Holo Holo Blog

Sincere mahalos to everyone that took the time to vote for Holo Holo Charters in the recent 2023 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest for Best Tour Company in Hawaii! We were honored to be nominated and we nearly clinched the title—coming in second place. Notably, the tour companies that came in “top…

When it comes to giving back to our Kauai community, Holo Holo Charters isn’t here just to talk the talk, we’re here to walk the walk, and we mean that literally! Holo Holo Charters is a proud sponsor of the Visitor Industry Charity Walk happening this year on May 6, 2023. The Hawaii Lodging &…

Holo Holo Charters hosts several student groups annually during whale season for an incredible two-hour journey on a Keiki Marine Life Excursion. This outdoor educational experience offers students a deeper understanding and appreciation for our humpback whales and other marine life, it’s an opportunity to learn about the island and ocean ecosystems, plus it’s a…

Aloha! Are you makaukau (ready) for a week-long celebration of fun? If you are visiting Kauai during the week of February 18th through the 25th, come to the westside and experience an 8-day festival of concerts, competitions, and cultural events beginning President’s Day weekend. This year marks the 46th annual Waimea Town Celebration! Photo Courtesy…

January 30- February 17, 2023 Holo Holo Charters will not be operating any of our fabulous Napali Coast or Niihau boat tours. Please bear with us through this time as we remodel our check-in office and haul-out our catamarans for regular maintenance. In the summer of 2022, the Holo Holo Charters maintenance department moved out…

Well friends, it’s time to mark another notch on the Holo Holo Charters timeline! January 2023 is officially going down as the month and year we sold our Hanalei operations and brought all the chips back home to Port Allen to reinvest in our home-base operations—woo hoo! Yep, we sold our two Hanalei Bay permits, our two badass RHIB boats, and pretty much all the related supporting assets, all in one convenient package. It’s a big deal, but we’re passing everything along to a really solid guy, and for that reason, we’re feeling great about it.

Aloha friends, remember last April when Holo Holo Charters was named the #1 Best Boat Tour in America by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Award contest??? Earning that national recognition was HUGE! To any old landlubber on the street, it might sound like just another online poll but keep in mind that USA Today…

From the Garden Island to the Big Apple—look out New York City! For the seventh year, Holo Holo Charters will be representing Kauai at America’s Favorite Travel Show, the NYC Travel & Adventure Show. Soon, our Creative Manager Kit Furderer and Sales & Private Charters Manager Cindy Kauanui will be digging out their “winter on…

Happy New Year friends and ocean lovers! Holo Holo Charters is excited to announce that we are now live and rolling with a new carbon offset project that will eventually offset 100% of our carbon emissions via a Hawaii-based program called Carbon Buddy. If you’re familiar with our company’s values, you know that we are…

It started with a boatbuilder and a niche idea for a new ocean adventure—a Kauai boat tour that went all the way around Kauai and to our neighbor island of Niihau and back, all in one day. Our company’s founder, boatbuilder Kevin Millett, secured the permits and got the loans. He drew the plans, ordered…

Kauai, it’s time to put on the comfy pants and take a spin out west to the historic Waimea Theatre, to watch The Wind and the Reckoning—the world’s very first Hawaiian language film with international distribution! The Wind & the Reckoning had its world premiere at the Boston Film Festival on September 24, 2022, where it…

HUMPBACK WHALE CONSERVATION AND THE HYDROPHONE It’s the end of fall which means we’re right around the corner from humpback whale season here in Hawaii! Soon our Holo Holo Charters Captains, crew, and guests will be oohing and ahhhing daily during our Kauai, Napali Coast, and Niihau boat tours– as massive, intelligent, sentient, and curious…

Here at Holo Holo Charters, we’re always looking for ways to support and give back to our community. Also, we love food. So, when the Rice Street Business Association called to ask if we’d be interested in sponsoring their recent event, the Battle of the Food Trucks, we just had to say yes. It was…

We’ve all heard the phrase “talk the talk, walk the walk” a million times. It basically means that a person (or in our case, a company) should support what they say, not just with words, but also through action. In this blog post, we want to touch on the sometimes-underappreciated importance of “talking the talk” and then list some ways…

Approximately 1,500 years ago, braving the open ocean in their double-hulled voyaging canoes and navigating by the stars, the first humans migrated to Hawaii from the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and other island groups. The migration happened in waves, over centuries, and the settlers brought with them more than two dozen plant species essential to their…

photography by: Jo Evans, Da Kine Images One of our core values here at Holo Holo Charters is to have a positive impact on our island community, and that’s why we’re happy to be sponsors of the upcoming 2022 Kauai Marathon on Sunday, September 4th. The marathon is back after a 3 year hiatus, so…

We are seeking a diverse range of healthy, happy, fashionable individuals, couples, and families to join us for a photoshoot aboard our 50’ sailing catamaran Leila. Let us wine and dine you while we adventure along Kauai’s iconic Napali Coast, capturing beautiful videos and photos to show off our award-winning Napali Sunset and Sailing Tour….

Regenerative Tourism Volunteer Opportunities on Kauai 2022 There’s a new buzzword in the tourism industry, “Regenerative Tourism.” Prior to 2021, the term was always “sustainable tourism”—the idea that tourism should leave a place in the same condition as it was before. But then things got turned up a notch! “Regenerative tourism” is the hot new…

Photo © copyright by aFeinberg You’re going to love driving on Kauai—the roads are clean, and the views are stunning! Whether you’re looking makai (to the ocean side of the road) or mauka (to the mountain side of the road) your eyes will be absolutely delighted with Kauai’s vibrant palette and diverse range of climate zones,…

Some vacations are for walking around bustling cities taking in all the history and cultural arts. Some vacations are about having an all-inclusive, no-brainer, treat yo’self experience. Kauai vacations are about getting out there— in the sun, in the rain, and underneath the rainbows! Kauai is for the adventurous. It’s a fact– Kauai tends to…

Gosh friends, we have to say– 2022 has been a very exciting year for our company Holo Holo Charters. First, we became the first tour boat company in the state of Hawaii to invest in cutting-edge, energy-saving diesel outboard motor technology. Then, we were named the #1 Best Boat Tour in America by USA Today…

Tying the Naut: Nautical Ideas for a Kauai Destination Wedding-Kauai sunset cruise Aloha friends, Kauai’s destination wedding industry is booming! Couples from all over the world are recruiting their friends and family to Hawaii’s most romantic island to tie the knot and spend quality time together. Here at Holo Holo Charters, we’ve seen a significant…

Aloha friends, and please join us in a round of applause and a big ho’omaika’i ‘ana (congratulations!) to Chandra Bertsch, Holo Holo Charters’ co-owner and general manager, who recently graduated the Leadership Kauai program, Class of 2022. In this blog post, we’re going to cover two things: the Leadership Kauai program and Chandra’s Awesomeness. First:…

So, you booked a trip to Kauai—yay! Happy dance!! Each of Hawaii’s main islands without a doubt has its own unique flavor and appeals but obviously, we’re partial to Kauai.  Kauai is the oldest of the islands, and has thus had the most time to erode, and thus has the biggest bestest sandy beaches. It’s…

Aloha friends, did you hear the exciting news??? Holo Holo Charters has been named the #1 Best Boat Tour in the U.S. by the USA Today 10Best Readers Choice Awards contest! Once again for those in the back: Holo Holo Charters has been named the #1 BEST BOAT TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!…

The 2022 summer north shore season has officially commenced, and boy are we ready for a good one! We’ve been running our Napali Coast raft boat snorkeling tours out of Hanalei since 2012, and each season presents its own difficulties but, to be honest—the last four years have been exceptionally challenging. And it’s not just us; they’ve been exceptionally challenging on all of Hanalei’s businesses. Let us explain what’s been going on…

Aloha friends, and thank you in advance for taking the time to read this! Here’s the deal: we need your help. We need your online vote so that we can be named the Best Boat Tour in the U.S. Hear us out! Like most people, we kind of roll our eyes when, for example, a…

Extra! Extra! Really exciting news here! We just became the first tour boat operator in the state of Hawaii to invest in diesel outboard motors. This is a big deal; a huge upgrade! For most people out there, who aren’t marine motorheads, let us break this down. Diesel motors have a lot of advantages over…

Can you believe that the very first movie ever filmed on Kauai was released in 1934? Nineteen thirty-four!! The one-hour-and-two-minute movie, White Heat, was directed by an influential female director Lois Weber, and examines the angst caused by mixed-race relationships on a sugar plantation. It was filmed on location in Waimea! Since White Heat (almost…

Sometime during this past decade, the Turkish beach towel arrived on the American scene. At first, it wasn’t clear if these Middle Eastern materials were just having a “moment” among trendy, wanderlust-types, or if the fad would stick. But now it’s 2022 and they’re sold at Costco; it’s safe to say the product has “made…

Great news friends! After a two-year Covid-hiatus, the Kauai Brewers Festival—arguably the hippest and certainly the hoppiest community event on the island—is back this spring! Come see and be seen at the Poipu Beach Athletic Club on Saturday, April 9, from 2-6pm. Craft breweries from Hawaii and the mainland will be pouring dozens of brews,…

Holo Holo Charters hosts several student groups annually during whale season for an incredible two-hour journey on a Keiki Marine Life Excursion. This outdoor educational experience offers students a deeper understanding and appreciation for our humpback whales and other marine life, it’s an opportunity to learn about the island and ocean ecosystems, plus it’s a…

It would be convenient if every one of our Napali Coast boat tours worked out exactly as described here on our web page, but that will never happen. We can control our staff, we can control our boats, but we’ll never be able to control Mother Nature, and the fact is that some days, the…

Part of our big-picture mission here at Holo Holo Charters is to attract healthy, happy humans that make the world a better place, and to foster a stable, fulfilling work environment that makes them stay. Our Assistant Operations Manager, Jess Rickard, really embodies that ideal, and we’d like to take this blog post to recognize…

It’s humpback whale season in Hawaii and it’s like the nature channel out on the Napali Coast. Last week, one of our Napali Coast Tours was extra-blessed to witness a humpback whale birth! It was the afternoon of Wednesday, February 2nd and the tour was on Leila, our sailing catamaran. Holo Holo crew member Cinzia…

“One bite of a Kauai Coffee Coconut Caramel Crunch Brownie & you’ll instantly be transported to paradise!” Have you ever asked yourself can food make me happy? Hmmm… I suppose combining two of our favorite things, coffee, and chocolate into a bite-size brownie could possibly do just that and put a huge smile on your…

It’s Five o’clock Somewhere Listen, we’ve heard all the Jimmy Buffett songs and we know that boat drinks can really soften the edges and enhance an ocean experience. We get it and we’re here for you with a well-rounded selection of adult beverages. Here’s what we’re offering as of October 2021: Beer brewing in Hawaii…

You know, it’s interesting because, for as many songs as there are about cars and driving, there’s really not that many about boats. There’s plenty of great music to listen to on a boat (it’s music–pretty much everything works depending on your mood), but songs that are actually boat-themed? Surprisingly not that many! Here are…

Kauai is an excellent destination for a family vacation. It’s laid back, it’s safe and there are plenty of kid-friendly activities to enjoy, on top of simply going to the beach. Here are some ideas for your family vacation on Kauai. First suggestion is that, in the spirit of being more connected and intentional about…

Kauai is a lot of things and expensive is one of them. Getting here is expensive, being here is expensive, living here is expensive… there’s just no getting around it. That’s why you might be looking for some ideas for activities that are free—so you can make the most of every moment of your trip…

Holo Holo Charters has voluntarily participated in NOAA’s Dolphin SMART program for over a decade. We feel it’s our privilege and responsibility to protect the marine life and fragile ecosystems we enjoy everyday. The Dolphin SMART program is in place to promote responsible stewardship of wild dolphins in coastal waterways. Unfortunately, not all tour operators…

Let’s take a minute to recognize and appreciate the dedicated catering team that keeps our guests well-fed on the water, Rose and Bros! Rose and Bros is run by a local southside couple, Kai and Shay, who named their company after their three kids, Akira Rose (six years old) and her two brothers, Kanoa (10…

Port Allen, Kaua’I – Baby Humpback Whale is The First Sighting in Kaua’i Waters During the 2021-2022 Humpback Whale Season! Captain Mike Lynch of Holo Holo Charters spotted the first humpback whale of the season in Kaua’i waters this past Saturday, October 2, 2021. Holo Holo Charters’ vessel Leila, was just a quarter-mile off…

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and their survival is inextricably linked to our own. In addition to providing nesting grounds and homes for thousands of species, they also help stabilize the ocean floor, prevent coastal erosion, minimize storm surge damage, contribute to the mitigation of climate change, filter…

The first thing we want to say about snorkeling on Kauai is this: please be cautious about it. Snorkeling fatalities on Kauai aren’t super common but they’re not super uncommon either and you can imagine how tragic it would be to leave Hawaii with one less person than you came with. It makes us shudder…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the entire country’s restaurant industry is struggling to gain its footing again now that we’re in the “comeback” phase of Covid-19. Here on Kauai, we live on a rock, and the situation is no different. Every day it’s getting better, but realistically– expect some challenges…

Best things to do on Kauai Best Sunrise—Are you an early riser? Grab a coffee at Java Kai in downtown Kapaa and head to Fuji Beach (also known as Baby Beach) at the end of Moanakai Rd. There’s a picnic table where you can sit and sip and watch the colors on the horizon change…

Kōkeʻe State Park: After the hustle and bustle of your wedding, you might be ready to escape to nature and if so, the “Grand Canyon of Hawaiʻi” is just the place. Whether you’re looking to burn off all that cake and champagne with a challenging 8-mile hike, enjoy a casual stroll with incredible views, or…