Turtles & You
Turtles & You
Paddle a stand up board or a kayak up Oahu's longest river, where Hawaiian green sea turtles come in from the Pacific to rest. Ninety minutes of calm water, jungle banks, and honu gliding right beneath your board. Perfect for beginners and every age.
Group rate from $140 · Private options available
Check Availability →Most people meet Hawaii's honu out on the reef. This tour does something different. You paddle inland, up a quiet river lined with mangroves and jungle, and the turtles come to you. The Anahulu River in Haleiwa works as a rest stop for green sea turtles arriving from long journeys across the Pacific, and the calm, sheltered water gives them somewhere safe to pause where predators cannot follow.
That makes for a strange and wonderful ninety minutes. Turtles slide along beneath your board, surface beside you for a breath, and haul out on the muddy banks to bask in the sun with the jungle at their backs. There is no surf, no current to fight, and no boat engine. Just the sound of your paddle and a river that has been part of Hawaiian life for centuries.
It is also one of the easiest places on Oahu to try stand up paddling for the first time. The water is flat and protected, your guide runs through everything before you launch, and you can choose a kayak instead if sitting sounds better than standing. Families mix the two all the time.
A closer look at the honu you may share the river with, and the work going into protecting them.
The guided tour runs about 90 minutes. Turtle sightings and the exact route shift with conditions on the day.
Green sea turtles cover enormous distances in the open Pacific, and a river mouth like the Anahulu is the equivalent of a rest area. The water is calm, it is sheltered from the swell that pounds the North Shore for much of the winter, and it keeps them away from the predators that patrol open water. Turtles use the same safe places over and over, which is why this particular stretch has become so reliable for sightings.
You will often see them doing two very different things. Some are underwater, moving slowly upstream or resting on the bottom in the shade of the banks. Others have hauled themselves out onto the mud and are lying in the sun, which is normal, healthy behavior for Hawaiian green sea turtles and not a sign that anything is wrong.
The Anahulu, also called Anahulu Stream, runs about 7.1 miles and is the longest watercourse on Oahu. It forms where the Kawainui and Kawaiiki streams meet on the western side of the northern Koolau Range, then flows west northwest down through Kawailoa Gulch before emptying into the eastern end of Waialua Bay at Haleiwa. Its watershed covers roughly 16 square miles.
The name Anahulu translates to ten days in Hawaiian. The valley near the river mouth was the site of ancient Hawaiian villages, and in the 1800s it became a favorite summer retreat for Hawaiian royalty. Paddling it today, with jungle on both banks and turtles moving below you, it is easy to understand the appeal.
Stand up paddling turned up in a few places around the world, but the modern surfing tradition behind it is unmistakably Polynesian. In the 1940s, Waikiki surf instructors including Duke Kahanamoku and Leroy and Bobby AhChoy started taking paddles out and standing on their boards, mostly so they could see their students better across the water. What began as a practical trick for watching surfers grew into the sport people travel to Hawaii to try.
The tour meets at Anahulu Stream in Haleiwa on Oahu's North Shore, where the river runs out into Waialua Bay beside the historic Haleiwa bridge. Give yourself extra time, since North Shore traffic through Haleiwa town can be slow, especially on weekends and when the surf is up.
Any change to your reservation needs at least 48 hours notice. Inside that window the following applies.
If you need to cancel a reservation you have just made, call within 24 hours of booking.
Hawaiian green sea turtles use the Anahulu River as a resting place, so sightings are common. Guests often see honu swimming below and alongside the boards, and resting on the banks of the stream in the sun. They are wild animals, so nothing can be guaranteed, but this stretch of water is one of their regular stops.
No. This tour is built for beginners and all ages. Your guide covers everything before you get on the water, and the Anahulu is a calm, sheltered river rather than open ocean, which makes it one of the easiest places in Hawaii to learn.
Yes. You can stand up paddle board or kayak, whichever you prefer. Groups often mix the two, and it is a good option if some people in your party want to sit and others want to stand.
The guided tour runs about 90 minutes, or an hour and a half, on the water.
The tour meets at Anahulu Stream in Haleiwa, on Oahu's North Shore. The river empties into Waialua Bay right beside the historic Haleiwa bridge.
There are four ways to book. An open group rate, which shares the tour with other guests, a private group rate for parties of three or more, a two person private tour, and a one person private tour. The private options give you one on one time with your instructor.
Any change to your reservation needs at least 48 hours notice. Rescheduling inside 48 hours carries a 75 dollar fee, and cancelling inside 48 hours is charged the full value of the tour. Arriving late and missing the safety briefing is also charged the full value of the tour.
The Anahulu works as a rest stop. Honu travel long distances across the Pacific, and the calm, sheltered water of the stream gives them somewhere safe to rest away from predators. That is why the same stretch of river sees turtles again and again.
Anahulu River Nature and Turtle Tour
🔒 Free changes with 48+ hours notice