Windward Watersports — Local services in Oʻahu

STAY AWAY !! I purchased 3 single kayak rentals on GROUPON. I made a reservation 2 days prior and was told the kayak's were available for the day of my reservation. I called the morning of the kayaking day asking for directions and was not told of any problem. I drove 45 minutes to get there with my family and when I arrived, I was told there were no single kayak's available. The receptionist told me that she has called me and left me a message, but this was a lie. She then told me I could have a triple kayak for the same money I had paid. When I asked to see the triple kayak, I was shown a 2+1 kayak which is really only suitable for 2 adults and not the 3 adults in our party. In addition, that kayak normally rents for much less than I had paid. I asked to speak to the owner, but he was not answering his phone. After about 30 minutes, I was told that there were no life jackets available so all the talk of taking a different kayak was a waste of time! I asked for a refund and was given a refund receipt, but later that night, the owner texted me to say that he could not directly provide a refund. I am still waiting on my refund. The owner also called me to apologize and offer a free rental, but if a paid and reserved kayak order is not fulfilled, can you imagine what they would do with a free one !!??

It seems to me that this outfit was able to rent kayaks at a higher rate than I had paid on Groupon and did so with no concern for me or my family. We wasted a day of our vacation which also happened to be the last day of our vacation. Despite making the reservation in advance, confirming twice in advance and paying in advance, they still gave away our kayaks and wasted our time getting there and back as well as more time trying to get us into an unsuitable kayak which in the end they didn't even have lifejackets for !! Even worse, we were provided with lies (left a message, gave a refund, etc). IMAGINE...they don't have enough lifejackets !!??

While I was in the store, there was another family there who had had the same experience as me and was there for fulfillment of their previous reservation !!

There are other outfits in Kailua that rent kayaks. DON'T waste your vacation time and money with Windward watersports. Find another reputable outfit to do business with. The prices elsewhere are the same and you don't get the lies, aggravation, wasted time, false apologies and wasted...

Do not be put off by their location or them being far away from the beach. Their prices are excellent, their customer service is excellent and we are super happy we went with them because we got the best value we could’ve hoped for (24 hour kayak (incl kayak, paddles, seats and life jackets) rental + snorkel gear (mask, snorkel and fins) for 2 people for $75.00). We had a small Nissan car rented and were a bit nervous about getting the kayak onto it and driving it to the beach ourselves but the team filled us with confidence (showed us the technique and gave us 4 soft cushion pads for the roof of the car - no rack involved), and we never had any damage or concerns about the kayak even touching the car. So much cheaper than their competitor (as you can tell by a quick google). Their kayak rental is $55 for 4 hours, $65 for 24 hours (well worth the extra $10!) and if you get snorkel gear with kayak rental it’s $5 per person. They gave us great tips about how to kayak out of the Lanikai area and we had an awesome time on the water. Word of warning about when you’re picking to go kayaking - check the surf conditions before you go out! We went in high surf conditions and...

I was lucky to be on Oahu when the wind was good, and Jeff was able to fit me in for a pretty last minute lesson. Online booking was easy, but I had stopped by the shop and would recommend you call because not all the time slots are accurate because of covid. Jeff called me within a few hours and asked me good questions about my ability and experience so he could customize the lesson. He struck me as very experienced at teaching kiters at a variety of levels. The beach spot seemed crowded and busy but the bay is enormous and beautiful. Jeff did a great job making everything really low stress despite the crowds, and the helmet mic he has was the best communication setup on the water I have experienced. I could actually hear him really well out there as he gave me great tips to help improve my riding. Once out on the water, there is so much space that any crowds were no big deal at all. I had my kiteboarding ah-ha moment and was able to stay upwind pretty well by the end of the day. If you are on Oahu and there is good wind, definitely get in touch with Jeff. You simply...