Waikiki small group turtle snorkeling & sailing
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Oahu, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Perfect for jetlagged early birds, this intimate morning yacht tour from Honolulu takes you to Turtle Canyon in a small group of no more than six. Watch the sun rise over Diamond Head as you sail towards Turtle Canyon's reef, then jump into the water to snorkel in the company of sea turtles and colorful fish.
- This early-morning experience helps you avoid crowds
- The morning hours offer the best chance to see Hawaiian spinner dolphins playing
- Provided snacks and beverages keep hunger at bay
- A small group size ensures an intimate experience you won’t find in larger groups
What's Included
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Soda/Pop
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Snorkeling guide, floatation equipment
- No towels, no sunscreen
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hawaii Yacht Club1739 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Hawaii yacht club Ala Wai boat harbor slip #429 just right before the Hawaii yacht club you can park front of the boat the parking fee is 1 dollars per hour
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
susan_s
It’s a MUST on your bucket list. You will not regret it. Captain Tony and Abe were a great crew with lots of experiences under their belt
Reviews
5.0
based on 90 reviews
Tracy_A, Mar 2026
Book with Captain Tony and beat the crowds! This is the only snorkeling trip that is at 7 am. Parking was no problem at this time and the price was very reasonable.
Yes it is early but we were the only ones in the water until closer to 8:30 am when it was time to return to the dock. The bigger boats with lots of people come around 9 am. The five of us had the whole ocean to ourselves to view the numerous turtles and schools of fish. We were required to wear a floatation belt which helped preserve energy.
The boat is a small sail boat and Captain Tony only allows 6 people at time. There was one other couple on board with us. Captain Tony's assistant got in the water with us while he stayed on the boat.
Side note: I did not get sea sick on the boat; however, I did at the end of snorkeling. Perhaps it was due to too much bobbing my head in and out of the water with my phone to take pictures/videos or heavy breathing in the snorkel gear along with salt water. My pictures did not turn out too good, but the video did. Captain Tony's assistant rents GoPros which might have been a better choice. One of the other passengers gave me a Dramamine which saved me because I was surfing 4 hours later and caught a bunch of waves on a board which did have a GoPro attached.
Savannah_G, Feb 2026
Captain Tony was great and the tour was all we could have asked for. He worked with us ahead of time as the day we originally booked the tour for it was going to be too windy and would’ve been bad conditions. He let us change the day of our tour and refund those in our group that couldn’t attend on the new day. While the boat itself is smaller and would be hard for anyone with limited mobility to maneuver around, it was also great because it was felt way less commercial. Captain Tony made sure we beat the snorkel crowds and gave lots of great information and pointers about other things to do in the area. Highly recommend this tour, especially for those staying near Ala Wai Harbor!
Grace_B, Jan 2026
My boyfriend and I went in January, and it was incredible! Super easy to find and easy to communicate with. It ended up just being the two of us on the trip, and I can’t recommend this over the large snorkeling groups enough. 10/10 recommend.
Cindy_K, Dec 2025
Great crew and boat. Really enjoyed this snorkeling trip with just our family on board. Attentive crew and great experience. The fish and turtles were awesome.
Maria_N, Dec 2025
Captain John and Olan were outstanding!!! Highlight of our trip’! Captain was excellent in keeping us safe but also making sure we saw lots of fish! Olan was great leading us to the turtles! We even saw dolphins!!!! Worth every penny!!!! Highly recommend!
Rachelle_B, Aug 2025
This tour with Captain Tony & Abe was hands down the highlight of our entire vacation! I had originally booked a different tour that started later in the morning…but am SO glad I switched! By starting at 7AM we were able to get out in the water before the other tours started. My son had never been snorkeling and both Tony & Abe explained everything so well and were patient, knowledgeable, and fun. Originally there were two others scheduled to tour with us, but they cancelled and Tony still took us out—that’s right—we literally had a private tour!! Abe was in the water with us the whole time and knew everything about the turtles and so much more. We saw at least 15-20 turtles, maybe more..and felt safe and attended to the whole time. I am recommending this to all my family and friends. Captain Tony even sent me recommendations for other hikes, beaches and favorite local places after our tour. You won’t get this kind of treatment on any other tour. We did three tours on our vacation and this blew them all away!!!
katiegartmann03, Jul 2025
We had the best experience with captain Tony and his crew. It ended up being just my husband and myself, and we were one of the first boats out to turtle canyon. We saw SO many turtles on the reef, tons of fish, and a white tip reef shark. It was such a magical experience. The whole time, Abe was telling us about Hawaiian culture and the animals we were seeing. This small group excursion has been one of the highlights of our trip and I definitely recommend this over the big boats with 50-100 people. Thank you, captain Tony!
Christopher_B, Jul 2025
The experience was great, Tony was very helpful and chill. We got out on the water early so there was no crowds as there can be almost 500 people out snorkeling which makes it’s not very enjoyable, and since we got on the water early we got to see more turtles and fish while in the water.
Naga_P, Jun 2025
Start to finish, everything taken care well by captain Tony and Abe. Definitely recommend to do this early in the morning 7 am so you can have better experience with less crowd.
Wendy_M, Jun 2025
Captain Tony and Abe were wonderful! Abe was very helpful in the water, making sure we were able to find the turtles easily, even when the views were less than ideal.
Michelle_A, Jun 2025
Our family of four, including 8 and 10 year old kids. We went out with Captain Tony and Abe on June 6, 2025. This was a great experience for all of us and we highly recommend to anyone looking to swim with turtles and avoid the crowds. The boat is well cared for and Tony is a safe and experienced guide. Abe swam with us in the water and answered all the kids questions with a smile. He helped us spot numerous turtles, so many I lost count. There were also a lot of fish to swim with between the turtles. Tony helped us spot a pod of dolphins on our way out and got us close enough for a good view. This was a great experience and I'm so glad we booked it.
susan_s, Jun 2025
It’s a MUST on your bucket list. You will not regret it. Captain Tony and Abe were a great crew with lots of experiences under their belt
Blessed_s, Apr 2025
We really enjoyed the small group snorkeling experience. Tony and Abe took us to the spot where we saw turtles and lots of colorful fish.
Jacqueline_T, Apr 2025
Tony and Abe were fantastic guides! They had a wealth of knowledge that they shared with us and made sure all of us were safe as other boats were coming in. The waves were strong and a friend and I started feeling seasick and they were very patient with us as we made our way back into the boat. The small group setting was perfect as were able to see plenty of turtles and be one of the only ones there
1230clinic, Mar 2025
Captain Tony and Abe provided us with an ultimate experience at Turtle Bay. We saw a few groups of 6-10 turtles and were able to observe them at our leisure from the respected distance. We were not rushed. We went to the “cleaning station” reef area where we were able to see and swim with hundreds of fish. Abe went in the water with us to answer questions, ID fish, assist if needed, and for an additional $75 he used a GoPro to capture our adventure. Capt. Tony provided island information and answered questions for us. Their love for the island and sea was evident and we highly recommend this excursion. Mahalo!
Jim_C, Feb 2025
Best snokel trip ever. We wanted to see lots of fish but misly the turtles, and we did 7 I think. Captain Todd and first mate Able know where to take you and what time to beat the other boats
GEORGE_R, Oct 2024
really enjoyed the captain and his co-capitan - they made the adventure really all worthwhile, and we do it again 👍🏼
David_C, Oct 2024
Captain Tony and Abe were amazing!!! I highly highly highly recommend booking this tour. We set sail just before 7am and we were just with another couple. Captain Tony told us stories and by 710am we were moored and him and Abe got us set up with fins and snorkel gear and then we were in the water. Abe was extremely patiently with everyone and showed us around the Turtle Cove for about an hour and a half. We they hung out we saw so many turtle and fishes. He taught us about the marine life, made sure we’re all safe and together in the water. He even pulled a sea urchin for us to hold. By the time we left the other tours were coming in and oh boy I’m glad we went early bc we had the cove to ourselves. Captain Tony mentioned that the turtles react different to a small group vs boats filled with 30-40 people times multiple boats. BOOK THIS SMALL TOUR NOW!
Carole_K, Oct 2024
Captain Tony and Abe our Snorkel guide were excellent. If we are ever back on Oahu, we will be booking with them.
Bree_J, Jul 2024
If I could award this tour 100 stars I would! Captain Tony and snorkel extraordinaire Abe provided such an unforgettable experience for our family of four (2 adults and 2 boys ages 10yrs and 7yrs). We set out bright and early (7am) on Tony’s beautiful sailing yacht - and although this wasn’t a ‘private charter’, it may as well have been as it was just the four of us and the two crew.
Thanks to the early morning start, we sailed under a literal rainbow (!!!) and arrived at Turtle Canyon to have the entire reef to ourselves for over an hour! Snorkeling under the professional guidence of Abe, who was not only a fabulous instructor, but also a wealth of information about the reef and all of the wildlife that call it home. Our youngest son (only 7yrs) thought Abe was an absolute super hero as when he became a bit tired and cold, Abe pulled him around on a floatation board so that he could continue to peer down into the reef using his snorkel.
We all felt so blessed to be able to swim alongside the bales of magestic Green Sea Turtles and hundreds of beautiful Hawaiian fish species, before the over crowed catemarans and flat bottom boats started to arrive - packed to the brim with 100s of tourists. Abe filled the go-pro with the most fabulous photos and video for us to remember our swim with the turtles, before we reboarded to make our way back to the marina. And just to top it off, we were treated to the magic of a pod of spinner dolphins frolicking in the waves alongside the yacht on the way home.
Tony and Abe made it their mission to provide us with the most wonderful ‘up close and personal’ experience that we will always remember. If you are looking for a truly unique and special tour then look no further.
Shannon_r, Jun 2024
Loved the end to end experience. Great small boat trip to take if you are looking for a more specialized and peaceful adventure. Great for kids and the crew even shared additional activity ideas for our time on the island. Highly recommend.
Rebecca_B, Apr 2024
This tour was amazing! It was just me and my husband out with Captain Tony and Abe. They got us out to the spot early morning there were no other boats out it was just the 3 of us in the water!. They were friendly an knowledgeable. I have been snorkeling quite a fee times this was absolutely by far the best snorkeling tour I have been on! We saw turtles sting rays and so many different kind of fish!
Lorissa_J, Mar 2024
Great snorkeling trip! Loved the small group experience. Captain Tony and Abe were great. Tons of turtles and beautiful fish
Maria_T, Feb 2024
Absolutely amazing experience!! We were the only ones out at Turtle Canyon and we saw so many sea turtles and even a reef shark. Capt Tony and Abe were awesome and took great care of us and stopped on the way in to watch a baby whale for a few minutes. A must do on your trip!
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Waikiki small group turtle snorkeling & sailing
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