My husband and I had a fun time! Carlos was our guide and the weather seemed fairly calm until the end. Carlos did an awesome job at coaching us on how to use to paddle, how to get in and out of the kayak, and what to do if the kayak flipped. He had very good instructions for paddling away from the beach and back in again when we were done, so it didn't feel intimidating. Just follow all his instructions and you'll be set! Lifejackets are provided, but are not required.
We went to 3 different spots, each included about 5 minutes of snorkeling. You can also snorkel at Makena beach w/o going on a tour, but the tour was nice. We did see turtles at that spot, but there were a lot of people, so they were mostly waiting at the bottom until people left so they could surface to breathe, so I felt bad that our presence as humans make them uncomfortable enough to hold their breath longer just to wait until people went away.
Visibility snorkeling slowly deteriorated so that by the end, it was hard to see the bottom. Can't dock points for that, but just know that weather and ocean conditions change. I recommend going on the earliest tour possible b/c it's better when it's earlier and definitely not as choppy.
Parking opens at 7am, so don't park on the side of the road. There should be a bathroom there. Parking is kind of far if you need to get stuff or leave stuff in your car (about a 3 min walk). If you're late, it feels far haha. Also, I got a mosquito bite in this area, so just be careful of those! Bring insect repellent or cover up when you're waiting around.
I recommend bringing mineral sunscreen to apply before the tour and during b/c the sunscreen that Hawaii sells still isn't completely reef safe. It only has the top 2 offending ingredients removed. Sun in Hawaii is strong, so I also recommend wearing UPF rated clothing if you don't like wearing sunscreen. Other stuff to bring are hat and sunglasses, dry bag to keep splashes of water out, waterproof camera, extra snacks, although a small granola bar and water are provided. Bring a change of clothes, or towels for the car ride! There's also a dry "box" if you need to keep your car keys dry, but this stays in the Maui Kayaks van. It does not go with you on the trip.
Carlos was nice and took pictures above water for us that he said would be free. He had a lot of good stories about diving in the ocean around the area. He also stayed a bit longer than the scheduled tour time so that we could snorkel longer.
I would say that if you're looking to get some kayaking and snorkeling exercise in, this is a great tour. However, if you know of snorkeling spots or have/rent your own gear, you can definitely find places on your own that may be better. This tour is not anything more or less than what it says. It is a general/basic tour. In terms snorkeling with the best views of fish/ocean life, this would be a 2.5 out of 5 as there wasn't a lot of diverse marine life around and visibility was good at the beginning and poor at the end. There are also 5-10 other companies that go out around the same time and there may be a boat tour in the area, so be prepared for other people/crowds.
Reviewing w/ 4 out of 5 stars b/c Carlos said he would email us the pictures he took of us kayaking, and he did airdrop for all iPhone users before everyone left, but I have an Android phone and he hasn't emailed yet. I emailed Maui Kayaks last week to see if he could send them and did not receive a response.