Kauai Boat Tours

On our Kauai, Hawaii, boat tour, we took a boat ride partway around the island (leaving on the southwest side, going to the northwest side) to see the Na Pali cliffs, a coastline 22 miles long that can't be seen by car or on foot. 

The tour guide told us that the steep, volcanic cliffs had caught the attention of Hollywood directors, who filmed scenes there from movies including Jurassic Park, South Pacific, King Kong, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Here is a shot of one of the beaches that the directors used. At the top left of this page, there is a shot from our boat inside a sea cave on the Na Pali coast.

On the boat tour, we stopped at a couple of likely spots to snorkel, and we ate lunch.  All in all, it was a very agreeable day!

What we didn't see:  dolphins or whales.  We were there in mid-August. December through March is the right time of year for seeing whales on such a boat trip.  That's also a time when the surf is up on the north coast, making it harder to get a look at Na Pali from a boat without getting seasick. 

 

Here are some considerations: The catamarans docked at Port Allen are all pretty similar. There are no luxury craft. A larger boat offers a smoother ride but can't get into the Na Pali sea caves. A 35-foot catamaran can fit into the caves, but a 60-foot one can't. Some boats offer more shade than others. A raft offers access to sea caves and other nooks. This extreme ride is for thrill-seekers who love a fast and bumpy ride, and who want to explore sea caves and Hawaiian burial grounds. It may actually be better for those prone to seasickness than a catamaran.  Don't go if you have a bad back. Wear lots of sunscreen.

• Cruises typically include a nice lunch and snorkel/scuba stops, probably in deep water. All companies offer a tour up to the Na Pali coast, weather permitting, many stopping at Nu’alolo Kai, a snorkeling spot. In the winter, a cruise on the south coast may be substituted if the surf is high on the north coast.  Many companies are also offering a trip to snorkel near Niihau, the Forbidden Island.
• Be sure to ask what the cancellation policy is if the weather is iffy or the surf is high.  You may find yourself going out in very marginal weather if you don't take charge of the situation!
• You might want to bring some sea-sickness pills, just in case.

Some vendors:

• Kauai Sea Tours, operating a sailboat--a 60-foot catamaran out of Port Allen, as well as raft tours.  Feedback from tourists indicates satisfaction with the offering, particularly with the catamaran tour, limited to 20 although the boat could hold 50. Individuals repeatedly mentioned the attentive crew, and the spaciousness of the boat.
• Blue Dolphin Charters, which has two 60-foot catamarans out of Port Allen on Kauai's southwest side.  The Niihau tour is a Na Pali tour with a side trip toward Niihau added in, to snorkel or scuba.  Sunset cruises are available.
• Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures, which offers very similar outings from Port Allen, but adds rafts to the list of available watercraft. According to a reviewer who enjoyed the trip, the catamaran is rated for 70 but cruises with 50 people. It motors to Na Pali but returns under sail. You can sit on a "trampoline" near the water line--you get soaked, but it's great fun, according to another reviewer. But several reviewers cautioned that Captain Andy's overbooked and bumped them from a trip.
• Makana Charters, operating a 32-foot catamaran out of Port Allen.
• Liko Kauai Cruises, operating a 50-foot catamaran out of Waimea on the southwest side of Kauai.  This boat provides shade for passengers and goes into some of the caves.
• Catamaran Kahanu, offering a 40-foot catamaran and a 27-foot speedboat. A reviewer complained that he could not hear the tour guide on the loudspeaker because of poor equipment.
• Holo Holo Tours operates a 50-foot sailing catamaran out of Port Allen. But according to a reviewer, the boat operates using a motor, not the sails.
• Sailing from the north side town of Hanalei, Captain Sundown. This company, oldest of the boat companies (since 1971), operates a 40-foot sailing catamaran that visits the Na Pali cliffs and features a knowledgeable veteran captain.

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