Maui Outrigger Canoe Tours

An outrigger canoe tour from Makena in the heart of Turtle Town lends itself to many great options for snorkeling with green Hawaiian sea turtles. Surrounded by calm waters most mornings, this is the ideal tour for families with small children, first time paddlers and those looking for a calm ocean experience. Never more than 6 guests per tour, it’s a great option for guests looking to learn about Hawaiian Culture and snorkel in Turtle Town without the masses. With many snorkeling locations to choose from among the various reef formations in Turtle Town, our canoe guides will keep you away from the crowded snorkel boats. Across the channel you’ll see Molokini Crater, with Kahoolawe in the background, which holds strong cultural significance to the Hawaiian People and is the piko, or belly button of the Hawaiian Islands. Enjoy views of Mauna Kahalawai, Lanai and Haleakala while learning the meaning of their Hawaiian place names.

*Whale Watching Tour January 1-April 1 (See description below)

Offered as a part of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s “Ambassadors of the Environment Program” this fun, educational and cultural tour is one of our guest favorites.  Honokahua Bay (known as DT Fleming today), is the departure point for the Honolua Bay Outrigger Canoe Tour. Strong winds make for a challenging paddle to Honolua Bay, so we’ll tuck in close to the shore and stop along the way to let our bodies rest and eyes take in the beauty of the this raw undeveloped coastline. If weather permits, we’ll stop at Slaughter House beach, Mokuleia, to learn about how the Hawaiians not only lived… but THRIVED in the Hawaiian Islands prior to western contact. We’ll dig up a fresh water spring, make rope from coconut fibers and learn about the Hawaiian’s ahupua’a system. Just a short paddle around the corner and you’ll be at the famed Honolua Bay, which is part of the Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation Disctrict. Based on crowds, water clarity and wind direction your outrigger canoe guide will choose the best location to snorkel. During your time in the water our certified marine naturalists will guide you on an interpretive snorkel tour and document the experience for you with digital photography at no additional charge. Due to wind and rougher ocean conditions of this location we don’t recommend it for small children or guests who are uncomfortable in the ocean.

*Due to high surf in the winter months, this tour is only offered June – September and is surf and weather dependent.

If you’re an outrigger canoe, dragon boat or other disciplined paddler looking for a long paddle while on vacation, the Molokini Outrigger Canoe Challenge might be a good fit for you. Keep in mind we need 5 paddlers to fill the canoe, so this tour is best for parties with 3 to 5 guests so we may try to find extra paddlers to help get us there. We depart early in the morning, so you’ll get to see the Sun rise over Mauna Haleakala as we paddle towards Molokini Crater. This tour is really about the experience of paddling to Molokini over anything else, so it doesn’t share the same educational and cultural information that our other shoreline tours are known for. Even though this isn’t designed as a snorkel tour, your guide will give you the option to take a quick dip at Molokini to cool off and check out the underwater marine life. If weather and time permit, your guide will take you around the back wall of Molokini before paddling back to Makena in the heart of Turtle Town. It’s about 9 miles of paddling round-trip and takes roughly an hour and a half each direction including some short stops.

*This trip is not for everyone. It is physically demanding and paddlers must be healthy, in good physical shape and have paddling experience. Conditions apply.

If you’re lucky enough to be coming to Hawaii between late December and early April, hopefully you’ll be visiting Maui. The waters off of Maui’s South and West shores are a Humpback Whale Sanctuary with whales everywhere you look!

Every year humpback whales, or Kohola, make the long swim from the great white north to Hawaii so they can mate and give birth. An Outrigger Canoe is the best option of self-powered vessels for whale watching for several reasons. The streamlined design allows for easy paddling so you can cover more ground on your whale watch tour with 6 people paddling in synchronicity. On the canoe you sit on a bench seat. which gives you a better vantage point over kayaks in which you are actually sitting slightly below water level.

Seeing a humpback whale from an outrigger canoe is an epic experience that everyone can enjoy: from kids to grandparents, active travelers and everyone in-between. No experience necessary. Oh, and if time permits, we’ll stop for a quick snorkel on the way back to shore, but usually we like to spend the whole tour playing with whales.

If you absolutely want to snorkel and whale watch on the same tour, we suggest one of our exclusive and private kayak tours where you can determine how much time to spend on each activity.