Kayaking

Greetings,

I will be in Hawaii during Memorial weekend and was wondering if anyone who has rented their own kayak without doing a tour has good info on where a good place to begin from and some sights to explore. Thanks in advance

Kayaking

Google kayak Kailua. The rental companies there will bring the kayak out to you on the beach, and pick it up at a designated time. The Kailua rental places are all fine. Here%26#39;s a review that I found by searching here in TA:

Traveler rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kailua: Kailua Beach Park: ';Kayaking in Kailua';

Apr 20, 2005: A TripAdvisor Member, Claremont, CA

If you visit Oahu, spend a half day kayaking in Kailua Bay. The coral reef and the small islands provide a perfect protection for the bay, making the water extremely calm and easy to paddle. You could kayak all the way to the island to relax, swim, snorkle, and enjoy a spectacular view of Waikiki, or just paddle to Lanahai beach next to Kailua to enjoy snorkling with the sea turtles. If you decided to rent a kayak, I would avoid Kailua Sailboard %26amp; Kayak. They don%26#39;t provide much instruction, simply let you watch a 10-minute video tape on a tiny TV. Then you have to drag the kayak yourself to the park, then across the sand to the beach. Going out is not too bad, but coming back, trying to drag the kayak up the sandy dune and pull it back to the store when your arms are dead tired is not something you want to do under the sun in Oahu. There are 2 other kayak rental stores in town: Hawaiian Water Sport and Two Goods Kayak Hawaii. They will deliver the kayaks to the beach for you and the cost are the same. Get an Entertainment Book. It has coupon for 2-for-1 for Twogood Kayaks.

Kayaking

Thanks for the info. We eill hit up Kailua. Any idea if the Entertainment book has coupons for just one kayak? I think we will plan on renting a tandem for a half day.

Hi. Don%26#39;t forget to post back with a review of all the fun! I hope to do this very activity myself so don%26#39;t spare any details!

BTW, BoingDad, aren%26#39;t you the same BoingDad that was going to buy an inflatable kayak for your visit? Have you since re-thought that idea?

I rented from Go Bananas Kayak just outside Waikiki, and would recommend them as an alternative to the Kailua kayak rental places since you can take the kayak to wherever you want (not just limited to staying in Kailua). We have kayaked before and canoed a lot so do not require instructions, so I do not know how much instructions they provide if you have not kayaked before. We told them what kind of kayak trip we plan and they recommend one that fits our needs. They show you how to strap the kayak on to the car roof on foam pads and off you go.

mauiman98 - The owner of the place where we are renting has one for us to use. Kayaks cost about $300-$500, so paying $200 for a tour for two people for a few hours must be a great business.

Just a word of caution from someone who has paddled the Lanikai/Kailua area for years. Be very careful and mindful of the ocean conditions if you plan on kayaking without an expert. If there are strong kona winds (southwest) or large surf, I would stay out of the water in Lanikai and Kailua. Kona winds will blow you out to sea. The outside reefs can be very dangerous in certain condition. If you have extensive open-ocean kayaking experience, you should be okay, but if you are not a strong ocean kayaker, I would recommend you paddle with an expert.

One more note about strong kona winds. The water may look very calm, because the wind is blowing offshore and there won鈥檛 be a wind swell or victory at sea look, but when you have to paddle back to shore, you will be paddling against the wind. Kona winds occur 10-15% of the time and usually in the winter months.

For those who are thinking about paddling other parts of the Island where trade-winds will create off-shore conditions, you should also evaluated your abilities and proceed with caution.

I%26#39;d second that, PeterK. I see many people heading out in Kailua thinking the bay is this big unforgiving bathtub. Especially kayakers who start paddling straight to the Moks heading right over and towards the reef. There are some dangerous reef spots that can easily sneak up on you, definately not for those who don%26#39;t know how to read the ocean. (Unless you want to paddle around close to shore all day) Make sure to either go with an expert, or have an expert explain the reef and what to look for as you paddle to the Moks.

The west side has some great kayaking opportunities. Ocean conditions dependent, but lots of hidden bays near in the north, and possibilities to kayak with dolphins down south. Again, consult an expert before going! Hawaiian waters are nothing like mainland waters!

Actually, I%26#39;m gonna sneak up quietly before the tour starts. Act like I%26#39;m already going somewhere with plans... Then I follow the group about a 100 yards back. It%26#39;s a free country, I can paddle where I want to.

Besides, I%26#39;ve seen what pro guides can do:

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