10 out of 10 for my wife and I. We kinda didn't realize what we were getting ourselves into, when we signed up. I had imagined that we would be boarding a much larger vessel and that we could choose to sun ourselves on the upper deck, or go below and try our hands at a game of baccarat with our fellow international travelers. Just before departure, one of the deck hands of Scandinavian decent, dressed in a cute and spiffy nautical-style skirt and starched white blouse uniform would then serve us the first course of caviar. One of the towel boys would synchronize the first course by immediately popping open the first jeroboam of champagne.
I'm kidding! We knew it was going to be, "a bit of an adventure", but the boat really-truly was a little bit smaller than I imagined. The ride was, as our captain would later describe, "A mixture between riding a bull at a rodeo and a roller coaster." (at least parts of the ride would become so). But... what fun it was, and the small size and speed of the boat allowed us to quickly outpace the other larger craft (not that it was a race--but "Neener, neener, neener! Ha. Ha. Our boat is faster than yours!!").(jk) The small size and nimbleness of our super-charged pontoon boat would later allow us to slip into the water caves along the cliffs and then narrowly escape the clutches of an angry sea. (*the waters were only a slightly-more than medium-level choppy that day, so it was more of an, "annoyed sea." situation)
The boat was similar to what Navy seals use when sneaking into secret lairs to extract or eliminate high ranking foreign generals deemed threats to national security. I looked it up on the internet and found out that these boats are called, high-speed Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and they actually are used for insertion and extraction.
That little boat could "giddy-up and go". Our captain, ( code name: Zack) was immediately likable. He gave off an aura that made us feel confident in his skills and knowledge of the sea. Before leaving the harbor, we were pretty-sure that he was going to to get us to our cliff-side destination and back safely. As we got to know him on the 6-hour tour, he shared great stories and a boat-load of information about Hawaii. He cracked a few corny jokes, and generally showed us that he cares deeply about those in his boat, that he wanted us to have a good time, and was a confident and skilled water-man. It was fun to watch him navigate the waves by accelerating and then shutting down the craft to allow us to not be tossed around like dice in a shaker cup. Deck-hand, Duff, was also a good guy and added to the experience with his laid back, but focused energy.
The sights that we were treated to made me feel super privileged and appreciative. The highlight of the tour, of course, is the honor of viewing cliffs that rise thousands of feet straight out of the waters of Kauai's Na Pali coast. Stunning beauty! (That term, "stunning beauty", is over-used, but in this case, the beauty of the area, is literally stunning.) I could feel myself getting a bit choked-up by just how amazing the views were. There are few spots in the world that can compare. We also swam amongst sea turtles and reef fishes. On the way out, a pod of spinner dolphins, in resting-mode ,ambled by. A couple of 'em sprang from the waters to show off a bit.
Like a finely crafted cocktail, the day had a nice combination of high adventure, camaraderie between the ship-mates that we just met, and the peacefulness that can be found when one is floating amongst sea life with a snorkel and dive mask. "10 out of 10!", I say again!
*I normally try to include photos with my reviews, but my wife was in a swim suit (she is not cool with my posting) ... and my thong was chaffing me, so ironically, no photos. (ironic--because this is one of the most photographic spots on the planet. Oh, and I wasn't wearing a thong...that was a dumb joke.) read more