Frequently Asked Questions

Online or by Phone

Reserve the Discovery online or by calling us at (808) 891-2223.

We recommend making reservations at least 2 days in advance and at least 7 days in advance around Christmas and Fourth of July.

Season of Operation

The Discovery operates year round, 7 days a week and runs once per day at 7:45am.

Tours are non-refundable if cancelled under 48 hours

With our regular retail reservations, our cancellation policy is 48 hours. Up until 48 hours until trip check-in time, you may make any changes or cancellations that you like, all without any penalty. All you have to do is email or call us.

For specially discounted dates, the reservation is non-refundable regardless of circumstance.

Weather

If we cancel a tour due to weather, you will not be charged, irrespective of the type of reservation you made. We make all the determinations about weather cancellations however, so please don't make the mistake of deciding you're not going to come because you think the weather might not be acceptable, as you will be charged if the trip goes out.

If you ever have a question about the weather conditions, please call us to be sure.

All of the following is included in the price.

• Kayaks with performance back supports
• Fiberglass, featherable paddle
• Extrasport, USCG Approved paddling life jacket
• NRS waterproof drybag to hold valuables
• Mask, silicone snorkel & fins in a mesh sack
• Full beach lunch, with an option for vegetarian
• Instruction covering:
• Paddling
• Snorkeling
• Ocean safety
• Kayak launching and landing
• Kayak entry/egress techniques
• Guided snorkeling at the various snorkeling locations
• Assistance during launching and landing at beaches
• Full guide service throughout the tour

What's not included?

• Gratuity for your guide
• Bottled water
• Towels
• Prescription snorkel masks
• Wetsuits
• Sandals or water shoes

We recommend you bring:

• Swimsuit
• Water shoes or Sandals (flip-flops are fine)
• Towel
• Bottle of Water
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Disposable Underwater Camera

Absolutely!

You are welcome to bring anything you'd like and that certainly includes snorkeling gear. We recommend you bring anything of your own that you'd like to use and if you're missing any essential gear, we'll fill in the gaps for you.

It all depends upon where you're coming from.

The tour departs from Olowalu which is approximately 20 minutes from Ka'anapali, 10 minutes from Lahaina, 40 minutes from Kahului, 30 minutes from Kihei and about 40 minutes from Wailea.

Five years old.

On the Discovery tour our minimum age is 5 years old, give or take a few months here and there if need be. Also, anyone over the age of 12 is considered an adult for our purposes.

Not really, no.

We have kayaks that can accomodate up to 550 lbs of weight and the tallest of tall people and thus this isn't a concern. If you have a specific question however, pleaes feel free to email us!

Yes and No.

All of our tours include a full beach lunch of grilled chicken skewers, fresh fruits and a selection of fruit juices. In addition we can accommodate vegetarian, vegan or other special requests with at least 24 hours notice.

We do not provide breakfast and we recommend you have a small breakfast before joining us in the morning.

Introductory, but still physical for sure.

Kayaking is very much like Alpine Skiing in that it uses muscles that aren't ordinarily used in everyday life, even for active people.

That being the case, we recommend you choose a tour based upon your previous experience. If you've not kayaked or snorkeled before, or even if you've just never kayaked before, this tour would be a perfect choice for you.

Even if you have kayaked or snorkeled before, the Discovery would be a great choice if you simply prefer a relaxed pace, and/or don't feel like doing anything overly strenuous while enjoying your vacation.

If you'd like, yes!

We frequently have guests join us that aren't great swimmers and even some that don't swim at all!

The key thing is that you can't be afraid of the water. We do require guests to wear Life Preservers during the kayaking portions of the trip and many guests choose to continue wearing them during the snorkeling as well.

So even if you're not a great swimmer, you can participate, just so long as you're not afraid of the water and/or ocean.

Usually 4-6 people.

We limit ourselves to no more than 10 guests per guide and we prefer to have groups of no more than 6-8 people per guide so as to maintain a sense of privacy and personal attention.

If you have a group larger than 8-10, worry not, as we are able to do much larger groups all at once by simply adding additional guides.

Around 11:00am

The tour generally ends around 10:45-11:00am. That said, it can run a bit longer if we don't get out on time, so it's important to arrive on time for the 7:45am check-in.

If for some reason you need to run off immediately when we retun to shore (around 10:30-10:45), you are able to leave at that time and take your lunch with you as they are all individually packed lunches.

No.

We find that most all guests don't need wetsuits and thus we don't actually offer them. The water temperature fluctuates a bit depending upon the season, but it is usually almost 80 degrees.

That said, if you are someone that gets cold easily or you simply would like to wear a wetsuit, most all of the local dive shops do rent and sell such equipment.

We always recommend Maui Dive Shop as they have the most locations and excellent service.

A prescription optical mask.

Due to the enormous range of potential prescriptions we don't offer optical snorkel masks.

As we do with wetsuits, we recommend you visit any of the local dive shops to rent a prescription mask. They will be able to get you just the right fit and optical power so that you best enjoy the sights that are seen on our tours.

Great! Let's hear it!

Please email us directly.

You may also phone us at (808) 891-2223, however email is the best way to contact us and get the most complete and thorough response to your questions.