LightSUP Hawaii Kona — Local services in Hawaii

My girlfriend and I went on one of the morning paddles back at the beginning of March (this review is a tad late) and it was one of the coolest experiences we ever had.

Kelly was our instructor/guide and she is one of the coolest and sweetest people we’ve ever met. She was so thorough in her explanation in teaching us how to SUP and so patient and encouraging (even when we both wiped out a couple times haha).

Having this been our first time on a paddle board, I can’t imagine being on any other. The design of the board is incredibly genius and you definitely see why when you’re floating on top of the clear waters of Kona. We got to see a ton of cool coral and fish. I even got to see a sea turtle swim right underneath me!

This experience is a MUST and one of our great highlights to our vacation. We will definitely be doing this again next time we are back and will definitely be checking out the nighttime tour. Thank you again to Kelly, Ray, and their son for the amazing hospitality and the incredibly...

Raymond is the most amazing SUP ambassador! He worked us in short notice for a guided tour. I’m a beginner and he gave excellent instructions and was very patient. Safety is a top priority and he will only put you in the water if he feels comfortable with how the ocean is behaving. Sometimes that means waiting a bit, but it’s worth it.

We were fortunate enough to meet some of his family members and they treated us like friends, not customers.

We loved Raymond’s enthusiasm for the marine life and ocean health. Please help protect the environment and Wear UPF clothing instead of sunscreen. If you must use sunscreen make sure it is reef friendly. However, his shops sell the long sleeve shirts if you need one.

The boards are very unique. The glass is like a giant snorkel mask. You can see fish and coral below with much clarity. The boards are placed in the water for you so you don’t have to lift or carry them.

We had a fun and memorable experience. We will book another tour when we come back for...

Somehow I had never done paddleboarding before, so Hawaii looked like a great place to start.

And it was so much worth it! Their SUPs with a glass bottom are amazing. You really get snorkel views without the snorkel.

I had a couple of questions before trying and appreciated their quick replies to my e-mails. I ended up with the rental option without a tour guide and had a great time out in the water.

Although it was just a rental, I was given a brief introduction into paddleboarding and Mark even looked out for me while on the water.

Many companies on Hawaii are charging ridiculous prices for everything. Fortunately, LightSUP is none of them. I feel like both the rental (about $30) and Tour prices (about $120) are very fair.

I'll definitely make sure to come around next time I'm on the Big Island. The illuminated night tour looks very...