Ocean Joy Snorkeling
- Home
- Oahu
- Snorkeling
- Ocean Joy Snorkeling
Highlights
- Beautiful and comfortable 61' powered catamaran
- Departure from Ko'Olina Harbor
- Snorkeling sites along the sunny leeward west coast of Oahu
- Dolphin watching when pods are sighted
Description
Join the friendly and service-oriented crew of one of Oahu's newest and most state of the art powered catamarans for a fun-filled and awe-inspiring adventure along Oahu's Waianae Coast. The vessel's name is Kai 'Oli'oli ... kai is Hawaiian for "ocean" and 'oli'oli means "pleasure or joy." This boat is aptly named as this is their goal ... to give you a pleasurable, joy-filled experience on the ocean as they take you to a secluded snorkel spot where turtles and rays and tropical fish flourish. They go out of their way to find pods of dolphins so you can watch them play in their natural environment. During humpback whale season from December through April you'll likely experience encounters with these giants of deep. And if you join them on a snorkel / sunset combo tour you'll be given the opportunity to witness one of the most romantic sunsets on Earth. All of this happens with the backdrop of Oahu's sparsely populated leeward coast on the west side of the island, far removed from the crowds and pavement of the city of Honolulu.
Kai Oli'oli (Hawaiian for Ocean Joy) is a spacious and fast 61' powered catamaran that is limited to just 49 guests per cruise. This vessel features twin 490HP engines for power, streamlined hulls for speeds of up to 30 knots, wide swim platforms at the rear of both hulls for easy access in and out of the water, and SIX (6) warm fresh-water showers to rinse off the salt when you get back on board. The time allotted for snorkeling on all tours is one hour. One of the staff acts as a naturalist and leads the group around the snorkel site.
Round-trip transportation from Waikiki hotels is available for a cost of $35 per person for all of these tours.
All cruises include a nice Hawaiian meal! The menu includes teriyaki chicken, kalua pig (Hawaiian pulled pork), fresh green salad, white rice, fresh chopped pineapple, fresh buns, lettuce and tomato. Vegetarian and gluten free meals available with advanced notice. Beverages include unlimited non-alcoholic drinks (water, juices, soft drinks) and up to 4 alcoholic drinks per person (beer, wine, mai tais, margaritas).
Packages
8am Ocean Joy Morning Calm Cruise Rate (OJ1nt)
$174.00 per Adult, $154.00 per Child (ages 3-12), $70.00 per Infant (under 3) (Hawaii sales tax included)
This early morning cruise typically offers the calmest water of the day and is the best for snorkeling. Pickup in Waikiki starts around 6:00am and those driving to the harbor check in at 7:30am. The Morning Calm Cruise is 3.5 hours in length and is offered daily.
11:30am Ocean Joy Midday Cruise Rate (OJ2nt)
$174.00 per Adult, $154.00 per Child (ages 3-12), $70.00 per Infant (under 3) (Hawaii sales tax included)
The midday cruise typically offers the most time watching dolphins as the captain already knows where to find them based upon sightings during the 8am tour. Waikiki pickup starts around 9:45am and those driving to the harbor check in at 11:00am. The tour is 3.5 hours in length and is offered daily.
4:00pm Ocean Joy 3.5hr Sunset Cruise Rate (OJ3nt)
$174.00 per Adult, $154.00 per Child (ages 3-12), $70.00 per Infant (under 3) (Hawaii sales tax included)
The 3.5 hour snorkel and sunset cruise is offered on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from April through September when the sun sets later in the day. (October though March the cruise is 2.5 hours long with a slightly lower rate). typically offers the most time watching dolphins as the captain already knows where to find them based upon sightings during the 8am tour. The tour includes one hour of snorkeling. Waikiki pickup starts around 2:00pm and those driving to the harbor check in at 3:30pm.
4:00pm Ocean Joy 2.5hr Sunset Cruise Rate (OJ4nt)
$154.00 per Adult, $134.00 per Child (ages 3-12), $60.00 per Infant (under 3) (Hawaii sales tax included)
The 2.5 hour snorkel and sunset cruise is offered on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from October through March when the sun sets earlier in the day. (April though September the cruise is 3.5 hours long with a slightly higher rate). The tour includes one hour of snorkeling. Waikiki pickup starts around 2:00pm and those driving to the harbor check in at 3:30pm.
Location
Waikiki transportation is available for all cruises for $35 per person.
GPS Location: For those driving to the harobr the checkin is at the Ocean Joy desk at Malakole Harbor at Ko"Olina. GPS: 21.326682, -158.121135 Click to view map
Details
Included in All Tours: Snorkel gear, a nice Hawaii-style meal, and open bar (with a limit of 4 alcoholic drinks per person).
What to Bring and Wear: Wear swimsuits and bring a light jacket, towel, and reef-safe sunscreen.
Reservations: Advanced reservations required ... for those who are planning ahead this event is "RESERVE NOW PAY LATER"; we need a credit card on file to finalize your reservation but we do not charge you for this event until a few days before the beginning of your vacation!
Minimum Notice for Cancellations / Changes: At least 48 hours before the start of the event.
Note: All phases of each cruise are at the Captain's discretion based upon ocean conditions, including snorkeling. All participants must sign a waiver of liability prior to participation.
Kevin's Activity Tips:
For most guests, your Ocean Joy experience will begin with pickup near your Waikiki hotel ... they are using Polynesian Adventures for the 50-60 minute ride to the Ko'Olina area. The driver acts as a guide to and from the cruise, pointing out sites of interest along the way as you pass through downtown Honolulu.
As the vessel was departing Ko'Olina Marina we were treated to a view of the "Black Pearl," the pirate ship used in filming that well known movie series starring Johnny Depp (it was in dry dock just across the channel from the harbor). We turned right and headed west along the coast, past the new Disney Aulani resort. Our captain advised us that the dolphins were a long way up the coast, so he felt it would be best to do our one hour snorkel stop first, then spend the rest of the tour cruising the coast and watching the dolphins.
Ocean Joy offers premium snorkel gear ... and plenty of instruction for the first time snorkeler. Entry to the ocean was easy; both hulls of the catamaran have a wide swim platform that rests at the ocean's surface making this boat a lot easier to get off and on than one of the rafting tours. Once in the water, one of their staff paddled around on a surfboard and conducted a tour of the reef for us. It's nice when companies do this; snorkelers not only get to see fish and sea creatures they might have otherwise missed; they also learn something about them. Our guide took us to a 'turtle cleaning station," a place where Hawaiian green sea turtles (honu) hang out on the bottom and allow cleaner wrasses and other fish to dine on the tasty algae that grows on their shells. It's sort of like a TV star sitting in the dressing room having their makeup and hair done by others. And the turtles are definitely the star of this show.
At least they WERE the star of the show, until a beautiful and graceful spotted eagle ray came cruising through our snorkel site! Ocean Joy also has a photographer who takes photos underwater during your tour, and he caught some great shots of this ray! The photographer also takes pictures on board the vessel ... capturing images of all the guests on board and of the scenery and the dolphins ... and a CD of those images is available to purchase at the end of the tour. When snorkeling was over we got back on board and were greeted by a member of the crew holding the shower nozzle. Having someone rinse the salt water off me with a hot water shower nozzle felt great! I wish all snorkel boats were able to do that!
The captain delivered on his promise of finding dolphins after we snorkeled (we are told that he usually does ... successful dolphin sightings happen on 80-90% of the tours). The location where we happened to find them was stunning! It was an isolated area where you could see no buildings ... just the green ridges of the Waianae Mountains and the turquoise blue water. We encountered a large pod of spinner dolphins, and on numerous occasions a subgroup of five or six dolphins would swim over to the boat and play at the bow.
Ocean Joy is Oahu's premier snorkel tour ... the vessel is state of the art and beautifully maintained. Snorkel gear is high quality, the staff were friendly, we did some great snorkeling and saw lots of dolphins and covered an impressive amount of the Waianae Coastline during our tour. We HIGHLY recommend this tour to our guests!