Kailua Beach Adventures

Have to say we had so much fun on our trip. We want to thank especially Kaiulani for taking us out to Popoia and telling us her family history and how it related to the surrounding region. It was very insightful. We also went up to Nu’uanu Pali Lookout right after on her suggestion and it didn’t disappoint. Being able to use all the amenities (snorkels, beach mats, boogie boards, etc) as part of the overall cost was a plus. I’d have to say we will most definitely come back again.

Today my extended family took the 2 hour kayak excursion that Kailua Beach Adventures offers. We all had an amazing time.
Our tour guide was a personable young man named Sam. He was the perfect guide. He was fun to be with and clearly enjoyed what he did.
Vacationers have countless options when it comes to these types of activities, but we’re all glad that we had chosen this company. With many Island events you’re left feeling that you didn’t receive good value for the all money you spent. Not in this case. It was money well spent.
KBA offered cold water and snacks on the kayak excursion itself, and provided us all coupons to get lunch at a next door BBQ establishment once we got back. You also get full access to their bicycles and snorkeling equipment once you return from the kayak portion of your day. As a squall was coming in towards the end of our kayaking trip, Sam offered us a coupon that he said we could use on any of the days we had remaining on our vacation.
Everyone we dealt with at KBA was helpful and enthusiastic answering all our questions and addressing our concerns, but Sam went over and above to make sure our trip was both safe and informative. His knowledge of Hawaiian lore was impressive as was his information about the island we paddled out to and the wildlife that lived there. It was all very interesting for both young and old.
We highly recommend you consider KBA if you are contemplating a kayaking adventure while visiting the island of Oahu. We will definitely be using them on future visits.

Amaaaaaaaaazing service here. Hands down, I would’ve come back the following day if not for the fact that I booked the lesson on my last full day there. They’re superrrr super nice and accommodating here!
I booked a SUP (stand up paddleboarding) lesson because it’s on my bucket list and now’s as good a time as any!
If you check in on Unilocal,you get 25% off! (There’s also 25% off for locals/kama’aina.) I ordered my lesson on the phone a couple days beforehand, so they just applied the discount when I mentioned Unilocal.
I paid roughly $ 100 and it included…
–Pickup from my hotel in Waikiki (I was actually living in an apartment so they located a hotel super close to me and picked me up from there)
–Lunch (your choice of pizza/​calzones from Bob’s Pizzeria, a Hawai’ian plate lunch from K&K BBQ, or salads from Bob’s Pizzeria or Kailua Town)
–2 hour beach time with free rental of snorkel equipment, boogie boards, etc.
–2 hour SUP lesson
–15% off any merchandise at their store
–12″ x 12″ x 17″ locker
–Drop off back at your hotel in Waikiki
I was the only one scheduled for a SUP lesson that day (hooray for a private lesson!), so when I mentioned that I was planning on doing the Lanikai Pillboxes hike, they lent me a bike so that I could get there faster, lent me snorkel equipment because the Lanikai beach was awesome for that, and also pushed my SUP lesson to around noon and scheduled me for the later bus so I’d have time to do everything. (yusoawesome!?) They also give you wristbands with your locker number and combination on them so you don’t forget it, which is rather nice.
Lunch was super good – I decided to go with a plate lunch from K&K BBQ. They have a menu that you can choose from so I went with the Loco Moco and got a drink from next door (passionfruit orange, ahh…).
My SUP lesson was with Jordan and it was super fun! He packed a cooler with snacks and water and gave me a quick demo/​intro to SUP, and then we took our boards out to the canal and brought them out to Kailua beach.
I started off kneeling until I got comfortable with paddling. Jordan gave me tips on how to fine-​tune my paddling and we paddled out toward our destination – Flat Island! We got near there a little quicker than anticipated, so we paddled out toward Lanikai beach before going back to Flat Island. We walked around the island while he told me about the area and the wildlife we came across, and we ended up paddling out a little farther and catching some waves on our boards before heading back to shore. Twas an awesome time!
There’s an outdoor shower, clean bathrooms and changing rooms. :] Would absolutely recommend this place to everyone and I’d love to come back someday + soon!

This place is a gem! I’m so happy we organized our kayak 5 hours tour with them! We called early in the morning and we got to on the tour that same morning. We were welcomed by lots of yellow shirts, their uniform. I could not believe how many employees work there, which explains the best customer service! Not only you can rent all kind of equipment but they also have an amazing store, we bought iPhone waterproof case, sunglasses ties, and cute sexy bikinis and hats! It’s a one stop shop!
PO was our guide, he was amazing, patient, clear and not stressed. He took care of us, made us feel safe and also was very knowledgable. He also gave us a little history of Hawaii when we got to the island. The lunch was very healthy and fresh, we went the next day to buy more sandwiches.
I will definitely use their service again! They are conveniently located close the beach, a short walk from the store. Try them out!
PS: PO took a lot of pics with his GoPro and he said he will send them to us for free! That’s cool! Can’t wait to get the email

The location is a bit from the water, but carts are provided, or straps to attach the kayak to a roof rack. Checkout included a 10 minute safety video that was well worth it and had great advice for making it to the nearby islands. They have dry bags that are huge to rent as well. Great overall experience, we’d rent from them again.
Checkout took ~30 minutes due to the video and some island pace procedures, but good overall. Wish our morning plan had been to use them and not try one of the delivery services that would have allowed skipping transport (that other never showed up).
We’ll probably be back to rent some SUPs from them.

Went on a two-​hour guided kayak tour to flat Island in Kailua. It was a beautiful day! Our guide Aaron was so kind and knowledgeable about the area. He really made this experience a fun and exciting one. I was especially appreciative of his knowledge of the local birds that inhabited the island and the various Hawaiian landmarks in the area. I recomend this excursion to anyone visiting O’ahu. I will definitely be back again with friends.

Visitors and residents alike, this is an activity you must do at least once. Gather a bunch of your friends and kayak out to Mokes.
We called in advance to reserve a couple of double seaters since it is summer and it tends to get a little busier. They’ve got single seaters too. Check in on Unilocal and get 25% off… Or show them your Hawai’i ID. Kama’aina gets 25% off too! Come early, beat the crowds, and start paddling away!
They have coolers, dry bags for rent. Bring a cooler and some snacks and drinks for your adventure. No alcohol allowed. They show you a brief video before you head out. Just so you know… You’ll need to bring the kayak down to the beach AND bring it back when you’re finished. Good luck! It’s pretty heavy after you’ve been kayaking for several hours.
Staff was very friendly and professional. Any questions, just ask. The process was very smooth, efficient, and easy. Next time I come back this way for another kayaking adventure to Mokes, I will definitely go with Kailua Beach Rentals.
Enjoy!

I dropped by the Kailua Beach Adventures shop a while back to check out their bikini and clothes selection. I was greeted as I walked in and everyone was really nice and welcoming. The shop itself was big, organized, and had a lot of great brands to choose from.
In particular, Nick helped me out a lot and asked if there was anything I was looking for. He showed me what was on sale and recommended some sunscreen and rashguards. When I was trying stuff on, I didn’t need to leave the room at all because he would check up on me periodically and switch out sizes or take clothes back to the rack for me. Awesome customer service!
Overall, I loved the vibe of the store, the employees, and what they had to offer. Will definitely be back

I rented kayaks through this company to kayak to the islands off of Lanikai/​Kailua. It was a good price and we paid 3 $ each for a permit to land on the islands.
The service was good!

Very satisfied with the tour! My family and I did a 2 hour kayak tour with Tobby and had a great time! Tons of knowledge and stories to share about the islands. Moreover, the facility has a nice outdoor shower, clean restrooms, and a great board shop to purchase anything you may need that you did not bring.
Tobby even let us use the bikes for free since we showed up a little early to cruise to the beach. After, we received a complimentary meal to a few restaurants of our choice. We also received free usage of their rentals at no charge. Very easy going folks and would definitely recommend renting taking the tour with these guys!

Awesome! Great prices and great service! Def recommend this place. The staff is very friendly. And this is right next to two nice beaches

25% off with Unilocal check in, such a pleasant add on. The service was nice, they were very helpful. We rented on an overcast day and it still was fun.
Would definitely recommend to visiting friends and family!

Awesome and quick service, although the guy did say that it was slow day. I rented two paddle boards for ½ day and they helped us strap them on top of the car which was pretty easy. We drove over to Lanikai Beach which was a pain bc it’s around a private area and parking was hard to find. We carried the paddle boards all the way to the beach, but Lanikai is amazing and beautiful. Still, they were very efficient and had a lot of cool things at the shop to buy.
FYI no kayaks Sunday… I went on a Sunday so we just got paddle boards instead. As a beginner I felt that sitting Indian style and paddling was less tiring and gave the best speed.

I love this place. We have rented kayaks here on multiple occasions and have never been disappointed. The equipment is always in good shape and the staff is helpful and polite. The offer a local discount with ID and have free parking while your on your adventure. There is also a pizza place in the same complex called Bobs, its delicious and quite the treat after a long day on the water :)

You can’t go anywhere in Hawaii without seeing some amazing views. The thing that makes this place so awesome is there service! Clay and Marty were both outstanding guides. We ended up with clay who took great care of the whole group and saw to it that everyone was having a great time! Absolutely recommend the 5hr tour! The long paddle out is worth the exhaustion!

So, this was where we came to rent kayaks. Kayaking was the WORST part of our trip, not because of the water or the fault of the shop. It was terrible because my 13 year old and I were on a tandem kayak and could not get in sync no matter what. :-/
It is walking distance from the beach you’ll launch from. Not directly on the beach.
The people here were fantastic. So friendly to us tourists. They really have the whole process down to a science. Greet you. Get the paperwork assigned, then show a really helpful and informative video on where to kayak and some basic rules and precautions in case you have never kayaked before.
The kayaking was perfect. It was a short paddle to a flat island, then a decent hike to another small island (which we opted not to do). Instead we paddled to the beautiful Lanikai beach.
There are a few food places and a fantastic little shop for some shaved ice after the paddle. This is a must stop!

After trying multiple times to check out a kayak on a sunday (city policy states no rentals of kayaks on sundays), we finally got our acts together and got a rental on a weekday.
Located easily up the street from Kailua Beach Park, we found the Beach Adventures with no problem. First step was to watch the safety video, then we got fitted and issued gear, and then we made the trek to the beach. We of course stopped at Kalapawai deli for a snack on the way, which I highly recommend.
We put our kayak out to sea and paddled to Flat Island where they have a lovely bird sanctuary and soft beach, which was an easy ocean kayak experience. I don’t think at this season I’d want to ocean kayak to the Mokes, but maybe when the seas are more predictable or stable. We lounged in our vests, bobbing in the inlet of the Island beach, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Only negative was that our kayak and paddles were pretty worn, and the teather broke on how to haul the kayak, which made it a bear to take back and heft around. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend it, and would definitely return and take family and friends!

Kailua Beach and Lanikai are two of the most beautiful beaches in the world! The water is clear, the sand is fine, and the water is relatively calm. It’s the perfect place to try a new water sport in Hawaii, and Kailua Beach Adventures is my choice for rental equipment!
Location: You can’t beat KBA’s spot on Kailua Road and close proximity to Kailua Beach and Lanikai. You can literally walk your equipment to the beach, which can potentially save you a parking headache on the weekends.
Service: Everyone at KBA seems friendly and accommodating. The reservation check-​in process is very efficient (initial, initial, initial, print, sign and date), and there are plenty of employees to help the (many) people who are looking for rentals. The workers are able to answer all your questions about water safety, restricted areas and proper technique. Once you check in, you’re shuttled to an alley behind the storefront where your reservation will be fulfilled. They’ll help fit you with a life jacket and any other equipment you need. If you have a car, they’ll instruct you on how to load and tie down your kayak/​paddleboard/​etc. All in all, it’s a seamless operation that will get you in and out in no time.
Activities/​Equipment: KBA has all the equipment you need to enjoy your time in Kailua! It’s a one-​stop shop for surfing, SUP, kayaking, snorkeling, boogie boarding, kite surfing, biking and more. The equipment I’ve rented so far (kayak, SUP, snorkel) were in good condition, and they do a double check with you before you leave to make sure you won’t be blamed for preexisting damage. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’ve taken any lessons from KBA.
Pricing: I would say KBA is more expensive than other rental stores in the area. I’m sure there are differences in equipment between stores, but I don’t have enough technical knowledge to know for sure. There are stores in Kailua with Groupon deals that undercut KBA by at least half. I find that the deciding factor for me is how close KBA is to the water, and how fast they are at processing your order. Also, their reservation system is a bit more convenient because they allow you to make same-​day reservations by the hour, whereas some places have stricter cutoff times. Booking online will also save you 15%, so that’s nice.
Store: I haven’t spent any time looking around the store tbh.
All in all, I recommend Kailua Beach Adventures for any of your Kailua adventure rentals!

Kajak rented in Kailua, what an adventure for us two girls. Top service, dry bags to rent and discount with Unilocal.And kayaking Kailua is pretty awesome. very much recommended. One point less due to 15min rolling the gear to the ocean and I am not the strongest ;) but its fun fun fun. Don’t forget your GoPro.

UPDATE 02/​03/​2016: The manager, Devin, kindly contacted me after my previous Unilocal review. He apologized and addressed the lack of customer service we experienced during our rental with Kailua Beach Adventures and happily refunded our rental. Now that’s what great customer service is all about! The aloha spirit is here after all.

We rocked up the other morning with 12 people to rent some kayaks so we could paddle out to Big Mokolua. They offer doubles or singles for four hours or all day. We decided on doubles and four hours. I think it was $ 69 plus the $ 3 landing fee and we rented dry bags at $ 5. The bags were large so we only needed two between the group. The staff were lovely and took us thru the signup and video intro with no hassles. We then gave the man outside our rental forms and they hooked us up with kayaks and life vests (included in the rental). There are change rooms and toilet facilities. The walk down to the beach was fairly easy. You definitely want to watch the all of the video as they give you all the tips you need to know about the reef and the tricky landing on the island. We were all successful in landing and relaunching but we saw some badly timed landings while we were on the island and it wasn’t pretty! On the way back we stopped at Lanikai and swam and snorkeled. It was a very pretty spot. Then we headed back and dropped the kayaks at the shop. They have outdoor showers to wash off under. Very refreshing! Perfect adventure for our tribe of teenagers!

If aloha spirit is what you’re looking for, this is not the place for you.
Simply put: Service. was. LAME!
The girl at the counter who checked me in was very dry, bland and just did her job. I wish I remembered her name because she seemed like she was counting the minutes till she was off work.
The guys outside were just ok. They gave me a dry bag that was clearly wet inside. Had to go through a few others to find a dry one. On our way out, my fiancé said «thanks again, have a good one» to all 4 guys that were outside and not one of them replied.
Aside from service, the kayaks worked well. Instructional video was easy to understand. They have lockers, bathrooms, life vests, dry bags all for renting. Location is close to Kailua Beach (about a 5 – 10 min walk from store to beach). 3 stars for these reasons.

Best place to rent from, very friendly and knowledgeable!!! Had a great experience with them and their kayaks.

Awesome time on the 5 hour kayaking trip beautiful scenery. Guides were super knowledgable and very down to earth. Mahalo Sam and Marty!

Still my go to place for kayak rentals when going to Kailua. They always hook you up with discount options (be sure to check travel magazines, Unilocal,or Facebook check ins). They’ve expanded since the last time I visited… they’ve taken over the rooms next door for their training video and other displays. They will give you foam and ties to drive your kayak, but if you’re going to Kailua they recommend you walk and enter from the canal right at the bridge. If you want to paddle to the islands, you need a $ 3 permit (this was new to me), which they’ll offer to you when you pay. If you paddle over to Lanikai, there’s some nice snorkeling and shoreline.
Just a tip, memorize how the kayak was strapped onto the wheel trailer (I think it should be set in the middle), if you don’t strap it back on properly, it’s a lot of arm work to drag.
Their bathroom doesn’t smell fresh, but it’s clean enough if you can manage the smell.

I give Kailua Beach Adventures credit for their great location within walking distance of the ocean and good prices (check in on Unilocal!). You can’t beat their location and renting this close to where you’ll launch your kayak means you don’t have to bother strapping your kayak on your car or waiting for the rental company to bring it to the beach for you (if they even can). They also have good guides and tours. Definitely my choice in Kailua!

Love it !!!
Such a beautiful adventure .
I will be doing this tomorrow and I’m so excited.

Great staff! Jordan was amazing! Friendly and helpful! The beach was beautiful and we found the most amazing place to snorkel thanks to Jordan along with other places to see during our visit!

We rented our own Kayaks and a stand up paddle board and paddled out to the mokes! Our time on the water was great and renting here is definitely worth it was the price.
The only reason I’m not giving them five stars is that our Kayaks and board were not ready at all when we got there even though I had made an online reservation months in advance.
They said that they were super busy that day and hadn’t expected the rush but we ended up waiting about 1hr 30mins to even get boats for us to use. They did refund me to a half day pricing, as I had payed for a full day, and were super apologetic about it. But still, manage your reservations, maybe don’t let walk-​ins take boats when you have reservations coming.
A few tips:
1. Unless you load you things onto the roof of your car and attempt to find beach parking (which I heard from others was very hard) you’re going to have to hall the Kayaks and boards down the beach on a little cart.
This was super hard! We had three boats on one cart. It might have been easier if there had been one boat per cart but at the time we rented there weren’t enough carts for everyone to one so we were forced to use one.
2. You can park on the shop and leave your car there instead of trying to find parking at the beach
3. Bring sandels with you if you’re going to walk around the Mokes — they’re very rocky!

Arrived in their lot after prepaying for the gear online (which is recommended because it is much cheaper). We parked in the front and they have a shop with swim gear and apparel, and in the back are the water sport gears. The service was great, friendly and helpful. You would need to pay for a permit to land on the islands if you decide to go out there and stay, but if not then you don’t need to pay for the permit. Since it was our first time. m, we were brought to their video room where we watched a short video of how to kayak, how to take care of everything, how to get to the beach with the gear, etc. It was a very informative video. After using the rental, you’re suppose to return the gear at the same location. They have outdoor showers for you to rinse off too. It started raining so my boyfriend didn’t get a chance to surf and the wind picked up so quickly that we couldnt kayak to the small island. They were nice enough to see us struggling and offered to have a truck bring our gear back for us (since the wind blew us so far away from where we started). We also paid a bit extra for the backrest and backpack to keep our belongings dry. Fun experience even if we got nowhere due to poor weather, but the beach is less crowded than others so definitely worth going to if you want to kayak, surf, etc.

All this fun for an awesome price?! Hell yeah!
Saw some people kayak out to the mokes, but we didn’t unfortunately because we forgot to bring the license out on the kayak with us. Must do it next time though!
Prepare to take a bit of a walk to get to the waters though. Make sure you bring a boyfriend with you so he could lug the big ol kayak around for you!

Had a blast yesterday! Want to thank Andrew for taking the time to explain everything to us and answering all of our questions. I’ve only kayaked a couple of times but my friend and I felt adventurous and kayaked all the islands. Andre gave us some really great tips that came in handy. It’s such a beautiful view and the water was pretty calm for the most part. We even saw a monk seal! For visitors and locals who have never kayaked to Moku island, this is the kayaking company you must use!

Time to update this review: Devin, the shop manager, deserves it :)
He reached out to me shortly after my review to apologize, ask if there was anything he could do to improve, and offered me a 50% refund. It was great to see that he monitors these reviews and genuine wants to keep making his business better/​is willing to take steps to make amends.
Even better, this guy is organized! His messages ended up at the bottom of my inbox so he reached back out a few months later to see if I still wanted a refund.
Devin — you’re awesome :) Looking forward to meeting you next time we’re near Kailua!

Epic day at Kailua!
Matt was so hopeful in the shop.
And Kaiulani gave us great history about the island!
Definitely coming back! :D

Very friendly staff, great products and information. Only downside is a quarter mile walk to the beach.
Loved our experience, got ours off their website for 15% off!
Their prices are pretty comparable and made the whole day great.
Eat at the market next door, great coffee and sandwiches!

Great people and great service!
I love that you get a discount on all merchandise in the store with a rental! Lots of great merchandise and sick sales rack tons of great action sports labels. Not your typical «u need it now? We’ll charge you an arm and a leg» deal. Luckily I was able to get a rash guard at a real affordable price. My friends also got sunblock and hats which was definitely necessary for the trip. I did the kayak tour. You get a locker and the crew will take a dry bag for your stuff you want to take with you which is a great plus so you can bring your phone for pictures. You will not want to miss those gorgeous views from the island. They were also super considerate and brought granola bars and water for everybody. Our guides were very informative and provided us with great history and stories of Hawaii. I am a big fan of the show bizarre foods so I was delighted to see there were a couple of edible plants on the island we could eat. I was also interested in trying the local delicacy opihi and asked my guide if there would be any around the walk. He actually found one for me cleaned n gutted it and let me eat it! That was the highlight of my excursion! I thought that was super nice of him to do. It was a lot of fun walking around the island and checking all the little birds little coves. The guides also have a go pro with them to capture all of your photos which I really appreciated as I did not bring my phone with me ! Afterwards you’ll also get a voucher for local lunch.
Overall, a small, simple tour but with gorgeous views and great, considerate, knowledgeable people!

Very helpful staff in picking out some board shorts and snorkeling gear. There is a great selection of board shorts and rash guards. There was a limited selection of snorkeling gear, so I couldn’t give 5 stars. There are a few other souvenir items too.
Years ago we rented a kayak and had a good time, except for having to bring g the kayak down to the beach. I’ve also purchased nice rash guards here in the past, so that is why I came back.

This place has mastered much of the adventures industry in Oahu. First of all, they have a beautiful user-​friendly website, which makes research very easy. They offer all kinds of rentals, including bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling gear, and surfboards. If you don’t know how to use any of these things, they will show you or you can just buy lessons or tours from them. There are recommended places to visit on their website via bike or kayak, so they really make sure your experience is the best.
My friend and I rented snorkeling gear, then returned a few days later for kayaks. I would recommend renting equipment early in the morning and either pay for half day (four hours) or full day (24 hours). Do not go close to closing time (around 5pm) if you are looking for a half day rental because you will get charged for a full day. Each snorkel rental is around $ 16 for the full day which includes fins. My only complaint about the rental process is that they hold your credit card and write a temporary $ 1,000 charge on the receipt, which would naturally make you feel unnecessarily nervous. Anyways… minor detail.
For kayaks, you can rent single or double kayaks, which is good for odd-​numbered groups. They make you watch a 12 minute video on the dos and don’ts of kayaking, which is helpful if you have never done it before. On days with crappier weather, they post weather warnings and advise what level kayaker you should be if you want to venture to the Mokulua Islands. The equipment is easy to wheel to Kailua Beach or they will provide car roof racks. Rental includes dry bag and life vests. Oh and don’t forget to check-​in on Unilocal for a discount!
Once you are done with the equipment, just go to the outdoor shack for easy return. It’s so simple! They also have a diverse staff working there to help translate for a wide range of tourists. Not sure if that’s on purpose, but I think that’s very convenient. Overall… yes I would recommend KSK to anyone for their Hawaii adventures!

updating since our experience here on 4^th of july. this is prob my favorite place to rent kayaks from and def our go-​to place! Devin the owner was super awesome and helpful responding to my questions that I had. I had made my reservation online and used their code for 15% off I believe, but he told me that kama’aina was actually the better deal so he refunded me the difference! Thanks Devin, you rock! we had an awesome 4^th despite forgetting to reapply sunscreen on our way back from the mokes and got slightly burned. lol. other than that Kailua was happening over the weekend! cant wait to comeback again :)

We discovered Kailua S&K through the Oahu Revealed book — the second of three options and the only one offering to lend you a soft-​rack for the top of your car. When we arrived, parking was extremely difficult and chaotic as there was a constant flow of people loading gear onto the top of their cars.
After settling on our rental (double kayak for 4 hours), we went to watch a mandatory safety video (actually really informative) and headed to the checkout area to load the kayak onto our sedan. I’ve never actually use the top of a car for anything — usually the kayak is already at the place I want to use it — so this was a new experience for us. Our friendly staff member Eric guided us on how to load the kayak onto the top of the car (it’s like 100lbs?) and we did this ourselves in order to ensure we could load it again later. It’s really easy to load a kayak on to a car if you have at least two strong people who can carry a good amount of weight. We also used the changing area and enjoyed some of the other random amenities at Kailua S&K. Staff members were really knowledgable and we received a free dry-​bag rental and seat-​back rentals with a Unilocal check-​in and Facebook Page like.
Instead of going to Kailua Bay, we opted to drive directly to Lanikai Beach. The beach is gorgeous and located in the middle of a neighborhood, though it’s still pretty crowded. You can also get to the beach by paddling 40 minutes from Kailua Bay if you don’t have a car.
* How Did We Get The Kayak To Lanikai Beach? *
Hauling it to the ocean was a challenge as the kayak was really heavy and there’s a lot of traffic (people, cars, beach chairs). You also can’t park on the bike lane which runs parallel to the coast. We got some help from a friendly local and dropped off the kayak at a concrete dock just North of Aala Dr, which has a access to the ocean but not the beach as it’s just rocks. A quick 5 minute paddle left of the access point and the kayak was quickly docked at Lanikai Beach.
* How Did We Get The Kayak Out? *
With Lanikai Beach being really crowded and impossible to load quickly, we were again guided by the friendly local to kayak to the next beach south of Lanikai Beach where there are sandbags and shallow water near the access point. This is just South of Kanakea Way and loading the kayak onto the car with minimal obstacles made it a breeze.
* Christmas Week *
If you’re in Kailua during Christmas week, you *will* be stuck in traffic in the Lanikai neighborhood for at least an hour when leaving after 3pm. Our friendly local warned us that this happens each year… we thought it wouldn’t but it actually did. There’s only one road to leave the area and for some reason, it is jam packed and the traffic is basically standstill. We left the beach around 3:30pm and Kailua S&K closes at 5pm sharp (so they claim), so we were worried about the late penalty and having to haul around a kayak for another day around the island. A quick call to the explain the issue and we are able to drop off the kayak at 5:15pm (after slowly driving 1 mile) with no additional charges.
Overall, we were impressed with the service at Kailua S&K and will gladly return to this shop the next time we’re back in Kailua.

This rental place is awesome! We didn’t make reservations, but realized that if we reserve online, there is a 15% discount. I emailed them asking if its ok to still get the discount if we didn’t reserve online, he said thats fine, make sure to mention it.
We came by around 1pm on a Saturday, they close daily at 5pm, all half days rental must be returned by 5pm or they will charge us a late fee of something like $ 50 or so (I dont remember how much) and they will call the coast guard to come find you!!! But if you stay at Kailua, you can do daily rental and keep it until the following day. Whichever works for you.
Few things to note, you’ll have to sign a waiver form, pay for your rentals, pay for the $ 3 landing permit (if you plan to land on either the flat island or twins island), check in on Unilocal and Facebook so you can get free dry bag and seatback. Then off you go to watch a 15minutes video. Also, dont forget to get a pass for parking from these guys.
We went to flat island, which is about 15−20minutes kayak, and that island is rather flat (hence the name) and there is some birds to watch and a tidal pool. It wad a lot of fun. This beach is definitely pretty and quite ok to kayak to.
Overall, one of my favorite activity is kayaking to flat island.

We had an amazing time out in the rain (no REALLY!) with our guide Po. Po was amazing and this was the highlight of our entire trip to Hawaii. Thank you so much!