Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Cultural and Turtle Tour

Badge of Excellence

Maui, USA

1 hour (approx.)
Mobile ticket

Why travelers loved this

4.6

· Marissa_J ·

Sep 2025

Our guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. He took us out to a great reef and were able to swim/snorkel with so many turtles. Our guide Alex even took photos/videos that he sent to me free of charge! Highly recommend

· Karmen_D ·

Dec 2025

Fun activity for our family…. Sea turtles and whales! Great location we spent the day on the beach afterwards

Overview

Journey back in time with a local guide during this paddling tour on a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe. Learn about Polynesian culture as you paddle out along Maui's scenic south shore, and get up close to local marine life as you make your way through the waters between Wailea Beach and Turtle Town.

Explore the waters off south Maui on an outrigger canoe
Learn about Polynesian culture from your professional guide
Enjoy the pristine waters off Wailea point as you take in the views
Choice of departures and short tour makes it easy to schedule

What's Included

Professional guide
Outrigger canoe excursion
Canoeing equipment
Local taxes

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Wailea Beach
Kihei, HI 96753, USA
There is free public parking at Wailea Beach Park. After parking, walk towards the ocean and take a left at the "Y" along the beach boardwalk and take your first right down the staircase leading to the beach. Look for canoes to your right. You've made it!

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Children 5 and younger are not recommended
You must be able to paddle a minimum of a half mile
Not wheelchair accessible
Check-in is 20 minutes prior to the booked tour start time

Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Bill

The one on one canoe ride was awesome. Seeing the clear water from the canoe was a great experience. The guide was knowledgeable and very helpful

Reviews

4.6

based on 68 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Chris was a great tour...

Erika_F, Mar 2026

Chris was a great tour guide, full of interesting history about the island and the area. We came close to several humpbacks and it was a beautiful morning!

You get the full...

Michael_S, Jan 2026

You get the full experience with this excursion. Meaning you and whoever you bring with you will be putting in the work and burning the calories.

The one on one canoe ride...

Bill, Jan 2026

The one on one canoe ride was awesome. Seeing the clear water from the canoe was a great experience. The guide was knowledgeable and very helpful

Fun activity for our...

Karmen_D, Dec 2025

Fun activity for our family…. Sea turtles and whales! Great location we spent the day on the beach afterwards

Highly recommend

Marissa_J, Sep 2025

Best morning ever

Robert_P, Jul 2025

Absolutely fantastic time, saw a very large male sea turtle that decided to hang out by our boat for a while, which was a lot of fun. Our guide Juca got into the water and took videos and pictures for us!! Highly recommend.

Vendor was a no show

Michelle_H, Jun 2025

The vendor was not there, waited over an hour and still no show. We did not get to do the experience. Still waiting on my refund, please send

Awesome Outrigger ride

Susan_P, May 2025

It was a fantastic event. Jessie was so informative and friendly. Donald was very helpful as well. We will do this again.

Great Tour, awesome turtles, excellent culture info

Shawn_M, Jan 2025

We had a great time on the trip, we saw many sea turtles and listened to some great information on Hawaiin culture.

Water workout

Jennifer_B, Oct 2024

Jessie gave us a great experience and shared his knowledge about Maui and Hawaiian culture. It a bit of workout but awesome time on the water. I would recommend it..

Turtle tour

Tracy_N, Jun 2024

This tour focuses heavily on turtles and secondary on the history of Hawaii. There is not much about the outrigger. On other Viator tours it has been made clear whether or not to tip our guide but there was no mention of tipping in this case.

Outrigging fun!

Susan_P, May 2024

Our Outrigger rides are always great! We do them every year! Wonderful experience for all ages. We have come to know Kevin well. He makes the excursion so interesting.

Peaceful Paddle

Lisa_W, Feb 2024

Fantastic! Our guides were welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable Chris even took pictures and videos- we got to hear whales too! Definitely a vacation highlight.

Exciting

Allison_K, Jun 2023

Views were gorgeous, instructions were clear, guide was kind and full of knowledge, and got to get close to sea turtles.

A beautiful morning well...

Vineeta_b, Dec 2022

A beautiful morning well spent doing this activity . Kevin’s (our guide) tidbits about Hawaiian culture was interesting and we did see few whales …a happy soul returned back to shores 😀

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Aloha Vineeta, Mahalo for the thoughtful review and patience in rescheduling die to inclement weather and large surf!! The whales were amazing! A hui hou! Until we meet again! Mahalo Piha, Kevin Piilani Hoke

Outrigger canoe paddle

Lois_L, Dec 2022

Rather expensive for the what we received. We paddled a very short distance. We did see a turtle up close & whales swimming out in the ocean, and then we were done.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

What an amazing experience! Whales and turtles! We also provided a hydrophone to hear the Humpback whales! Did you also receive a free picture and video package in addition to a thorough understanding of Hawaiian culture, history and navigation? We offer a 90 minute tour too!

A must do in Maui!

Ella_T, Aug 2022

Great communication about the trip. The guide mentioned he has a great track record for sighting turtles and he delivered. Great instruction and amazing views. Couldn't ask for more.

Fun experience!!

Matthew_F, Aug 2022

Fun experience! Our guide was friendly and informative during the trip. Takes a little effort to get into canoe as you push it into the water at around waist high, then haul yourself in, but once in you follow directions for rowing. Great exercise too! Saw turtles and beautiful vistas! Highly recommended for something different to do while visiting Maui. Will come back again and ride the canoes!!

Great experience!!!!

Beth_W, May 2022

Great guide! Fred was very personable and he knew Hawaiian history! We also just what I wanted to see…. Sea Turtles!!!

Great tour guide. She really made the experience fun

Scott_M, Mar 2022

Didn't see any turtles, I guess you can't control that, but the canoeing was great and the crew was professional. Our guide was great and explained a great deal about the area and the ocean.

Outrigger OK

Julie_T, Oct 2021

The trip was ok. Being on the water is always nice. We did see sea turtles. The guide was delightful as well as the rest of the crew who helped us launch the outrigger. It was hard to hear the guide since we were at the front of the outrigger. Feel the price didn’t match the value. Was told that we had to present the confirmation of payment which ended up not being required. Wouldn’t have risked taking my cellphone (had a waterproof container) to show my tickets had I known it was not necessary.

Turtle time

Penny_L, Jul 2021

We had such an amazing time on the ocean. We were able to see 9 turtles and several up close. Our tour guide just graduated from high school and was very professorial and knowledgeable about sea life. Thanks for a great time!

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Mahalo Penny for your review! Wailea is filled with wonderful sea life for all to enjoy. Our steersman our young, energetic, and always professional. Thank you for choosing Hawaiian ocean sports and we hope to see you again.

Fun way to start our vacation !

Cheryl_M, Jul 2021

What an amazing time! Jonah was so personable and the turtles were so fun to watch! It was a great way to start our Maui vacation!

Outstanding Experience

Lori_R, Jul 2021

Great crew. We saw lots of turtles. A guide offered pics for free. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Fun outing. Highly recommend.

Not an excursion I would recommend

Jill_S, Jul 2021

Our guide didn’t seem very knowledgeable, and didn’t make a real attempt to see turtles, while the canoe in front of us had a much more experienced guide, learned history about the island, saw turtles etccc. It was disappoint overall for us and not necessarily something I would recommend.

The canoe ride was super fun and great to bring kids as well

HENRY_Y, Jul 2021

Kruz was great in getting back to me via text the night before to ensure me that can accommodate my 2 children. He also informed me to maybe do a earlier slot to avoid the high wind later in the day. Certainly made the experiment a whole lot smoother and enjoyable. When I got lost getting there, Kruz was also very helpful in helping me find his location. The lady who is the tour guide/steermen was also wonderful. I would definitely recommend it.

A fantastic experience!

Marcus_E, Jul 2021

This was a wonderful experience with friendly, knowledgeable staff and a super service! The trip out on the outrigger was a lot of fun and we saw some huge turtles up close when out on the ocean, and also a barracuda. As well as being an excellent guide, Kevin taught us some traditional Hawaiian chants and lots about Hawaiian history. This was a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend Hawaiian Ocean Sports! 🌺

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Aloha Marcus, we are glad to hear you enjoyed your time. Mahalo to you and your ohana for choosing Hawaiian Ocean Sports as well as mahalo Ke Aku for blessing us will all of the wonderful things you seen on your trip!

Fun time! Read if you are plus size.

Victoria_G, Jun 2021

The tour guides were great. :) They had wonderful energy and taught us about the Hawaiian culture. Our group had the 10 AM tour and we were so lucky we had a turtle approach our canoe. Paddling was also pretty easy going. The reason I did not put 5 stars is because I feel their Viator description should disclose the width of the seats of the canoe. For reference I am a size 8 and I had little room to move. I brought my friend with me and she did not fit comfortably in the canoe. She had to sit sideways to fit.

Great experience!

Dwight_M, Jun 2021

Great time out on the water to learn a little bit of history of the Hawaiian people and also see some turtles. Also nice to do an active excursion and paddle on an outrigger. The team was professional and great communication with directions to the start point.