Just stop looking at the other tours to the Napali coast; you will only do as good as Capital Andy's. Period. Go ahead, click the button.
My husband and I have been to Kauai twice and decided this time around to take a boat tour to the Na'paii coast. After reading the reviews of all the boat tours, we decided on Capital Andy's. We knew they had great reviews, but WOW, we were not prepared for how good it actually is.
Let me preface: my husband Pete and I love a good boat cruise. We have been on many. Upon boarding, we were greeted by Emily and Logan, genuinely kind and excited people. They set the tone for the cruise. Once inside, Capital Dane did the safety breakdown. It was the best one bar none that we had heard. People were listening intently, and he presented the information in a kind and informative manner. Also, reassuring people that it is okay if you get seasick, the crew was there to help.
Once underway, we sailed along the coast and made it to the main event, the Na'paii coast. WOW, what a view! Truly wonderful! I would suggest something to keep your phone in, like a case with a lanyard or something to wear around your wrist. The waters can be rough out there, and having a way to keep your phone secure is important.
Captain Dane positioned the boat for Emily and Logan to serve the surf & turf dinner that Chef Garrett had prepared. It was a delicious meal while we slowly cruised back in the sunshine. 10/10
Logan and Emily, you both are phenomenal. Your attentiveness to all members on board, kindness to everyone, and genuine passion for the tour were noticed by all. We thank you both so much for making the trip so wonderful!
Finally, a friendly reminder of a few things to bring:
A towel or change of clothes. If you sit towards the front, you will get wet and soaked. Don't be like us, and do not grab your raincoats from your backpack...in the boat's galley. The ocean has waves. It is not the crew's fault if there are waves, but take Bonine the day before, again that morning with breakfast, and about 30 min before boarding the boat. As someone prone to seasickness, bonine will make you a pirate in no time. I had no issues with the boat rocking. Keep your eyes on the beach, and you will be all set!
Thank you again to Captain Dane, Garrett, Emily, and Logan. They are truly wonderful people, and we are so thankful to have been on...
Read moreCannot recommend enough, if the price is discouraging, save money elsewhere.
The views of the coast are as amazing as expected but it’s the overall experience that makes it more than the sum of its parts. We did the Na Pali Day Raft Expedition with Jacob and Kyler (or Tyler I have bad hearing). You get the boat ride out which from what they said have about 90% chance of seeing dolphin pods. The dolphins stuck with our boat as long as we went slow enough for them. When considering the swim with dolphins experiences at sea world is more expensive than the whole excursion, the idea of a whole pod of wild ones swimming within arms reach of you beats out a caged animal trained to interact with you. (Screenshot of our GoPro video to show the amount of dolphins).
Along the way out we stopped at three or four caves and you can tell they’ve done this a while by the handling of the boat. There was also a swim break (not snorkeling) just to give everyone a break from the boat which was nice.
Once you go all the way to their last coastal stop then there’s the beach adventure which comprises of the snorkeling, lunch, and quick historic site walkthrough. The coral wasn’t the brightest but plenty of schools of fish and the handful of larger fish to make it a wonderful dive. The food blew my wife and I away, it’s not a sad ham and cheese sandwich but variety of dishes to include Kailua pig (my favorite Hawaiin dish). The crew demonstrated professionalism by knowing the history of the area and providing fun historical facts etc.
My one caveat is that they are NOT overexaggerating that the ride may be rough. Years of neutured tourist adventures may have you thinking their safety speech and liability waivers are the same kind a zip line tour gives before having you wear helmets, elbow and knee pads or god knows what. The crew know what they’re doing but it’s a small high speed craft on choppy seas, you WILL hurt your back a bit getting slammed up and down if you sit by the bow. You probably will scrape your knuckles on the tarp, and rub your feet a bit raw from hanging onto the safety rope. But honestly it just led to wild laughter and as long as you don’t mind being a little sore it adds to the adventure. Just don’t actually go if you have pre-existing back issues or are pregnant etc. the catamaran is all the views without the...
Read moreWe did the Star Scenic Sailing Trip (no snorkeling) during our vacation to Kauai. It was very fun and well worth the money, the views were incredible. The burgers served on board were surprisingly good. The crew was very personable, friendly and helpful.
Don't underestimate the waves/motion of the ocean. During the little orientation, they said something along the lines of "someone will get sea-sick today" and I thought 'psssh that'll only be a sucker, and not me'. I was fine for the first hour or so, (4.5hr tour total) but by the second hour I was feeling pretty terrible - looking out at the horizon, trying to think about not puking over the side of the boat. When lunchtime came around, I was in no mood to eat. That was pretty common and they boxed up the lunch for me to eat later (it was still delicious a few hours later!). I took some Dramamine about 2 hrs in, it took an hour to fully kick in and then I was fine for the last 1.5 hrs.
Along the lines of not underestimating the waves, if you're on the front part of the boat, be prepared to get some serious spray/splash from the ocean. While sitting on the front deck was certainly a choice, I was nearly fully drenched by the end of the tour. Because of waves, you definitely need to be holding on to a handrail when moving about and the staff is great about clearing plates, bringing drinks and generally being helpful. My mom had her phone on the deck taking pictures and then was worried about it getting wet, so the crew offered to take it for her and put in in her bag below deck. They really monkey around and their sea-legs are seriously impressive. Shoutout to Timmy.
Also the captain who was narrating the tour was very informative and his humor/timing/delivery was hilarious. I believe his name was Andy (but not certain of that).
We got to see some dolphins which was very cool and unexpected!
Overall, definitely a bucket-list item that I'd highly recommend. One piece of advice would be to take this tour early in your trip because they point out various beaches and things to do. We went on the last day of our week on the island and I would've loved do a couple of the things they...
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