Guided Tour with Twogood Kayaks: Kailua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hail stops the U.S. postal service from delivering the mail, and intermittent showers and blustery wind were not going to thwart my plans for a day-long guided kayak tour on Oahu, Hawaii, earlier this month. My husband and I got the call around 7:30 a.m. the day of our adventure with the great news that our Twogood Kayaks guided tour of Kailua Bay was still on (the same excursion had been canceled due to stormy weather the day prior), if we wanted to go. We were told that according to the radar, a huge storm system heading toward Oahu that day.

That water droplet on the lens might be from ocean spray, but more likely from the rain we faced most of the day!

Heck yes, we were still in, especially because there was one other intrepid couple willing to face the elements (we weren’t the only crazy ones). Not to mention, if conditions were truly dangerous — if the forecast were such that the ocean waves looming too large — the Twogood Kayaks staff would have called off the excursion. We figured we were going to be on the water anyway… what are a few raindrops in the mix? And the wind? All the better for getting a workout while paddling our tandem sit-on-top kayak.

We had a rental car, and were moving hotels on the day of our kayak tour, so we drove about 25 minutes from Waikiki to Kailua on the east side of the island to meet up with our guide and the other couple on our trip. Had we been continuing our stay in Waikiki, we might have opted for the round-trip van transportation that is included in the $125 per person price of the guided tour ($125). Also included in this excursion: the services of a friendly, knowledgeable, patient guide, a single- or double-seater kayak with comfy backrests, paddles, picnic lunch (sandwich, chips, drink), snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, fins) and a dry bag to store a camera and extra clothes.

That's Moku Nui on the left and Moku Iki on the right.

Typically, the Twogood Kayaks 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. guided tours begin on Kailua Beach and end there, as well. But we drove to Lanikai, a neighborhood with a sandy put-in site directly across from our first destination of the day: the rocky Mokulua Islands, inhabited only by wildlife. Given the windy conditions, our guide smartly opted for a shorter route about .75 miles from shore, as opposed to nearly twice that.

After thorough paddling instruction on land (during which attempted smiles through a couple of torrential downpours), we headed out into the churning ocean for our paddling adventure — and adventure it was! Indeed, we faced the wind kayaking toward Moko Nui and Moku Iki, but husband Quent and I got into a groove, paddling in unison, and enjoying rhythmic feel of the rolling waves beneath. (Quent told me later that he was impressed with my stellar paddling skills; to me, that’s a worthy compliment heaps better than, “You look pretty.”) We also spotted sea turtles along the way (well, others did — the turtles always seemed to submerge under the water by the time my untrained eye scanned the ocean).

Looking across the channel to sister island Moku Iki.

Guide Daniel landed first on Moku Nui’s wide, sandy beach, and then we followed. We were helped out of our kayak, as the waves tend to hit the beach diagonally, not straight on (i.e. it’s not an easy landing and we really didn’t want to tip). Moku Nui is a designated seabird sanctuary; while kayakers and stand-up paddlers are welcome on the island, specific areas are off limits to  humans. The seabirds don’t seem bothered by the occasional “intruders”; we saw dozens happily burrowed in the sand as Daniel led us on a hike around the island. We admired the jagged volcanic rock formations, crashing waves and the “Queen’s Bath,” a sea pool where Hawaiian royalty would come and soak in the mineral-rich water.

I'm trying to stay dry and warm, while guide Daniel traipsed around shirtless and shoeless.

I appreciated having our guide Daniel with us, as he knew what area of the island was safe for exploration. In fact, I’d recommend the $125 guided tour over the $75 self-guided tour from Twogood Kayaks just to have that extra cushion of safety. An expert paddler who could get us out of any jam gives me huge peace of mind while out on the ocean (even with my husband who is trained in swift-water rescue, and whitewater river paddler, I like having a local around who really knows the ins and outs of the currents and conditions).

Rock-star guide Daniel taught us how to catch a wave in our kayaks.

Nesting seabirds on Moku Nui.

After our hike around Moko Nui we sought shelter under some rocks — rain showers again! — to eat our picnic lunches and then head back out on the ocean. Daniel gave us a lesson in surfing the waves, and my husband and I were able to catch a couple in our tandem kayak. It was such an adrenaline rush to be picked up by a powerful, four- to six-foot wave and propelled through the water at top speed. What a hoot! (Yes, I screamed, and Daniel thought we’d tipped over.)

Back on land, we stopped to snorkel at Lanikai — in the rain — admiring the reef and lots of colorful fish just of shore. We walked the beach a bit, and had the sun been shining and the air temperature closer to 85 degrees than 70 degrees, I would have been perfectly happy just sitting on the pretty white-sand beach. But, cold and wet, the group was ready to end our day’s adventure a little early and we surfed the waves back into Kailua Beach, where a shuttle picked us up and returned us to the Twogood Kayaks shop and our waiting rental car.

Snorkeling in the rain!

In all, despite the unseasonable weather, my husband and I really enjoyed our guided kayak tour. While I wouldn’t have taken our kids (ages 9 and 11) out in the conditions (I wouldn’t have wanted to paddle one of them alone in a tandem), I wouldn’t hesitate to do so if the sun were shining and the ocean relatively calm (in other words, I’d be happy to take on the brunt of the paddling if weather were good). Daniel also noted that Twogood Kayaks can tailor a day tour to the group’s abilities. If it were just my family of four who’d booked a trip, we could just paddle around Kailua Beach and spend more time snorkeling off of Lanikai. I love that Daniel carries gingersnap cookies in his dry bag in case any kid kayakers (or grown ups for that matter) get seasick during the paddling tour — the sign of a thoughtful guide employed by a reliable, thorough, safety-conscious paddling company.

Thanks to Twogood Kayaks for subsidizing the cost of our guided kayaking tour! And for those who are wondering…. the name of the company derives from owner Bob Twogood, renowned surf-ski manufacturer and national champion kayak racer.