Hi all. I’m off to the Big Island and Kauai in early March for a week or so, and am looking for suggestions on paddling trips/destinations there. I did the Wailua River on Kauai on a previous trip, and am definitely planning on doing Kealeakekua Bay/Captain Cook on Hawaii. I’m a fairly experienced (BCU 3-star) sea kayaker, though my fiance is a novice, so we’re looking for non-strenuous trips in the under 2-hour range.
Any advice on trips to add to our itinerary would be much appreciated - thanks!
Kauii paddling! Yahoo!
– Last Updated: Jan-14-04 1:04 PM EST –
Hey redmiata (love those cars!). I was on Kauai last summer and I highly recommend paddling the Hanalei River. There's an outfitter right on the river, too. Nice run of about 5 miles - slow, twisty, calm and beautiful, and outlets into Hanalei Bay with beautiful (I mean gorgeous) views and gentle waves for surfing - perfect for beginners, and vistas to take one's breath away. Wish I were going with you. Aloha!
Na Pali
If the winter swells have subsided by March, the Na Pali coast is a breathtaking paddle. You will se spinner dolphin, turtles and waterfalls emptying into the ocesn. The beach landings are way too treacherous if the storm swells are still runing, so check with some locals about timing.
i am envious of you.
I have never had the experience of paddling there. Last time i went i asked a few canoeists i talked with on the beach if i could try there craft and they were all positive and friendly but because of mixed schedules it never worked out. I could see myself at Maui and The Big Island, maybe Kona. Would like to do some surf kayaking there, somewhere outta the coral, reef or big stuff. Maybe fish too. Have fun bra.
Have you contacted a kayak rental place?
My family and I were on Kauai in April, 2002. There is an outfitter there that we really liked, and we did some easy paddling trips with them as at that time we were all beginners. They had a range of trips of varying degrees of difficulty and they just might have what you are interested in. The trips we were on used SOT kayaks, and I don’t recall if they rented out any SINKs, but you can ask - here is their website: www.outfitterskauai.com
The guides were great, but you might be able to rent kayaks on your own as well. You can reserve a trip ahead of time, and we arranged for all our trips from home as some of the trips were pretty popular and filled up quickly. 'Hope this helps you! wd
Paddling Hawaii
Audrey Sutherland’s book Paddling Hawaii has a lot of good information and suggestions. It’s available from Amazon.