Ko Olina Ocean Adventures

"A Highlight of Our Trip to Hawaii"

Anyone can snorkel - throw on a mask, fins, snorkel and dive on in.  But our recent snorkel trip with Ko Olina Ocean Adventures just took snorkeling to different heights.  I've been snorkeling since I was 5 and this was definitely my best snorkel experience to date.  We not only got to swim in an "aquarium" of colorful reef fish and float next to turtles and wild dolphins but the super friendly and funny guides made the experience even more enjoyable.

We arrived by car, but Ko Olina Ocean Adventures can pick you up from your hotel in Waikiki or in the Ko Olina Resort area.  Signing in was a breeze.  You can opt to get a wet suit.  The wet suits were nice and clean.  We were the second tour that day and our wetsuits were bone dry.  (Aside: There's something really icky about having to put on a damp wetsuit or life jacket for that matter.  I know it's rented and all but it still creeps me out. Anyway, in this case, I was very happy.)  They had one wet suit that fit our 6 year old, but not one for our 3 year old.  If you're bringing young kids do call ahead  to make sure they have the right size wetsuit set aside for your kids. I recommend getting the kids wetsuits to prevent sunburn and to avoid your child refusing to go into the water because it's slight chilly after you've already paid the premium for this amazing snorkel experience.

Ko Olina Ocean Adventures has two boats they take on snorkeling trips.  One is more like a speedboat yacht and the other looks like a huge rubber dingy with a rigid hull.  Both weren't fancy, but comfortable and clean.   About 20 people fit in each boat.  There were 2 staff members and a photographer on the on board as well.

Captain Mark was commandeering our group and boat.  Mark has the perfect personality for his job.  Friendly, casual and funny, yet organized.   He obviously enjoys what he does for a living and got us all excited about our day.  As everyone got on the boat, he was able to deliver the safety instructions with humor, setting everyone at ease.  The crew got us all fitted with flotation devices, flippers and fins very efficiently.

While all the snorkel gear was in good condition, some of the flotation devices weren't looking in such great condition. They were made of this compressed foam which seemed to crack easily. However, the big plus is that they were nice and floaty and dried off completely between trips.

The boat ride out to the turtle cleaning station was no more than 15-20 minutes.  Just enough time for us to get sunblock on, feed the kids a little snack, and get them accustomed to their snorkel gear.  Before our trip, we had prepared both of them for the snorkel experience by spending several days at the beach and telling them about the fishes they would see.  We didn't push them too hard.  I was nervous that they would freak our about having to jump into the great big ocean with no bottom in sight.  Up to this point our 3 year old was not enjoying the waves at Waikiki, but after a few trips into calmer waters at the Ko Olina Lagoons and Ala Moana Beach he got a lot more accustomed to the ocean and grew in confidence.  It took a fair bit of patience to convince him to trust his floaties  If you have kids who are nervous about the ocean, you might want to plan for your snorkel trip to be at the end of your stay.

Captain Mark was a pro at getting our eldest to feel confident and at ease.  He knew exactly how to get the mask and snorkel on him.  Everyone was also very patient and encouraging with our two boys.  The 3 year old floated on a boogie board with a plexi glass window while our 6 year old got decked out in fins, mask and snorkel.  We paired up dad with 6 year old and mom with 3 year old on a boogie board.  The turtle cleaning station was the perfect first stop because they brought the boat to a stand still and threw down the anchor.  That made the first entry very calm.  Dad and big brother made it into the water without a hitch.   Very surprisingly, our 3 year old was a lot less fearful of entering the water from a boat then he had been at the shore.  I think it was because there weren't any crashing waves to overwhelm him.  The guides also knew exactly how to get him on the boogie board.  

Immediately upon entering the water, we were surrounded by large green gentle turtles.  There were families of turtles lazily swimming beneath us enjoying their natural spa treatments from reef fish cleaning off their shells.  It was such a delightful experience watching these magnificent creatures just doing what they do in their natural environment.  Captain Mark humorously explain how we should interact with the turtles to allow us to get as close to them as possible.  My 3 year was a little bewildered at first, but quickly got used to it and couldn't take his eyes off the plexiglass window in his boogie board.  It was a little cumbersome for me to alternate between breathing through my snorkel and talking to him.  We were very excited that Captain Mark's tip totally worked because twice a great big turtle came up for air right next to boogie board.  He was so close our 3 year old could touch him.  

After about half an hour of swimming with the turtles, Captain Mark called us back to the boat and we got ready for a dolphin swim.  The dolphins swim a lot faster than turtles and he had this crazy technique for dropping us in the swimming path of the dolphins as the boat was moving slowly.  We had to take off our fins and just float and look down.  Unfortunately, it wasn't clear to us that my husband should have carried big brother off the boat with him and our 6 year old wouldn't get in the water because he saw dad floating away from the moving boat.  Captain Mark was very patient and gave us another try.  Second time worked like a charm.  Unfortunately, our 3 year old was now nervous because he couldn't use the boogie board.  Nonetheless, he got to see the dolphins jump up and do flips right next to the boat.  It was fascinating enough for him.  On the second try, mom, dad and big brother got to see a whole pod of dolphins swimming next to us.  They didn't get as close as the turtles, but it was such a thrilling experience to be swimming in the water with these playful creatures.

Final stop was a coral reef with hundreds of colorful reef fish.  We were each giving a bottle of fish food.  After about 5 minutes in the water and falling off the boogie board once, our 3 year old had quite enough for one day.  Yes, I accidentally made him fall off the boogie board because holding the board and two bottles of fish food was a little much.  So off to the boat he went to hang out with Captain Mark while I had a wonderful time frolicking with color reef fish.   All I could think the whole time was how blessed I was to be able to see so many beautiful things with my kids in one day.  

When I compare this with our experience snorkeling at Hanauma Bay with a 3 year old, this was a far superior experience.  Not every young child would be willing to put on all this gear and jump into the ocean, but I think that you'd have a greater chance of success on a boat snorkeling tour with experienced professionals like Captain Mark than having to fight crashing waves at Hanamua Bay.   For one of the best snorkeling experiences you might ever have the $100 bucks would be well spent.

*This review is based on a complimentary adventure with Ko Olina Ocean Adventures.  I received no other compensation besides this tour and the owner did not express any requirements that I express a particular point of view.