Maui Kayak Adventures: Makena Turtle Tour

The number one thing I wanted to see when we visited Maui, Hawaii? Turtles. I had heard my parents speak affectionately of their turtle sightings and I knew that the majestic creatures loved the Hawaiian islands, but I wasn’t sure how to come in close contact with them. There are many places on the island that are popular for the animals to find sanctuary, and I trusted Maui Kayak Adventures to take me to them!

We started our morning pretty early at 7 am in Makena with a small group of people for a guided kayak tour. There were about 6 other people in our group, but none of us had to do much work lifting or unloading the kayaks because the tour guides were fabulous at doing their job! We had a small team meeting, talking about the different marine life we may see, and rules of the ocean (did you know that turtles are federally protected and shouldn’t be touched?), and tips on how to double kayak. I felt confident and ready to take on the adventure

Once we were in the water, it was a bit of a different story. Spencer and I have both kayaked individually, but a double kayak is a lot different! The guides joked before saying that another name for a kayak is a “divorce canoe”. I laughed and laughed at that beforehand thinking that there was no way an expert and athletic team such as Spencer and I would have any issues. I was so, so wrong! Kayaking together demands syncing up your strokes — which isn’t all that difficult by itself, unless both passengers are alpha. Spencer and I both wanted to take charge and sometimes ended up at a slower speed or going the wrong way because we weren’t seeing eye-to-eye. At the time I was frustrated with my partner, as he was with me, but now I look back and think how hilarious it was. The guides were patient with everyone in the crew and waited or assisted if anyone needed any coaching.

We paddled about half a mile to our first snorkeling location where we were able to look at reefs, fish, and even sea urchin shells! The guides had a camera with them and took a ton of pictures so that we could remember the experience and not have to worry about taking the photos ourselves. After, we paddled back towards our initial location where a turtle cleaning station was located. A turtle cleaning station is not man-made like it sounds– it is actually an outcropping of coral where a bunch of small fish hang out and turtles use the parasites to clean their skin and shells! It’s like going to the salon for turtles and being groomed by fish and shrimp. We were able to see three turtles there and capture photos of them! Due to the ocean causing everything to lose color, the turtle photos don’t do them justice in real life! They are amazing!

The trip took about 3.5 hours from start to finish, including the pep-talk and de-briefing afterwards. I would definitely recommed this Maui Kayak Adventures to anyone over the age of 12 visiting Maui! It is a great family activity that teaches about the importance of treating marine life well and taking care of our ocean. While you can bring younger kids on the boats, I would see it as a bit of a challenge because of how double canoes work with weight and paddling. If you’re planning on heading out to other adventures after this, try a portable shower to wash off with. Here are the best surfing showers to consider bringing along.

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