Kayaking Tenerife Atlantis — Attraction in Arona

Really disappointed, our pick up was at 10;45 for an 11am start (we were ready earlier just in case) about 10mins past the due time I rang them to see where the driver was, they said they’d ring me back when they know. After another 10mins I rang back after hearing nothing. Then they said 5 more mins. Eventually the driver turned up about 35-40mins past due time. Then went went looking for another group only to find he was in the wrong area I think. Eventually we turned up at the establishment, to which we were told we just missed the group (I spoke to a returning group member from the group we missed later on who said they think they left pretty much at 11:15 so this was a white lie). We were offered to be placed on the 2pm group though they could not guarantee we’d be back in time for our deadline (well the lovely Spanish girl seemed more optimistic) but the British woman running the place was incredibly defensive and passive aggressive. Did not offer an apology only she would not guarantee anything. Eventually agreed to do the 2pm event. So went off to kill a few hours, returning for the 2pm… And the Spanish girl was going to organise a taxi for me so I could make the time I needed. But then the British woman returns to throw her two pieces in again. Pretty much felt like she didn’t want us on the tour in case she couldn’t get us back in time. Eventually we walked off. Hired a kayak from a lovely place on the beach and brought a couple snorkels (1/3rd of the price of the total tour for the 4 of us). Got back in time only to see their tour maybe 10mins behind us. So would have made it anyway. In future here are some recommendations

1. if your not going to make pick up tell the customer on the phone, I could have just jumped in a taxi. Made the time and be done with it
2. when you’re running so late just tell us and we also could have just cancelled and not attended
3. whilst I’m aware you were trying to find solutions and we were not complaining, offer an apology first. You treated us more as an inconvenience. We could have organised something else, and you effectively lost half a day for us going to you and waiting to a later session. People are on holiday they want a good experience and the British woman whilst I understand didn’t want to be held accountable for making us late gave us a different story to the Spanish lady. Who felt much more concerned for us rather than the inconvenience the British woman made us feel.

Now I’ve spoke to people in the group at 11am and they enjoyed it. So maybe this is a one off. But 1/2 a day of my holiday was wasted due to a few steps where we may have been a bit disappointed but could have done something else. We also would have understood if their was just a bit of politeness and...

This whole day from start to finish was a disaster! Arrived at the Centre, to find the instructor stoned. (Rasta) His eyes bloodshot, red and weepy! This really made me anxious and didn’t put my mind at ease. Took around 45 minutes to 1 hour to actually get in the water. The instructor did give us a talk about safety before entering the water. Got into the water, everything seemed fine, around 20 minutes in the sea began to get choppy and we became tired. We past other groups who were staying around each other but our instructor took us deeper and further out. The sea police actually stopped our instructor and talked to him for 20 minutes! I think he went far too far. This resulted in me panicking as the sea was very rough and I began to get sea sick, my boyfriend was green behind me. He had no strength to row at all. He was sick at the side of the boat and became dizzy. I shouted to our instructor (Rasta) that we can’t row anymore as we are both very sick. He said you have to row back yourself. (They had then stopped for their swim stop for 20/30mins) we said can we get on the speed boats we seen but he said no, no boat could even pick us up. We were in great difficulty. He said “ROW BACK!!” No reassurance, no help. So I began to row, as my boyfriend lay green at the back. I rowed and rowed and caught up with an instructor of another group, he seen we were in difficulty and towed us, he attached his rope to our boat. He said you need to help. So I rowed and he rowed. My boyfriend was getting sicker and sicker… it took around 30 minutes to see shore. Once we were at the yellow ropes around 10 mins from shore our instructor (Rasta) had caught up with the group and undid our rope from the other instructor and just shouted go to green bouy! Got back on shore and he never asked if we were ok. The other instructor did. During the kayak ride may I ask he was having his lunch, eating a sandwich. WORST EXPERIENCE I...

Ohhhhh. This was so nice adventure. A must on Tenerife island. As it is totally nature friendly. And, among many nature activates island offers, ocean takes an important part of it. To understand the ocean, you need to feel it, to experience it on your body when you get a big splash of salty water in the face in the hair when ocean wind is playing with them, within your field of respect ability when you see how powerful it is on its wild waves, which can change in any second and turn lovely experience into a night mare … and after you are wet, and wind up and just enough excited, after paddling wakes up all your muscles and senses … wooooooow. Really woooooow. You get rewarded! With its magic, with is majestic glory: with a wave of dolphin fins, with a gaze into the eyes of huge turtle directly on the level of your kayak in front of you. Woooow. I still have goosebumps. It is very deep experience for me, for which I am so grateful. Because, on my day, waves were wild, wind was pushing kayaks back towards the shore … our guide, Cezar few times warned us, with his careful, experienced approach, that we might turn back. I am soooo happy he was leading my group. I believe he has some connections with Gods of the ocean: big, big love and heart for that natural habitat, subtle sense for it and so honest passion for what he is doing, that experience with him was everything you ask out of it: we could feel wind, waves, salt, we get good exercise and … he whispered turtles, dolphins on the right way so they rewarded us with their magnificent greetings, he passed by that sensibility towards the Ocean and respect to the participants. And most of all, all of the group felt comfortable and safe und his guidance, what I find as an big task he is doing. Thank you Cezar for that. Will stay in my heart as a very special memory. And to all of you: don’t leave the island without expressing some gratitude...