Reviews for Makana Charters

Absolutely everything we hoped it would be! Great boat, awesome Captain and Crew, plenty of wildlife, and a lot of fun!

Product: Makana Charters

Our experience with Makana Charters was absolutely incredible. From start to finish, the entire crew was friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely fun to be around. You can tell they love what they do, and it shows in every part of the trip. Huge shoutout to Captain Makana, along with Ethan and Charlie. The three of them made the day unforgettable. They were personable, hilarious, and packed with knowledge about the coastline, wildlife, and history of the area. It never felt like a scripted tour. It felt like exploring with friends who just happen to know everything about the Nā Pali Coast. They also supplied sandwiches, snacks and soda/water for everyone. You feel like part of the family while navigating the Nā Pali coast. Speaking of the Nā Pali Coast, it’s even more breathtaking in person. One of the wildest moments was watching Captain Makana navigate the boat into a sea cave that honestly didn’t even look possible to enter. Somehow he slid us right in there like it was nothing. Unreal experience. Snorkeling was amazing being able to see parts of the reef and fish while being feet away from them. We were lucky enough to even see a mom and kid whale as they were training for their migration north to Alaska. The vibes on the boat were immaculate the entire time. Relaxed, fun, and just the perfect energy for a day on the water. Music was always playing and people were joining in singing nonstop. For anyone debating between companies, I’ll say this: Captain Andy’s Sailing Adventures might be the one people think of but Makana Charters was light years better. Save the money, get a better experience, and ride with Makana. Highly recommend. One of the highlights of our time in Hawaii.

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We took a family trip on the Amelia K. Unfortunately for us, the waves were wild and many on our boat (including us) lost their stomachs. What made it better was that crew could not have been more helpful and attentive. They offered special glasses, ginger chews, bags :-/ and even cold feet showers. They were so awesome. We did have a very fun snorkel to start and saw no less than 40 dolphins before hitting our rough patch. If you're going on this tour, I highly recommend you check the winds to see what you're in for, take dramamine and wear sea bands, etc. From what I hear, rougher travels are expected in winter months, while it's smoother sailing during summer.

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We had a great experience with Makena Charters. We spent the day seeing the Napili Coast, sea caves, whales, dolphins and more. The staff was nice, informative and had a great sense of humor!

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Epic tour of the na pali coast! Amazing crew and captain. Highly recommend booking with makana charters 🤙

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Loved the boat crew everyone was very friendly and helpful. Boat tour was amazing!

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Rhea (sp?) the female captain and First Mate , Tony, were amazing. Professional, talented, informative and great personalities. Highly recommend Seiko 1 or 2 boats and this company 👏👏👏

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The crew were outstanding. I'm not much of a boat person, but they made me feel extremely comfortable. Very engaging as a knowledgeable. Would higy recommend. Thanks for such an awesome experience!

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Product: Makana Charters

Lovely trip; wonderful and helpful staff! On the Amelia K, seating is in rows of benches that are accessible from only the center aisle, so not a lot of room to move around freely. You are able to get up front on the boat at times, but definitely not room for everyone. Also, the ladder for snorkeling is staight-up against the side of the boat (not angled or platform, like on a catamaran). I'm older & fluffier, so wasn't sure how much difficulty I'd have getting myself up. But, again, it was a beautiful shoreline trip with an amazing staff! We saw 2 types of dolphins, some seals, and some sea turtles, and goats 'way up on the mountains!

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Excellent crew and boat ride. Good narrator and information and were able to see some whales!

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Awesome experience. The captain and crew were very knowledgeable and engaging. Even had multiple whale viewing opportunities. Highly recommend!

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We had an incredible time on our Nā Pali Coast boat tour—easily one of the highlights of our trip. The crew was made up of all locals, and you could really feel their love for the island in everything they did. They weren’t just friendly—they went out of their way to make sure everyone was having a great time. What really stood out was how much they shared with us. From Hawaiian history to local tips and hidden gems around the island, we learned so much while just enjoying the ride. It felt way more personal than your typical tour. If you’re looking for an unforgettable experience with amazing people, I’d absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting. Can’t thank the crew and Captain Mike enough for such a great day!

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The Captain & Crew are absolutely great! Friendly & accommodating! Such a fun cruise , we brought family including a 4 year old who totally loved the experience.

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Great tour with great guides.

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I hate to rate it this low, especially since the crew of the tour was amazing. But this tour should have a big red flag: DO NOT TAKE THIS if you are prone to seasickness! We took it because we took sail catamaran trips to NaPali coast in the past and had a great experience. This time I booked very late and catamaran tours were not available. Makana Charters seemed a similar option, but boy is it different - the boat is high speed, the rocking in rolling is extremely hard. People who get sick a offered a place in the back to barf over the rail and rest. The narration of the crew member describing the sights and history of the coast could not be heard in the back, there are no speakers there. Taking pictures of the coast is also extremely problematic because of the boat's constant rolling. The captain did a great job trying to show off marine life and managed to get very close to a huge whale with a baby whale, who were breaking out of the water, which was very nice. But to reiterate, IMHO, this is not a good way to experience NaPali coast.

Product: Makana Charters

Makana charter is a gift to my family, we had amazing fun, snorkle & sea cave exploration, whale and dolphin sightings, Billie goats and hiker sightings at the cliff! Caring and friendly staff, and history of the island🙏Highly recommended!

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Makana Charters is on of the best! Me and my Daughter had an amazing time seeing the Beautiful views, caves, waterfalls, Snorkeling, seeing whales splashing around amazing! also so many dolphins amazing. took the most amazing pictures, everyone of the crew and Captain gave us the history of each spot on Na-Pali Coast, I will definitely choose Makana Charters again!!!

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Had a wonderful & comfortable First time Napali Coastline experience. This boat “Amelia” felt like was the best of the best. It was fast & comfortable & roomy. It was not huge and slow the big with standing room only and could get up close to sea caves @ waterfalls. It was speedy so we could chase whales and dolphins and still get from A to B the quickest. We had the longest time at Napali being the first there, yet still first at snorkel spot and managed to be last to leave snorkel spot with an extra 20 minutes spent chasing pods of spinner dolphins- and still be back before the other crews. It was a great experience! The crew was delightful & attentive - captain was local native. Mahalo!

Product: Makana Charters

The NaPali Coast trip was awesome!! Captain Mike and his crew were great. I would give this 100 stars if I could! Everything was great. We saw pods of dolphins, whales, sea caves and the beautiful coastline. Also, snorkeled for an hour and saw sea turtles plus tons of fish. My teenage kids loved the trip so it’s great for kids too! Highly recommend Captain Mike and Makana Charters!

Product: Makana Charters