Kauai Whale Watching Rafting Adventure

So we signed up for "Kipu Kai Snorkel Picnic Whale Watch" which is exactly what we thought we would be doing. We got to the dock and found that what we thought would be a Catamaran boat was actually a rubber raft dinghy that had 6 unwitting participants - 3 of us and 3 from another family from Toledo. We got on board and everyone could hardly believe that at this time of year, we were actually going to sea in this thing. We headed southeast since Napali coast was going to be way too rough and then we got beyond Poipu and at that point, it was like your worst roller coaster ride ever but with the difference that you got entirely soaked with the ocean spray just pounding us and with no place to go, you just had to suck it up. To be fair, the crew were really nice about everything and honestly, I think they were a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. No on board toilets (of course there weren't) so need a bathroom break, no problem, just let them get close to shore and jump into the ocean and take care of business. We had my wife's 77 year old mother on board and I could tell, she was miserable even though she was a trooper and put a brave face on the whole thing. Only thing preventing her from being tossed into the ocean on the ride was a rope in the bottom of the raft that we were instructed to make sure you had one foot under at all times - yes REALLY ! They took us eventually to a pretty nice snorkelling area where I went in the water and saw lots of nice fish and a turtle but that wasn't enough to make up for the cluster of a washing machine ride across the open ocean. Kauai Sea Tours need to make clear EXACTLY what folks are signing up for with this deal. Clearly it's not at all obvious since everyone on board had no clue - I suspect it's deliberate designed to get you signed to a low cost (for them) boat and save money. Very devious and never again !

I was told that rafting in December would be rough, and that was correct! We bounced and rolled and got soaking wet, but boy, was it fun! Captain Shaked was an amazing guide, and along with first mate, Tyler, they made sure everyone had a good time. We saw a few spouts and a tail, which was very exciting. Definitely not for those who have bad backs or who get seasick, but for everyone else, I recoomend this trip highly!

<p>The tour guides were very nice and knowledgeable Loads of fun!!!!</p>

My family definitely enjoyed the whale watching tour! We saw both whales and dolphins and we felt very fortunate as that is not always the case. Recommendation to other families .... due to the way you sit on the boat, children need to be tall enough to sit on the side of the raft while putting their feet under a rope on the floor of the boat to stabilize them. I think the fine print recommends for 7 yrs and older. This is important, but height is really more the issue than age. My youngest daughter was about 49 inches tall when we went on the trip. It would have helped if she would have been a couple inches taller to side more comfortably on the side of the raft. Overall, we loved the trip and had a great time being close to nature!