TL;DR at bottom. I've visited Hawaii 5 times, and this by far is the best excursion I've participated in so far! The staff at Kailua Ocean Adventures made this a fantastic experience from beginning to end. For this excursion, you'll want to pack a towel, water shoes, plenty of reef-safe Oxybenzene-free sunscreen and either a rashguard or shirt you're okay with getting soaked as you'll be in the sun the entire time. Your paddling adventure starts off on the turquoise shores of Kailua Beach Park. Arrive early as parking in the two paved lots on either side of the canal fill up quickly. You'll also want to give yourself some time to enjoy the soft sand and water before paddling anyway. The staff was easy to locate, just look for the outrigger canoe and the sailing canoe. Once you check-in, you'll be given the option to either paddle in the outrigger, or paddle with the wind-assisted sailing canoe. Your choice, depending on your fitness level. They also provide you with dry bags for your personal belongings. My brother and I elected for the full fitness experience and went in the canoe with Captain John.
John is a character, full of tons of interesting and obscure knowledge of the area! He's a coach at the paddling club just up the canal from where you start. He begins with a short demo on the proper paddling form. He explains how you'll want to pull with your glutes and hip flexors, rather than your lats. If you deadlift, you're in good shape for this activity. He also goes over safety and the proper way to enter the canoe (butt on the seat first, then swing your legs over). The canoe we used sat 4, and also had a rear facing child seat with a seatbelt for a non-paddling Keiki to join.
Once we launched, it took us a minute to get our stroke mechanics and timing down, but it wasn't too long until our group of 3 plus Captain John was cruising off towards the Mokes. Paddling out, you're going against the current. It took us about 40 mins to make the approx 2.25-mile paddle from the beach to Mokulua Island. IMHO it's definitely something that requires at least some cardio conditioning beforehand, I was winded by the time we landed on the beach. If you're at the bow of the canoe in seat one, prepare to get soaked!
On Mokulua, you and the sailing group will be given some time to snorkel the reef. The current was significant here, but so long as you didn't try to fight the bouncing of the waves, you were fine. Keep your water shoes on as there is a good amount of reef. (Masks provided, no fins). The crew also packs along a Yeti full of cold water, and various Aloha brand juices. While you're snorkeling, they'll also cut up and dress a fresh pineapple with some LI Hing Mui powder for your enjoyment. In the water, you'll see a variety of fish including rainbow wrasse, Hercules tang and more. Keep an eye out for sea turtles. They're about the size of a large pizza and look like a white disk floating around in the water.
After 15-20 mins of snorkeling, you'll be gathered up to trek over to the back of the island for a dunk in The Queen's Bath, a natural tidepool/swimming hole. You'll be walking along uneven wet surfaces, so you'll want some sturdy hiking sandals or water shoes. There are two parts where you'll need to do some light scrambling, so I wouldn't recommend this activity for kids younger than 5. Along the way, John gave us some information about the protected birds and their nesting habits. We even saw a few fluffy young chicks poke their heads out from their burrowing nests. He also pointed out some of the edible flora, including a native succulent that tasted of pickle juice.
While the walk may look scary at some points, your reward at the end is the Queen's Bath. The pool itself is a good 5-6 feet deep, allowing you to safely jump in. Ahead of you, there's nothing but open ocean for miles around. Take a moment to really connect with the land and water at this point and release all your stress and worries into the universe... at least for the remainder of your excursion. If you time it right, you can swim over to the far right of the pool and post up on the rock. Have your partner or another paddler wait until the waves splash up in a fan behind you for that Instagram photo to give all your friends FOMO.
On the way back, you'll paddle around Flat Rock where you'll hopefully catch a wave or two and enjoy that Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride. It takes a good amount of effort and synchronization to catch that wave, but your effort will be rewarded when your strenuous paddling transforms into effortless gliding. We only caught one good wave during our ride, and John explained how the architecture of the canoe makes it more conducive for low tide waves. At this point in our excursion, the high tide was starting to roll out making it slightly harder to paddle, and combined with fatigue from the paddle out, snorkeling, and jumping multiple times into the Queen's Bath, I was definitely starting to feel it in my lats and lower back. We landed on the beach and sadness immediately began to fill me, followed by a wave of gratitude for this joyous experience.
If you're looking for a unique experience to capstone your visit to Oahu, don't miss out on this canoe excursion and island adventure. I will forever recommend the great staff at Kailua Ocean Adventure and can't wait to book a return trip!
tl;dr - Arrive early to secure parking and enjoy the beach. Bring a towel, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, water shoes, and a camera. Rashguard and booney cap recommended as you'll be in the sun (no shade) the entire time. Dry bags, water, juices, fresh pineapple, and snorkel mask (no fins) provided. Try and book during low tide for the best chance of catching waves.