Hawaiian Surf Adventures

My sister and her fiancé highly recommended the HSA canoe tour as one of the must do activities when vacationing in Oahu. We were so happy that we booked the tour! Lissa was our canoe tour guide. Our 8 y/​o son had so much fun paddling in the ocean. Such an amazing experience.

Amazing Surfing experience. Nobi, Lincoln, and Alissa were all wonderful. Nobi made my sister and I feel comfortable with a quick lesson before we got on the water, and once in we felt right at home. We even got a history/​geology lesson from Nobi on the boat ride out and in. We had a small group of four and were able to take waves at our own pace with the help of Lincoln and Nobi. What made this experience even better was that since it is down in Hawaii Kai there are no crowds, we basically had our own little channel of waves.
I would recommend Hawaiian Surf Adventures to everyone. They are family run company that truly care about their customers!

Alissa is awesome. We took advantage of SUP lesson and it was great. Alissa is a great teacher who paces herself to the learner. She is also very encouraging as well as knowledgeable about the area and history of SUP. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with her. She also made a great recommendation to visit Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha for real shaved ice. An absolute must after a lesson.

I had a canoe tour package with a group of 11. We were asked to show up at 9:30 because it was supposed to start at 10am. Well 10 am came and no one showed up. We waited and it was already 10:30 and still no one showed up. We didn’t even get a call or email from anyone. A man passing by who happens to know the owner called the owner for us. The owner then told us no one could show up that day because the instructor got in an accident and no one else was able to show up.
Unfortunately we are unable to reschedule. It was already hard enough to get everyone together on this day. We asked what they could do to compensate for that time lost…
GET THIS, they said 50 percent off one of their logo shirts or hat!
REALLY?!?
Be careful when you book through them. They didn’t seem to handle this situation very good with us customers.

This place is «hella» dope! We took advantage of a groupon deal to get a standup paddle board lesson and we were lucky enough to get a teacher by the name of Nobe. What makes him awesome is not only does he teach you how to SUP he also prepares you for emergency events and teaches you about the history and culture of Hawaii! It was a blast! Would definitely recommend this place to anybody looking to learn some water sports.

So my wife just had a lesson at Turtle Bay Resort for $ 55 less and they had her group go through 4 moves on the shore before hitting the waves. I watched and everyone in the group was standing first wave. The lesson at HI Surf Adventure had none of this and none of the people in my group was able to stand up. Same type of foam board and more crowded surf area. Same comments about the ‘boat’. Make sure they have a captain otherwise you spend a lot of time paddling out to the surf area and back — for $ 150 or so.

Nobi was knowledgeable about the history of Hawaii, climate, canoeing, and well spoken. The trip was refreshing, required physical work, and engaging. I like it so much that I bought another voucher for my husband nephew to try.

This was an excellent experience. My 2 kids had super fun time. The lesson includes boat ride out to surf and 1 hour lesson in water. My kids are 7 and 8 and the instructors were great. This was their first time and you can see the pictures. My daughter who is a little more cautious was not scared at all and both of them want to continue surfing.

We had a wonderful time in our SUP lessons. Our guide was patient, helpful, and very positive. It was a little bit of a workout, but nothing that was too taxing. I don’t exercise much and I was able to do everything just fine with only a little bit of soreness the next day.
Our lesson had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather, and they were able to get us in quickly and with very little hassle. I was also very appreciative for the company looking out for not only our safety, but also making sure we got the most out of our lesson.
This was a great experience for us and we fully plan on sharing this with any friends/​family who come to visit!

So i was visiting and got a groupon and i come in and the white dude, not sure what his name was, says i owe 6 bucks for tax… I’ve never had to pay tax when using a groupon but whatever. He kinda paused to see how i would react. If he really needs $ 6 i wasn’t going to argue over it… overall, this guy was kinda of a douche and there was never a receipt for the «tax.» And i asked if i could leave my bag behind the counter during the lesson and he said i could lock it in the car or lockers… again he was not forthcoming. There are no lockers. You lock your belongings in the car. Though the car is in plain view, just say so and don’t be shady, right?! One star for that d bag! Lol
However, Nobe was our stand up paddle instructor and he was great! Really cool guy and really patient. Make sure to tip him if you have a good experience!
Overall mixed feelings because I had a blast with our instructor but the guy handling the business end of things was a super douche.

My first experience of surfing was wonderful! Thank u Jon and Henry! you are so helpful! and thank u two lovely girls that encouraged me so much (hope u will read it some day, sorry I could not make it to the brewery).
I accidentally stepped on a sea urchin at the end of the lesson. ouch! Its still hurting now. however, the happiness from surfing totally triumphs the pain.
I’ll be back next time!

My hubby and I wanted to do a physical excursion in the water, so we found a great groupon for Hawaiian Surf Adventures. We elected to do the double canoe ride which was a workout, but really fun and informative. We were out on the water for about two hours and our guide was Lissa, who was a great instructor and really sweet. We had about six adults on our tour, and one child. We had a good group that was really interested in the stories and history Lissa shared with us. I’ve been on a lot of these tours/​excursions and I can tell you that the tour guide can make or break this experience for the tourists. Lissa was great.
The conditions were perfect on the day we went out. There were low winds and it was sunny, but not too hot. It was beautiful. We did our test run in the canals of Hawaii Kai, then we made our way over to Moanalua Bay, which was pretty cool. I am ashamed to say I’ve never really explored Moanalua Bay, but it really pretty and provides great views of Hawaii Kai. Lissa was a great tour guide and spoke a lot about the history of the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian people. It is a great story for people to hear because Hawaii is definitely not all mai tais and luaus. There is a rich history filled with traditions and turmoil that most people don’t bother to learn. I enjoyed the history lesson a lot.
We saw a turtle pop its head out of the water during our tour, and we learned how to properly paddle. It was fun and while we did get our moments to rest, it was a great workout. You can’t coast on this excursion. Everyone needs to paddle and contribute to the cause. It was a lot of fun and we got a great deal on groupon… win-​win!

We went out to go on their boat for surfing. First off, we were worried about the appearance of the boat. It is beat up and looked very used. The paint is peeling all over the place. Not very seaworthy and certainly not «ship shape». Then we noticed that the surfboards were in terrible condition. They have very long heavy surfboards that look like they are covered in some kind of rubber on top. That rubber is peeling off and they looked a mess. Talking with a woman who was just returning from a surf lesson she said that she was taken out to a shallow reef and cut her feet. There was something black stuck in her feet. We cut our feet. We are going back to Waikiki were it looks safer to learn how to surf.

We have been to Oahu many times but this is the first time canoeing! I was a little nervous b/​c I am not a good swimmer but Lisa was very comforting on the phone and assured me that the water is calmed and with a life jacket, I would be ok. I was also worried that being on the water so long that it made me sick but I decided to give It try and boy am I glad I did! Nobe, our tour guide was not only entertaining but he was also educational. He shared with us the
history of Hawaii and even a little about his family. This made the trip special. Canoeing is a team sport and everyone gets to help out. The view from the canoe was awesome! Even our teenagers smile and that is priceless! Special thanks to Sasha for being so helpful and sweet!

Wife got us a Groupon for a two-​hour canoe tour, which actually turned into a three-​hour canoe tour.
If you’re going on the canoe tour, be advised that this is not a sit-​back-​and-​enjoy-​the-​view sort of tour — you are going to have to work for it! This was perhaps even more so in our case, as we had the minimum number of people (6) that they would take out, and it was a bit on the windy side.
Despite the exertion (and the sore back the next day!), this was a great experience. Once we had paddled out into the bay, we were able to do a little swimming, and then our guide gave us a lesson on how the islands were formed (I’ll never look at Oahu on a map the same way!), and the rich heritage of the Hawaiian people.
This was definitely the most educational calorie burn I’ve ever experienced!

The outrigger canoe trip is great if you’re interested in history/​culture. You get to paddle quite a bit, but we spent about an hour and ½ on the water listening to the history of the islands and polynesian culture.
The guide is very passionate and knowledgeable. Everything he said was interesting but both my wife and I would have liked to do more paddling. My in-​laws, and seemingly everyone else on board seemed to be really into his stories, however. I think we’re maybe more action-​oriented people than most.
If you want to learn about the islands and culture, and/​or you’re looking for a casual paddling experience definitely sign-​up for this trip.

If you purchased ahse a GROUPON, you will have to pay the non-​local/​non-​resident fee and fee per person when you book online. So expect to pay about 6 dollars each person plus tax etc. Which I think sucks, but whatever! You do not need to pay this fee again when you get there, so make sure you mention that and show them your receipt so you dont pay double!
Went on a double hull canoe tour. It was a great experience. Our guide was very informative and also laid back. I would recommend this canoe tour for anyone who would like to see the view from the ocean on in.
They will lock up your bags and belongings for you! Also bring water with you, they have $ 2 small water bottles you can buy there as well.

The double-​hull canoe tour was definitely the highlight of our Oahu trip!!! This tour is good for adults, kids, newbies, and experienced canoe-​ers. Tour takes a little over 2.5 hours.
First, the shop is located in a big shopping center plaza (same plaza as Kona Brewery). You kind of have to go to the back towards the water to find it. There is a big parking lot, but arrive early so that you can find parking — it can get tough in the middle of the day.
I corresponded with Lisa via email to book our tour and she was always prompt with responses and very friendly and accommodating. Once we arrived, everyone was very nice and helpful.
Nobie led us on the tour, which included a short lesson about the canoe and how to row properly. Nobie is awesome! You can tell that he is very passionate about canoeing and knows a lot. After you learn about canoeing, Nobie will lead you onto the canoe. You work as a team and go into the ocean. The day we went, the water was gorgeous!!! So many different shades of blue. You get to stop at a certain point in the ocean and jump off of the canoe. You’ll canoe out some more and head back to the shop after a couple of hours at sea. While you are canoeing, Nobie will tell you the history of Hawaii — probably my favorite part of the tour. He’s super knowledgeable and really makes the tour great.
Nobie takes pictures along the way. At the end of the tour, you can buy them for $ 30. It’s totally worth it because of the quality of the pictures. They take credit card, but don’t forget to bring a cash tip!!!

I had a Groupon for the double-​hull canoe tour that was about to expire so I called them up. They were super nice on the phone and got me in on the following Saturday. I received an email confirmation and a reminder email a couple of days before (always appreciated).
Good thing the email contained detailed instructions on how to get to the shop, because it was a little tricky to find (marina side at Koko Marina Shopping Center, near Zippy’s). Sasha, who checked us in, was very nice. It thought it was a little weird that they charged tax on top of the Groupon (I use a lot of Groupons and haven’t run across that before) but I didn’t mind paying an extra $ 4 (and they told me about it when I called to make the reservation).
It was my first time in a canoe (same for the other 10 people in our group), but the instructor was awesome. He was so friendly and went through all the details of how to hold the paddle and perform the strokes in the most efficient manner.
The whole tour was a pretty nice pace. Training was thorough, but not too long. We didn’t rush to board the canoe (he made sure everyone was comfortable). We paddled out to «open ocean», stopping a few times to take breaks. On some of the breaks he encouraged folks to jump in the water and swim around (it was too cool and windy for me to wanna do that though!) and some people did. The water is SO clear and the views are beautiful. Wish I’d taken more pictures.
The instructor talked a lot about the history of Hawaii and how our islands came to be. Very interesting! I’ve lived here most of my life, but I still learned a lot. (I hadn’t read the Unilocal reviews so the history lesson was a surprise!)
I wish I’d known ahead of time that we were likely to run long (we got back 30 minutes late) because some friends were baby-​sitting my kids at a nearby beach and I couldn’t call them to let them know we would be late. Overall though, I had a great time and would gladly do it again!

Loved the double rigger canoe trip! Nobi was very informative & passionate about native history and culture, and as we paddled in the traditional double-​rigged canoe he built, we learn about the history of the island and the peoples that inhabit it. The cultural aspect really enriched the trip — elevating it from an average, I’m-a-tourist-in-Hawaii kind of thing, to a history lesson and a lesson in respecting ways of the past.
He was a great teacher — patient with those that had trouble keeping the rhythm, and made the experience really fun. The tour lasted about 45 minutes longer than scheduled, so I don’t recommend it if you are a tight schedule, but it’s definitely worth while. We had the chance to swim which tied to a bouy out in the bay and saw several sea turtles near our canoe.
The surf shop is hidden on the backside (facing the marina) of a strip mall on the outskirts of Honolulu. We had a bit of trouble finding it with our Garmin directions, but the staff was really friendly and laid back when we checked in. We used a Travelzoo voucher that made the trip ½ price, but I think it’d be worth full price (I thinks it’s ~$ 48?) to get a great history lesson from a native Hawaiian trained in the traditions of his ancestors. We really loved it and it was great way to finish off our trip to Hawaii.