Stand Up Paddle Adventures

I started noticing paddle boarding a couple of years ago at canoes surf break. Well, it has become so popular that I even saw people doing it in Austin, Texas. So it was just a matter of time before Hostel Tours Hawaii started offering stand-up paddle adventures. HTH found an awesome guide, Ryan, who has just started his own company focusing on calm, down wind water paddles in Kahana Bay, Haleiwa, Shark's Cove, & the Leeward Coast. He took us on a great scenic paddle that started in Ka'a'awa & ended up the Kahana River, which in one of O'ahu's last remaining publicly owned Ahupua'a . Ryan pointed out various markers, including the Crouching Lion, WWII bunkers, the Kualoa Valley, & indigenous/endemic plant species used by the Hawaiians.

31 Hawaiian families live in this Ahupua'a, and we got to see them bringing in some fish using traditional methods.


After a brief lesson showing us how to stand up, turn, & stop on the paddle board, we entered the beautiful blue calm waters of Kahana Bay & headed up the windward coast.






Can you spot the turtle?



This is the Huilia Fish Pond, which is a traditional Hawaiian fishing pond still in use in Kahana. In the background, the spectacular Ko'olau Mountains.

Ryan & Cody trying to figure out what part of the awesome scenery in the Windward side to focus on, while still making sure not to run into any coral with their paddle boards.




No doubt my favorite part of the Windward paddle tour; going upstream through overgrowth and the humbling view of the Ko'olau Mountains.






A treat at the end of an awesome trip & a great work out! Stand-up paddling was not as difficult as I thought it would be, & doing it with the Ko'olau mountains as a backdrop gave us a great point of view. Thanks Ryan!


The paddle boards we used: 11' NSP.



Check out our website for more info. on the different paddle tours we offer, including Kahana Bay, Shark's Cove, Haleiwa, Waimea Bay, Leeward Coast & custom paddle/camping adventures!
Hostel Tours Hawaii