Big Island Water Sports — Local services in Hawaii

Update: owner called me and apologized and offered us a complimentary session when we went to try again and a full refund. So I’ve updated to 3 stars.

Booked a jet ski with my oldest son for 1pm, 2 days ago. They ran behind because of disorganization, the boat operators words exactly, and we were pushed to 1:30. So while we’re checking in they book a party of 5 at 2:00 which would be impossible to render services with the amount of jet skis they have an us being out too. So we were brought in and not told we were getting shorted. Mind you we paid with tax almost 200.00 for an hour and barely received a half hour since it was already behind even getting us out there. So i spoke with the girl at the front who of course says “wow i liked don’t know why he brought you in so fast” okay yeah you can reschedule me. So i get rescheduled for 9am today. I arrived at 8:40 so i was early and ready to go. After waiting 30 minutes, i called and was told “oh he will be right there”. Now 9:20 am, no one showed. The girl then did not answer my calls back as now i want a refund because not only have we been shorted, but they are so inconsiderate to paying customers, they’re not even there at 9 to open or answering phones. Save your money and go on a dolphin swim with a reputable company because it is obvious that this company needs to get their act together. I will have to call my bank and dispute the entire charge since we have not even received an inkling or what we were told this experience would be. Poor management, poor business practices!

Danielle and...

Experience started bad but ended great. The check in desk girl called in sick and they didn't know we were waiting at the dock. We called and they quickly came and picked us up. We rented a jet ski for an hour and paddle boards for after the jet ski ride.

First off, the private island is actually a floating dock just off the coast. It's actually kind of cool but don't expect a small tropical island.

Our guide on the floating island was super cool. Can't remember his name but young guy from California. He was way chill and gave us great direction on how to use the ski as well as the paddle board. He was quick to race out and save a guy who couldn't get back on his ski after jumping off also.

The most amazing moment was after the jetskis, we jumped on paddle boards. Dolphins started showing up everywhere. We literally had our own private show on the water with spinner dolphins leaping and spinning in the air, literally within feet of our boards. The guides let us paddle around and view them at a distance. It was absolutely amazing. My girlfriend was so excited, one of the baby dolphins seemed to like her and kept jumping in front of her, or behind her if she began to paddle away. Truly a wonderful time and was a great ending to our stay. We jumped back on the island and had a quick boat ride back to the dock. Very satisfied, and great job from our guides. We...

They charged me an extra $200 because the jet ski mirror broke because the guide gave me bad instructions. He told me to turn off the ski too early. He also told me to turn it to the right. A wave or current took the ski right into another jet ski and also banged my leg. Instead of following the guide's instructions, I should have just relied on my boating experience and docked it myself. They need a better docking process. Instead of acknowledging that it was a mistake and accident, and misunderstanding, they just pressured me into agreeing to allow them to charge my card an additional $200 without showing me a quote for parts and labor. Bad...