Na Pali Coast boat tour

January 20, 2001 – Na Pali Coast boat tour from Waimea area of Kaua’i

A small boat cruise to the Na Pali coast offers an excellent way to get out on the water around Kaua’i, do some snorkelling, see some whales, turtles and spinner dolphins (depending on the season), and get up close to the Na Pali coast without having to hike for days. I chose Liko Kaua’i Cruises, who operate the Na Pali Kai vessel, a fiberglass hulled, custom designed catamaran with twin Cummins diesels capable of moving the boat at a speedy 31 knots. The crew are knowledgeable about the area, they serve good quality food and drinks (no alcohol), and are very safety conscious. Liko’s offices are in the town of Waimea. You will need to check in there before proceeding to the dock in the boat harbor at Kikiaola (5 minutes further by car).

Sunrise from Kikiaola Boat Harbor, Waimea, Kaua'i

Sunrise from Kikiaola Boat Harbor, Waimea, Kaua’i

The cruise I chose departed at 7:30am, so I had to check in to the Liko office by 7am. Since there was road construction along the way, and I was driving from the opposite side of the island, I had to leave very early! Just to prove that I was up at the crack of dawn, have a look at the gorgeous sunrise photo!

The cruise took us past Barking Sands, all along the Na Pali coast almost to Ke’e Beach (where the North shore road stops. Along the way we saw numerous Humpback Whales (one baby a few days old) and Spinner Dolphins. We were within 50′ of the shoreline at times, so we saw the Na Pali coast up close. A very different perspective than from a helicopter.

They served us a very nice deli lunch and soft drinks on the way back. As soon as we rounded Mana Point (Barking Sands), the afternoon swells hit us full tilt, making for a roller coaster ride back to the harbor. However, along the way we were treated to an adolescent Humpback whale doing repeated breaches, flipper flapping, and other acrobatics. Although we didn’t get to snorkel due to the choppy seas, the whale made a memorable ending to a very successful cruise.

Free advice

Taking photos of whales, dolphins, turtles and fish consumes huge amounts of time you could otherwise spend enjoying these creatures. If the opportunity presents itself, by all means take a photo or two…otherwise buy some postcards!

There are many cruises to the Na Pali coast to choose from. I would suggest you select one that either leaves from Hanalei Bay (only two operators do this), or choose an operator who has a very fast boat (such as Liko) if they leave from the Waimea (southwest) coast area. It is over 20 miles by sea from Waimea to the start of the Na Pali coast (Polihale area). It is only 5 miles to the start of the Na Pali coast (Ka’ilio Point) from Hanalei Bay.

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