saying, "WE ARE IN A SITUATION...WE ARE IN A SITUATION!... BECAUSE OF YOUR DAUGHTER. SHE LOST HER PADDLE!" I explained that my daughter hadn't lost her paddle--he had taken it from her--and assured him that we could manage on our own if he simply returned it. Nevertheless, Willy continued towing us, making disturbing noises the entire way back. As we paddled back, I asked for his name. He turned around, smirked, and rudely responded with, "I don't recall," then ignored me when I asked again. His behavior was bizarre, unprofessional, and deeply unsettling.
Willy's Lack of Care for Other Guests: When we returned to shore, I asked Willy for his name again in front of my husband, and he reluctantly provided it. I had to ask him 4 times before he told me! I asked why he had treated us so poorly and ended our tour early and he sarcastically said twice, "You should be out there with your man!" It was clear that my husband's early departure had upset him, and he was taking his frustration out on us. Willy was in such a hurry to leave that he quickly unlocked the shed for us to retrieve our belongings and told us to lock it up while walking away. And he left the keys to the shed with us! We locked it and left the key in the lock. He seemed more concerned with getting away from us than ensuring the safety of the remaining guests. From a distance, I saw that he had left the other three guests stranded in the middle of the sea.
Voicing Concerns and Seeking Resolution: Recognizing the need to address the situation, I approached a staff member about filing a formal complaint. Tiara, a staff member in a golf cart, overheard and immediately approached with genuine concern. She quickly contacted Kayak Supervisor Tim, who came out to speak with me directly. Despite my frustration, both Tiara and Tim listened attentively and with respect. Tiara went above and beyond to resolve the issue, offering a refund as a fair solution. She explained that it was only right to refund customers who didn't receive the service they had paid for. Her professionalism, thoughtful response, and commitment to customer satisfaction were deeply appreciated. Tiara assured me that the situation would be taken seriously and addressed accordingly.
Conclusion: My experience was disappointing and infuriating due to Willy's behavior, which was so absurd it felt like a scene from a movie. I've never been treated like this, and it was frustrating beyond words. I urge the company to take this seriously, as allowing bad behavior to continue will harm their reputation. I've seen another negative review specifically naming Willy, and I hope the company addresses it before it leads to further damage.