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Hawaii Water Sports Center
Categories: Active Life Boating Active Life Diving Boating, Diving [Edit]
Koko Marina Center7192 Kalanianaole Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96825
(808) 395-3773
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for Hawaii Water Sports Center
17 reviews in English
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Review from C. M.
Honolulu, HI
10/21/2011
Fun! We went wakeboarding. It was 106$ for my husband and I, but we got military discount so it ended up to be 96$. Dave was our driver and he was great! Great driver, very patient and it seemed like he was having a good time too. He let us ride until we were tired. It was very fun! Pretty smooth water at 9am. Hope to return soon!
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Review from Juliann C.
Kaneohe, HI
8/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yep 3 stars.
The Good:
*Nice staff
*Bundle deals
*Try anything and everything if you can, super fun!
The Bad:
*Rip you off for the CD of photos. One CD of photos costs at least $45 -- I'm all for keeping memories.. BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
------------1) The guy didn't even know HOW to take good pictures! 1/2 of them were blurry! Fricken useless!
------------2) The pixels of the pictures are not even BIG enough to print quality 4x6 photos. SERIOUSLY. YOU'RE GONNA RIP ME OFF FOR ALMOST $50 A CD AND NOT EVEN GIVE ME HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS?! I MEAN... GIVE ME ATLEAST 1000PIXELS TO WORK WITH.
------------3) The $45 a CD was only for Bumper Tubing and Banana Boating. If you wanted piks of you Wake boarding.. it was ANOTHER @least $45 a CD. Ridiculous I tell you.
The Weird:
*How hard is it to take photos. Srsly. -
Review from Jordan D.
7/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was def one of the huge highlights of my trip. Kind of sketch when you first get there because its in a shopping area and not really near a beach area. This place pretty much has everything from parasailing to scuba diving. We did 3 different activities, them being, jet skiing, banana boating, and water tubing. By far the water tubing was by far the best, then the banana boat, then the jet ski. The tube and banana boat can speak for themselves, but the jet ski was kinna ehhhh. I mean dont get me wrong, its just because I own a jet ski and its not speed regulated and you dont have to drive in a counter clockwise circle the whole time. Also the jet ski area is kind of near a reef so if you fall off go horizontal so you dont kick the bottom.
Its pretty pricey so don't expect to save money there, but no worries you get what you pay for. It is extremely fun. You get about an hour for each activity which can go very fast. If you fall off a boat or tube hurry up and swim back and get back on as fast as possible because your time continues even after you fall off.
Super fun, and another plus side is that this place is walking distance from zippys so after you can get some chili moco and corn bread for a small feast after your adrenaline rush.
xxxx.
|(o)(o)|
( (__) ) Tubing WAS THE ISH!
| ( ) |
\__/
JordanListed in: Things to do on Oahu
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Review from Jeff W.
San Francisco, CA
7/24/2011 8 photos
Lots of fun at pretty good prices!
If it's windy when you parasail you might want to take some Dramamine - I blew chunks - but still had a blast!
It does take most of the day to do three activities so plan accordingly.
If you opt for the pics over at Sea Breeze be sure to get them all - one set of ours were inadvertently left off.
Enjoy! -
Review from Shirley P.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2010 2 photos
Nothin better than grabbing some malasadas for breakfast then heading here for some water activities! I've only tried snorkeling and bumper tubing... twice. What can I say? It's fun, it's tiring, it's exciting... it's full of laughs and good times! They now take pics of you and your group during your activity... bumper tubing- holding on for dear life, water splashing onto your face, falling into the water and embarrassingly struggling to get back onto the tube. Not exactly going to be your finest moments and not exactly picture perfect. But it's just plain hilarious!!!
I've seen groups on the banana boats, and even when you don't know them- it cracks any spectator up to see them all fall into the water!!!
They offer plenty of other activities such as wake boarding, jet skiing and para sailing too!!!Listed in: I Left My Heart In Hawaii
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Review from Vincent C.
Alhambra, CA
9/15/2010
If you want to do banana boat & bumper tube, come here as they'll do it on the spot. But if you want to do parasail & jetski, join at seabreeze, otherwise they'll have to transfer you on your way back, just a bit inconvenient, but still OK.
Paid $140/person for banana boat, bumper tube, scuba dive & parasail & all 4 activities ran from 845a to around 130p. Be sure to put a lot of sunscreen on!Listed in: Oahu Restaurant & Activities
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Review from Kristin C.
Irvine, CA
6/8/2010
Justin B. and I had just finished snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and while driving back toward Waikiki, we spotted the Hawaii Watersports Center in the shopping center with the movie theater and Zippys. Around 10am, we went in without reservations and I guess we got lucky b/c they weren't too busy yet and were able to accommodate us without waiting at all and we got the boats and water all to ourselves. I do def recommend making reservations ahead of time if you want to try out some of their activities. They have everything from parasailing, snorkeling tours, hiking tours and will even include transportation if necessary.
We opted for the 3 activity, $79 per person package with the banana boat, bumper tube, and jet ski. The banana boat and bumper tube all take place in shopping center bay area and then they boated us to open ocean water for the jet ski portion. For the banana boat and bumper tubing portions, you're basically dragged along on an inflatable device twisting and turning as the boat drives around in a big circle. We were thrown around a couple of times and had some major wipe outs but with a life jacket on, we knew we were safe haha. The jet skiing is set up where you ride around on a course with 3 different cones so you're making as many laps as you can within 30 minutes. everything was super fun and i had a great time!
Justin B. and I had an awesome experience at the Hawaii Watersports Center. The staff was amazing and friendly! they gave us great tips on different spots to check out on the island during our stay and their conversation made it a much more enjoyable experience since you're spending a bit of time on the boat with them. Shout out to Chad and Makato for their crazy boat driving and photography skills haha -
Review from Sarah Z.
9/11/2010
Three activities for $100? Not bad, not bad at all.
So after a really fun night in Waikiki, I woke up extremely hungover! I still drove with my friends to Hawaii Watersports Center with the deep desire to scuba and a legitimate fear that I was not healthy enough to do so. It was one of those nasty hangovers where all I wanted to do was lie down. I watched all 9 friends sign waivers and hand over credit cards with zero intention to participate because I was feeling THAT sick. It wasn't until their parasailing safety video started showing that I thought to myself....I can't miss THIS! I CAN'T MISS PARASAILING IN HAWAII!
My point is...it's super fun, even if you constantly want to puke!
Banana Boating: Straddling inflatable boats that are shaped like bananas. The idea sounds lame, trying to explain it to other friends sounds lame. But hell, it's fun! And your first wipe-out is scary/awesome!
Bumper Tubing: 5 of us holding on for dear life to what looks like a a giant inflatable coin. I wouldn't say bumper tubing is a must do but it does have some fun moments, and if it's included in a deal...why not! It's fun if you're in the middle because you're protected by your friends and it feels like you're FLYING above water! But other times you're just eating it and waiting for someone to wipe-out just so you can catch your breath. Hah.
Parasailing: FUN!! THRILLING!! with AMAZING VIEWS!! DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!! For a boat full of 6 friends (3 boys, 3 girls) who have zero romantic interest in each other, this ride was full of awkward sexual innuendos. I was paired with a good friend and we quickly learned that the only way to hold on tight is for the guy in the back to strap his legs around the gal in the front. Otherwise you're banging (sorry, I couldn't think of a better word than banging) into the gal constantly. hah! Also, please remember to wear your most best fitting swim suit. When the motor stopped, and we plummeted into the ocean, we both struggled to keep our bottoms on when the motor jetted back up and we flew into the air. "Sorry my pants fells off" and "sorry if I mooned you" is hard to say with the wind in your mouth.
Great laughs, great memories, and great pictures too!Listed in: What I did in Oahu
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Review from Valeri N.
Hayward, CA
5/20/2008
This is our second time coming to Hawaii Watersports Center for our water activities.
The first time we had a package deal with 4 activities for $110 each. It included banana boating, bumper tubing, wakeboarding and jet skiing. We had so much fun the first time that we decided to take my sister and brother in law there the second time.
The second time we paid $117 each for 3 activities - banana boating, wakeboarding and parasailing. We shared great laughs and great memories.
The staff was awesome! The were really nice and helpful. Would definitely recommend this place. -
Review from Megan T.
Palatine, IL
11/13/2009
My husband and I did the 3 sports for $90 tubing banana boat and parasailing. We had so much fun! The people in there were very laid back and nice. I would not call them friendly, but they were nice. I do have to say that for the para sailing they boated us over to another watersport location which made us wait 40 min. for another boat to come to take us out to parasail. They never told us how long or what we were waiting for, which we found a bit irritating. Also the prict for a DVD is $30 at each place! We thought this was a bit extreme but bought them anyway because they were the only pictures we had from this experience.
All in all we had a great time and everything was a fun! -
Review from Wendy L.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2011 1 photo
This was freakin AWESOME!! We did the 3-ride special: banana boat, bumper tube, and jet ski combo for $89ea after all the taxes and stuff. The cheapest deal I found was actually on their own website. Everything was super easy to book except the website didn't give me a time to arrive at the shop so I just called them and picked a time over the phone. It was pretty much open to my choosing because they weren't too busy in september. There is a 24 hour cancelation policy and no refund on no shows. Bumper tube is my absolute favorite!! Our driver was hilarious!! Jet skiing was cool too, but I didn't really like that we had to drive sounter clockwise in a triangle... At the end of the day, we bought a cd of pictures and videos of us flying off the tube into the super salty water. Our photographer wasn't the best tho. MUST DO!!
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Review from MJ M.
San Jose, CA
4/19/2010
Came here because Hanauma Bay's parking was closed. They offer packages for other water sports 3 for $79 but cost extra to do some of the other sports. The bf and I did the $49 Jet ski. It was $49 per person to share 1 jetski Plus $2 each for gas. (good for 1/2 hour) Totalled $106.79. Then they take you on a boat to the location. The guides are definately nice. They even offer to take pictures of you if you brought a camera. The only down side is that the jet ski lot was kind of small. You can only go around in a circle where the balloons are marked. Gets kinda boring after a while and the jet ski's are not that fast. But to top it off everyone was really nice!
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Review from Matthew C.
Fremont, CA
12/7/2006
Located in the Koko Marina. What a nice day to be dipped into the ocean water as we were parasailing. My brother and I were too scared for the Extreme version, but they gave us a taste of it anyway. The ride is very personal and the guides are really nice. (They also speak almost fluent Japanese). We were dunked all the way underwater and I didn't even think to wear swim shorts because I thought I would be in the air the whole time. It is really great because you can check out pictures afterwards! It was cool how they picked us up from our hostel, too! -Matt"
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Review from Axnflirt T.
Hayward, CA
9/16/2009
It was towards the end of our vacation and we wanted to do one last adventure to end on a great note. There were 5 of us, they have an online deal where you can do 3 activities for $79, we choose jet skiing, banana boating, and bumper tubes. There are "gas fees" associated to each activity, plus tax, so it came out to $90 ish a person.
Banana boating, we balanced ourselves according to weight, but this made it difficult for the driver to toss us off. When we rearranged ourselves to be slightly off balanced, it was much easier to catch us off guard, way more fun that way.
Bumper tube, we can fit 3 to tube or 2. It was our first time, I have to say, it was beyond fun and the pictures we got from it only showed the extreme joy and laughter from this experience. It super fun, love it.
Jet skiing, I love jet skiing, we had 30 minutes, there were waves (love), and since we were the last group of the day, the guy gave us an extra 10 minutes, awesome!
They take pictures of the banana & bumper activity, but for the bumper, since we were taking turns, we just had the waiting group take pictures for us. I recommend this method if your trying to save money.
Overall, it was completely worth the memories and captured moments. We all had a great time! -
Review from JeFF T.
Fremont, CA
11/12/2006
Located in the shopping center at Kalanianaole Hwy/Hanamaulu St of Hawaii Kai...24hr Fitness/Jamba Juice/Zippy's are out front, while this store front is toward the rear. $70 to rent a jet-ski for 30min and go around a set course. Oh, and plan only to be able to do it M-F, as long as it's not a holiday. No thanks. They have other deals and activities...but you wonder if it's worth it if they're charging so much for just one activity.
Listed in: My Oahu Haunts...
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Review from Cindy N.
San Jose, CA
10/2/2008
The great thing about traveling with different people is that you do things your normally wouldn't do. In all my times of going to Hawaii, I never thought of doing water sports, but we had such a good time, I just might do it again. The only drawback is that it took a lot longer to do everything than I thought it would and combining the wait with the sun we were so tired that we didn't even know if we wanted to do our last activity. We arrived at the center at about 10 and didn't finish until about 3 to do three activities. We all did different things, so perhaps that's why it took longer to get through everything. We started out with the banana boat. It was the first time any of us had done it and we didn't quite know what to expect. The banana boat ride was not just a peaceful ride around the cove. It was a hold on to for your dear life so you don't fall off kind of ride, but it was still so much fun. It took me being catapulted off a couple times before I realized that you need to use both your arms AND legs to hold on. After that we did jet-skiing. We were so afraid of tipping over we didn't go as fast as we could have which probably would have made it more fun. Lastly we did the bumper tube which is similar to the banana boat, but you're laying on a tube relying on only your arm strength to keep you up. The guys driving the boat were kind enough to go at a moderate pace since we were exhausted from the everything. Overall, it was a fun experience and I thought it was pretty reasonably priced. Next time I'd probably do the banana boat again and try para-sailing. Be sure to bring small bills for tips as there are several occasions we felt the need but unfortunately did not have the cash.
Listed in: My Musts in Hawaii
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Review from Joy W.
Honolulu, HI
6/21/2010
i made reservations for 2 for standup paddleboarding. they said i'd get 2 hours plus a brief land lesson for $49.95 each. they called me the morning of to reconfirm and i thought what a great, professional business! then i got there and they seemed confused about my reservation, what activity i had reserved and how much it would cost. plus, they called the instructor to tell him we were there and i could hear on the walkie talkie that the instructor had no idea to expect us. so they sent us out with another staffer, who had never been on a paddleboard before so he just gave us the equipment and told us to "go for it." a kind stranger watching nearby was actually the most helpful, offering tips and encouragement until we got the hang of it. she deserved the $100 more than the company! all in all, would not go again, despite the variety of activities offered and its proximity to our house. there are better-run businesses to frequent and they'll probably have friendlier, more competent staff too.
