Get ready for paradise!

Let go of planning your day around the weather forecast.

Although you can find a weather forecast for Kauai online, what’s forecasted versus what we get tends to vary greatly. Worrying about what is forecasted for a few days out is like worrying about what the weather will be doing six months from now. Let us focus on the weather, and you can focus on having an amazing time!

Kauai is home to seven different micro-climates, so if you don’t like what the weather is doing, you can wait it out or drive somewhere else.

West (Eleele/Hanapepe/Waimea/Kekaha): Dry, desert-like landscape (average annual rainfall 20 inches)
South (Koloa/Poipu): Days tend to be fairly dry, with passing showers at night (average annual rainfall 30-50 inches)
East (Lihue/Kapaa): Known as the windward side, experiences near-constant tradewind breezes and some passing showers (average annual rainfall 50-70 inches)
North (Princeville/Hanalei/Haena): Sometimes daily showers create dramatic lush landscapes and tropical rainforests (average annual rainfall 70-90 inches)
Center of Kauai (Mt. Waialeale): The unique shape and location of this ancient volcano creates one of the rainiest places in the world (average annual rainfall 400 inches)

Because weather and ocean conditions impact everything that we do, our captains watch the forecasts and buoys, and communicate closely. Being the northernmost of the Hawaiian Islands we are exposed to surf, currents, and weather with nothing to buffer us from what’s incoming, and no expansive reef system to tone down the ocean’s liveliness. Conditions can change quickly and with no weather radar or webcams along the Napali Coast, we rely on our experience and judgement to make daily weather decisions, with your safety and comfort as our top priority.

With over 25 years of experience, we have fine-tuned a tried-and-true policy that works for our unique situation. Every day our captains are required to make a general weather assessment and let our office staff know if a tour is confirmed or canceled. For our morning tours, the captain will let us know by 4:00 pm the evening before. For our afternoon tours, the captain has until 11:00 am to assess the days’ conditions. Once they communicate their decision our office staff will contact each party booked (so be sure to provide us with the best way to contact you: phone call, text, or email) to let them know if their tour is confirmed or canceled.

It doesn’t stop there, the captain will continue assessing incoming forecasts and buoy changes right up until check-in time (again, things can shift dramatically with just a little time!). It is mandatory that if our captain has any concerns about our advertised route being altered by weather/ocean conditions, our guests are asked to read over our “Weather Briefing Procedure” sheet when checking in, and our captains address the group (before boarding the vessel) to disclose any concerns about the planned tour route and itinerary. This transparency gives every person the chance to hear, with full disclosure, any anticipated changes and decide if they would like to proceed on the tour as disclosed, reschedule to another day (space permitting) at no financial penalty, or cancel with a full refund. The choice is yours, we want you to know what we expect out on the water, and if that doesn’t sound like a fit for you and your family, you can decide not to go.

It’s good to keep in mind that Kauai is a little island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with ever-changing conditions, for better or worse! We can experience extremes, but a typical day is partly sunny, a passing shower, and a nice breeze to keep the average temperature very comfortable year-round. Out on the water, a typical day can give us moments that are calm and flat, but also moments that are comparable to a galloping horseback ride/bouncy dune buggy ride/roller coaster ride. Rain doesn’t usually affect us on the water, but regardless, plan on getting wet! Sometimes we encounter a light misting or a full downpour, but most likely we will pass through it and find the rainbow on the other side.

Our best advice for your Kauai vacation – put your expectations aside and be open to the adventure that each day brings you!