Makena-wailea Explorer Trip In Maui

We did a snorkeling and kayak trip and had the pleasure of having Andres as our guide. The family had a terrific time annd we were able to swim with the sea turtles. Andres was funny, informative and took the safety of the group very seriously. We highly recommend!

John, our guide, took us around the bay to ensure we saw turtles. When we stopped to snorkel, he pointed us to multiple turtles and other sealife. John took lots of pictures of our group so we have wonderful memories of our trip.

Absolutely Amazing!! John was an amazing guide. He was very cognizant of the fact my wife was a little nervous. His instructions were simple and easy to follow and understand. All of us in our group had so much fun!!!! We saw a lot of turtles (12-15 at least)!!!!! Along with dozens of different fish and eels!!!! Video/photo package was worth the money. We have done several different snorkeling trips and a few on our own. I have never seen this many turtles in one trip!!!! Thank you John for an amazing time!!! Can’t wait to come back and do it again!!!! Only advice I can give for anyone thinking about booking an adventure is show up early and have an amazing attitude!!!! The vide you bring makes a difference!!!

The trip was very really worth the money. Our guide was Andres and he was very friendly and knowledgeable. He took us to a very nice spot where we saw dozens of turtles. It was a better experience than the busy big boat tours.

Trip was absolutely amazing with breathtaking views! I went with a friend in February and we saw so many whales, and our tour guide Andrés was incredibly helpful, kind, knowledgeable, and gave us great recommendations for other things to check out during our stay. But it is kayaking, so be prepared for a slight arm workout! Overall I highly recommend!

Andres was amazing, he made sure we didn't do anything we didn't want to do. He made us comfortable and was able to hold a constant conversation during our experience. My boyfriend and I loved having him as our guide and would book him again next time!

To start it off the experience was great. The guide (Andres) has the best personality and was so chill. If we didn't see turtles I wouldn't have been upset because of how cool Andres was! He had lots of ideas and recommendations for what to do around town which was super cool and helpful to my wife and I. The kayaking and snorkeling was a blast. Andres got us into some really cool spots to see a lot of turtles and even better we got pictures with turtles (without touching)! Very easy going trip with plenty of exploring. If you are new to kayaking do not hesitate to reach out to Andres he is helpful and will teach you if you need that. Go explore and enjoy the time!! Awesome trip with an awesome guide!

Avoid Maui Kayaks. No one drowned. We were launched from a beach that was incredibly turbulent and rocky and tipped the kayak twice attempting to get in. . The life vests were not adequate for everyone that was there, meaning those with a larger girth received the same life vest as someone weighing approximately hundred pounds. The guide was informative and did his best, but he certainly was difficult to understand, especially when he was far away from the kayak that we were in. I put the whole blame on the company and not on the guide that accompanied us on our kayak experience. When you have multiple people kayaking, my experience has been that you have someone that takes the front and someone that comes up behind. There was only one guide for us, and that became a bit of a problem because of the different skill levels of people kayaking, and also because the ocean was turbulent that day. There was no snorkeling, even though that was supposed to be part of the experience. I left with a good size bruise on my head from the kayak tipping over, and bruises on the back of my arms from the same, and my husband bruised his ankle.

This was a truly amazing experience. Our guide, John, was fantastic. He is very knowledgeable and experienced. You can tell he loves his job. We saw a mother whale and her baby close up from our kayak. Then we went snorkeling. Snorkeling was so much fun! We saw lots of turtles up close. I was literally inches away from them. John even spotted an octopus and the octopus crawled on his hand and then ours. I had no idea they were so friendly. John was really good at spotting all sorts of fish, turtles, and sea creatures (including a sea eel). I'm sure we wouldn't have seen nearly as much without him as our guide. An added bonus: John took pictures and videos of our entire experience. The photos and videos were excellent in quality. I am so glad we paid extra to have those memories. I highly recommend spending the extra $60 for the photos and vids. All in all, I would have to say that this kayak/snorkeling experience was the highlight of my entire week in Maui. If you get a chance to go out with John, grab it. You won't regret it.

We had the most amazing trip with our awesome guide Andres. He made sure we were comfortable with the equipment and he made us laugh a lot. He was so knowledgeable about the local area and his enthusiasm was infectious. Worth going just for for the turtles and your main man!!

The water was great this day with not a lot of others outside of our group. John was great at giving instruction, story telling and knowing where to go. He’s a really friendly individual and goes above and beyond on making this a worthwhile experience!

John was a fantastic tour guide and took amazing pictures! We took our 10 and 12 year old inexperienced kayakers and had a great time int he double kayaks. Our guide dove down and found a shark and brought up an octopus to show us. It was fantastic!

The guide was great. The tour was short. Left at about 8 was bach around 10. Kayaked out around bend. Snorkeling for about 20 minutes the came back. Many areas with better snorkling from beach, save your money.

Drove an hour to the tour meeting spot only to find no one showed to provide a pre-paid tour. Called the company only to receive a shallow 'sorry, we had vehicle issues'. Same story other reviewers have had. Just book with someone else.

No one from Maui Kayaks bothered to show up. We called and were told Javier might have had vehicle issues. That’s garbage. We asked for a call back to see if he would eventually show up and the dazed and confused person who answered the phone didn’t bother calling back. When we called him he told us, yeah, no one was coming. He gave us the option to rebook or receive a refund. I wouldn’t book with this dumpster fire of an outfit for anything. It remains to be seen if he refunded our money.

Andreas was a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable and very friendly. He went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time. Would definitely recommend again.

This tour was a highlight of our trip. The amount of kayaking was perfect for our family group ages 7-72. John our guide offered to take pictures and video of our tour for a reasonable fee. As the mom and usually photographer for the group this was appreciated because I could sit back and enjoy my time knowing that all our family photos were being taken care off. We also got to see plenty of turtles and fish. The time snorkeling and paddling was well distributed. Highly recommend this tour for a family.

What a great trip! Easy to schedule (and even re-schedule if necessary), easy to find and even easier to enjoy when they teach you to ocean kayak in a few short minutes with great instructions. John was a great guide, generous with his assistance and with lots of info to share. So many turtles to see and great snorkeling spot too! We even flipped the kayak, but still had an amazing time! Thanks Maui Kayaks for a great morning adventure!

We brought our two daughters (7 and 11). Neither had ever been kayaking or snorkeling before. Our guide Andres was very knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and very safety conscious. Our younger daughter was nervous and he helped keep her calm and and take frequent breaks so the rest of us could maximize our time. We saw a number of turtles of various sizes and it was an incredible experience!

We were looking forward to this kayak trip, it exceeded our expectations! The snorkeling was such a great experience due to Andre's advice plus swimming around all of the turtles/ fish. Such a nice guy. Gave us a great lunch recommendation too!

First I should say that I've used Maui Kayaks exclusively the last three times I visited Maui. They are extremely reliable, have quality equipment and guides, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them any time. Our guide, Andres, was super enthusiastic and yet also very clear about all the safety instructions -- we felt he was experienced and that we were in good hands. He also managed to get our kayaks in the vicinity of a huge number of whales over the course of about two and a half hours, which was amazing. And he took some great photos of us as well. Andres himself gets five stars. The only reason I'm not giving the experience overall five stars is that we specifically signed up to do a kayaking/snorkeling expedition for which the latter was described as "snorkeling at Skylight Caves," but of the 4 hours we were on the water, we only got to snorkel for about 10 minutes, the location that was chosen was somewhat murky, and we did not see any caves. I understand that whales were the priority but I really think it would have been better not to even bill it as a combined activity and drop the snorkeling from the description entirely instead of giving it such short shrift.

John was nothing short of amazing!!!! From his warm, welcoming personality to his expansive knowledge… he truly made our trip one I will never forget!! John went above and beyond to provide us with a day we will never forget!! While in town for the week for a girls trip, we had the pleasure of meeting up for a morning kayak and snorkeling adventure and he took our group on the best experience of my life!! Book with John and you WILL NOT REGRET IT!!! He made everything so fun and easy!!

This was hands down the highlight of our trip. The views and trek would have sold it themselves, but the magic came from our guide John. He was knowledgeable, insightful, friendly as hell, and made it his mission to ensure we had a great time. He took role of photographer so we got wonderful shots of our trip above and below water. We got to see 6 or more sea turtles way up close but not just that. HE ALSO CAUGHT AN OCTOPUS THAT WE ALL GOT TO HOLD. I’ve never had a more moving experience in my life. If you’re reading this John, you’re life is validated, and thank you.

Our favorite part was seeing all the marine life and turtles! Absolutely beautiful and majestic. Kayak tour was also lovely. Carlos (our tour guide) was exceptional and made for a seamless and enjoyable experience.

We had an amazing time kayaking and snorkeling in the Makena/Wailea area! Carlos was our guide for the tour and he did an awesome job. He was friendly and knowledgeable about the area and we learned a ton about the island, the reefs, and kayaking/snorkeling in general. The weather wasn't the best on the day we went, causing the water to be a bit murky, but Carlos made sure we had an awesome time anyway. He also took pictures with his underwater camera, which made for nice keepsakes of the day. Overall, I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a unique way to experience the island and the ocean!

Carlos our guide was fantastic! My friend hadn't kayaked in the ocean and was a bit nervous but Carlos was there to put her at ease. He took us to the best places at the best times and was very knowledgeable telling us all about the area. We got to see everything and swim with the turtles. Thank you!

Carlos Ramadan is the man! I am so glad my partner and I were recommended to attend his tour. Great!

We had a great day on the water with Carlos. It was a beautiful and calm sea this morning, unfortunately the whales didn't cooperate (of course there were tons of them yesterday) but we saw spinner dolphins and a couple of whales from afar. We went to two snorkel locations, very different but both were good snorkeling. At the first site we were surrounded by turtles, 19 or more and they were happy to hang out with us. At the second site we saw an octopus and eels. Carlos was great with everyone and in no hurry to get back, we were out much longer than advertised and never a push to finish up and get us off the water. A good time was had by all. Mahalo!

Had a beautiful morning touring Makena-Wailea. Carlos was our guide for the day and did an excellent job with his briefing and instructions to a mixed experience group. He set an excellent arm and welcoming tone and was very thorough on everything needed to enjoy the experience. The ocean was perfect even though the marine life was a bit limited due to recent heavy swell. Still, the water was amazing with unlimited visibility, warm temperatures and oh so inviting. The winds were light and the exercise paddling to Wailea and back was great. Turtle Town was loaded with turtles and unfortunately loaded with a huge boat of snorkelers who swarmed the bay. Carlos was quick to adapt and took us to spots outside of the mosh pit and we had some excellent time with the turtles in a quieter setting. I was shooting GoPro and Carlos was shooting with an iPhone/Underwater case setup. He got some great shots and helped to capture the memories very well. Overall a great day and our thanks go out to Carlos for making it a no problem and memorable event. Well recommended way to spend a morning! Great job Maui Kayaks!

We had so much fun on this trip and highly recommend it. Our guide, Carlos, was the best! He was super knowledgeable, friendly, and patient with my husband and I who have very little experience with kayaking and snorkeling.

My husband and I took this kayak and snorkeling tour and had a great time. We saw lots of turtles and pretty fish. Andres was our guide. He was very fun but also saftey consious. He did a good job ot tailoring the trip to the groups skill level. I highly recomend this trip and Andres as a guide.

Carlos has been in the tourism industry for decades, mainland and Central America included. Fully immersed in the history and culture on Maui he directs your attention to Mountain View’s, islands in the distance and the world below the waves. Carlos gives his clients a simple “three golden rules” for their safety and well being during the tour. A great morning of kayak, snorkeling and seeing amazing sights.

We had a great kayak tour with Carlos as our guide. He was friendly, enthusiastic and informative as we paddled to various snorkeling spots along the coastline. We saw 8-10 sea turtles and tons of fish. Would highly recommend!

This trip was the best tour I’ve ever taken!! Carlos was amazing and we saw so many turtles! He was sooo informative and told us so many places we could check out after the tour. Perfect day, perfect weather, perfect view, perfect guide, EVERYTHING WSS PERFECT! Get the tour!

I went with my dad and two brothers on a tour led by Carlos. We were part of a group of 12, which is on the large side. As a result it took us a bit longer to get out onto the water and to circle up at the places where we stopped to snorkel, but Carlos did a good job at managing a large group. He was patient but efficient, knowledgeable, and funny. We changed course at the beginning due to increased wind. Although I would have loved to paddle farther and spend more time on the water, I felt safe with Carlos' decision and we still had two snorkeling stops where we saw eels, beautiful fish, and lots of sea turtles! The underwater photography was an incredible added value, especially after Carlos gave us a group discount on the photo package.

Carlos was our guide, and he did an amazing job. Super attentive to everyone on the tours needs, and made sure we were safe. Not only was he an excellent guide on the tour itself, but he gave great tips on other places to see, and eat- which we did - And they were excellent suggestions. Carlos felt like a real friend not just a guide, and also did some underwater photography on the trip!! We saw sea turtles and many fish, all in all it was an excellent experience. I am a huge fan of kayaking so I loved that too! I wish I could remember what grocery store he mentioned!! Thanks so much Carlos and team! Mahalo!

Andreas was an amazing guide! Full of knowledge, energy and positivity! We saw so many turtles and an octopus! It was a great adventure.

Our guide Carlos was so upbeat and full of energy, he made the entire trip. He interacted well with my 3 teenagers and you can tell he genuinely enjoys what he does. Great at giving instructions with detail but not losing your attention.

Carlos was an awesome tour guide. We saw turtles, spotted eagle rays and really big tuna!! It’s kinda hard to laugh & kayak at the same time, but we the most amazing time! I was kinda of apprehensive about going into the ocean on a kayak, but Carlos made it easy, fun and safe! I would highly recommend this tour! Easily the best thing we did on our trip to Maui!!

Carlos was hands down the best! Made our snorkeling experience incredible! Thank you Carlos! We will be back!

I brought my wife and two girls to this trip and everyone loved it! Thank you so much to John for being an awesome guide and taking a lot of amazing pictures of me and my family. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Maui!

Had an amazing time kayaking and snorkeling Makena Bay with Carlos. He was so personable and laid back, gently guiding us to each destination. With great humor, knowledge, and positive energy, he made the trip very memorable. We were able to see a LOT of fish, including different schools of fish feeding amongst the coral. We were able to swim with sea turtles which was just spectacular. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone.

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.

The kayaking and snorkeling was awesome. We saw so many tropical fish and sea turtles. Which is why I gave it 4 stars. I didn’t give it 5 stars because the discrimination said a dry bag would be provided and we would have the option to purchase pictures of the trip after. Neither were offered at the site. we didn’t have water proof phone bags so we were unable to take our cell phones. Or any pictures. The snorkeling equipment was older and I kept drinking water. The trip was awesome. I wish I could of captured some of the beauty experienced on the trip. I would recommend you buy a water proof phone bag and bring your own snorkel equipment.

Our guide, John, was absolutely amazing!! Not only was he entertaining, he was really knowledgeable.

John Hess was an amazing tour guide. He was thorough with safety procedures without being over bearing. We were in really good hands the entire excursion. He is also very knowledgeable about Hawaiian culture, wildlife, and geography. It's clear John loves what he does; we learned and saw so much.

John S was a great tour leader. We saw whales, dolphins and turtles in addition to lots of colorful fish. He gave us great tips for snorkeling. The water was a bit rough but I felt completely safe with him knowing we wouldn’t be out if it wasn't safe.

We chose the 4 hours kayaking and snorkeling tour. We were 2 families of 5 with John as our guide. He was very knowledgeable and explained the morning and the basics of kayaking and snorkeling. Our first 2 hours were whale watching and we tracked down 2 large humpback whales. Amazing!! They were as close as 50 feet away at times and were swimming beneath our kayaks. The last 2 hours were snorkeling along the reef near Wailea/Makena. Unbelievable sightings including lots of sea turtles, eels, and octopus, not to mention hundreds of tropical fish. John picked up the octopus and let each of us hold it which was unbelievable. John was very knowledgeable about aquatic life, kayaking, and the area. Highly recommend requesting him as a guide.

We enjoyed our trip but were informed on arrival that it was changed from a 4hour trip to the 2.5 hr trip. We were absolutely fine with that and was informed we would receive a $30@ refund. Upon return I checked credit card and called trip advisor and the credit was not issued. I finally was informed that the refund would be $25@ which differs from advertised price on website. It seems silly to haggle over $15 but they should keep their word and advertised price. This is disappointing after a lovely morning kayaking.