Last week I posted about the cutest thing you should do in Kauai. This week, I’m talking about the craziest thing you need to do in Kauai!! I promise it will make your entire trip and I think EVERYONE* that goes to Kauai HAS to do this. I will definitely be bringing my parents on this adventure when I return to Kauai one day!

So what is it? It’s a boat tour of the famous, beautiful Kauai Napali Coast but it’s not just any boat. It’s a freakin’ SPEED RAFT. You have to hold on for dear life the entire time but it is SOOOOO fun (way better than some sissy catamaran lol). With the smaller speed raft, you can not only do a bunch of tricks on the waters (drift, donuts, etc.) but you can also go through all the sea caves (conditions permitting)! You’ll also get a chance to snorkel (which is one of my favorite things to do!) at a coral reef area where you’ll see tons of marine life and, of course, turtles!

You will see on every Google search that the #1 recommended activity to do in Kauai is to do a Napali coast tour, but it’s important you choose the right one and I cannot recommend enough GoBlueAdventures and their Zodiac speed raft tour. Here are some tips for your booking:

• Call and ask for Captain Mads (and deck hand Mana #2!). Mads is the top reviewed captain on their TripAdvisor site and…she is literally AMAZING! She’s SO cool and funny, but she’s also a total BEAST at driving the boat and can do the craziest boat tricks that require serioussssss skill that I bet most captains can’t do
• Call and inquire about their cash discount when making your reservation (+ bring cash to pay)
• Out of the 2 tours they offer, choose the Na Pali Coast Adventure tour
• TAKE. DRAMAMINE. It’s a rough ride but I didn’t get sick at all thanks to the dramamine. That is, until I went snorkeling…LOL
• I got a litttttle sick while snorkling (if I hadn’t taken the dramamine, it probably would’ve been a lot worse). I think the wading/staying still while the rocky water rocked me back and forth is what made me sick, so just keep it moving/swimming whie snorkeling
• If you aren’t great at swimming, ask for a floaty when snorkeling bc it is really helpful~
• Sit in the back left seats when you first get into the boat. IMO those were the best seats because 1) the back is the smoothest ride, 2) you get the shade from the captain’s overhang, and 3) you’ll be facing the Na Pali Coast so you don’t have to twist yourself to see it. On the way back to land, try to sit on the back right 🙂
• Put your phone at the very top of your bag or somewhere easily reachable (wear a fanny pack if you have one!). Like I said, the ride is pretty wild so it’s not easy to hold onto the boat while unbuckling your bag and looking for your phone at the same time
• Put your clothes/items into your bag when you take them off. If you don’t, your stuff WILL get soaked

I hope you take this recommendation when you go to Kauai – you won’t regret it 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

Xo,
Em

*If you have any sort of injuries (bad back, etc.), please give them a call and check to see if it is cleared for your situation. They even said if you are pregnant that you should not do this 😮 Personally, I thought it was not so bad, it’s like riding a really rough rollercoaster. There was evenn a set of grandparents on our ride and they seemed fine (though they looked really active/healthy) .