Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Adventures

Booked a tour with Donnie in June for our extended family. We found him through Unilocal and thought we’d check it out.
In a word, amazing! The best thing we did during the entire two weeks! Quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever done while on Maui and we’ve been going for years!
Donnie and Keoni were wonderful. The canoe was so peaceful. It’s a hand made traditional style Hawaiian outrigger canoe and you feel so connected to the islands while you sail hearing the wind in the sail and the waves against the hull. You feel renewed.
Snacks, doesn’t begin to describe the huge yogurt and fruit parfaits and Hawaiian juices that we were served along with ice cold water.
Donnie doesn’t just take you around on the canoe. He tells you about the history of the Hawaiian islands and how important canoeing is to the Hawaiian people and their lifestyle.
The snorkeling was wonderful. It’s so peaceful when there’s just a few people. We had our own gear (we’re scuba divers), but Donnie’s gear is top of the line if you need some, not like the usual bottom of the barrel stuff you get on a snorkel cruise. The canoe can only hold 6 not including crew, so it’s more like hanging out with a buddy who owns a canoe, than a tour. We saw a cattle boat of snorkelers come up next to us, so Donnie just up and moved us to a quieter place. I could see all of the wistful faces on that huge boat as they looked at us so free and zen like.
I can’t wait to go back and sail with them again.

Best way to visit snorkeling spots. Our family of 5 took off from Polo Beach with Captain Donny and crew man Jacob. They made it fun, informative, relaxed and safe! The entire time I felt like our safety was their top concern without that ever impacting the fun. Unlike the catamaran trip we took (which was great, don’t get me wrong!), this is customized to the conditions of the day. No turtles at Turtle Town on the catamaran with 80 other people? Too bad — the itinerary is set. On this canoe they can take you to wherever is the best that day! They totally got my teenage and preteen boys. Somehow managed to engage all 3, teaching them how to row, telling them about the sea life, letting the youngest just jump on and off and on and off again. All of our family voted this the single best experience we had in Maui in our 10 action-​packed days there. Thank you Donny!

As good as it gets! Every single time we’ve experienced Maui Sailing Canoe, it’s been nothing short of fun, and entertaining, and adventure and relaxation… It’s an entirely hand built traditional boat. Muscle power and the love of the sea, are what make the canoe as beautiful as she is. We’ve experienced sails with her and her crew, 4 times as of early 2015… CAN’T WAIT FOR MORE! I highly recommend taking the time to experience this… you’ll get a bit wet so don’t bring too much extra stuff. Enjoy the ride! Snorkel! See the sights! Hear stories of the islands… be at one with turtles and dolphins and corals. GAH! We love the ride so much, we never miss it, every time we return to Maui. Thank you David and Sage and Donny for always being so accommodating and fun on the boat! SEE YOU SOON!

Fantastic morning sailing and snorkeling with Donnie and Dave. They are affable, knowledgable and fun! We loved the intimate size — you can’t find that on any other tour. We also loved the feel of the paddle and wind powered vessel. First time snorkel for our kids and Dave made it interesting and fun!

Wow! What a great 2 hours! Captain Donny & Dave were amazing. We had never been on an outrigger canoe before & it was paradise. We swam with turtles, felt star fish, sea urchins & uni. Thank you for making our day memorable.

Awesome Unique Maui Experience.
Forget the big people movers you see sailing up and down the coast go for a much more intimate experince sailing an outrigger canoe. You can either Paddle or just hang out, relax and let the wind do the rest. It was too rough for our group to go snorkeling but no one cared as that gave us more time to cruise around whale watching and just enjoying being on the water.
Two Thumbs Up!
Ahola

My wife and I made two tours in this great canoe. Danie and Nate were super friendly and let me also join them paddling in this special canoe. We saw many whales while we were quietly gliding over the water. My wife and I made another tour the next day as it was for us the best way to see whales and the gorgeous bay compared to all the overcrowded tour boats. We came here in December and were lucky to see around 7 whales up close. I do not want to imagine how it would be when there is more whales around in January or February.
It was our 3^rd trip to Maui but by far the best experience we had so far. I rarely write reviews on Unilocal,but we highly recommend to experience this activity. Thank you so much Danie and Nate! Eri & Martin

I can’t say enough good things about this experience. Wonderful snorkeling, fun canoe ride that is quick and does not require paddling, and a staff you want to go out and have a beer with afterwards! Donny and Nathan were amazing. They got in the water with us and help/​guide you as you snorkel. We can’t wait to do this again when we return. Why pay a little less to be on a large boat with hundreds of people when you can have the ocean to yourself. Thanks again guys! Tommy and Maggie

Best canoeing experience I’ve had!
Deep clear waters.
I remember looking from the boat down to the bottom of the reef (25′ away).
They give a history lesson and dive with you.
The boats are in great condition!
Very memorable experience!
Take your kids or a girlfriend on a date– it’s a lot of fun!

Intimate family like snorkeling trip with knowledgeable guides who are great with children.

this was a perfect addition to our «we want to go to maui but we don’t want to feel like cattle» vacation. they were super friendly, laid back and informative.