Turtle Canyon Tours Compared

Turtle Canyon is the name the Waikiki boats give to a stretch of reef off the shore of Honolulu where snorkelers go to see green sea turtles, honu. You can only reach it by boat, and more than a dozen operators sell a trip there: guided snorkel boats from Kewalo Basin Harbor, catamarans from the Ala Wai harbor and the Hilton Lagoon, sail boats that board on the sand of Waikiki Beach, small fast boats for six, and trips that pick you up at your hotel. They all go to the same reef. What changes from one to the next is who runs it, where you board, how long you spend in the water, what you are promised if no turtle shows up, and the price, which runs from $60 to $170 a person.

The short answer

If you want one trip that takes the planning off your hands, book Oceanstar, sold on GetYourGuide as [4HR w/PickUp] Waikiki Turtle Canyon Snorkel 6-in-1 Activity. A van collects you at one of 12 points in Waikiki, the boat runs about 20 minutes to the reef, and you get about three hours there: the turtles first, then kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and floating sea chairs. A certified lifeguard is on board and the crew fits flotation gear on anyone who wants it. If no turtles are spotted you may come back on another tour free. It costs from $107 in current promotion (usually $120) a person, with 129 reviews (checked November 2026). The Oceanstar page has the details.

Check dates for Oceanstar's trip

Pick your operator

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.

What Turtle Canyon is

It is a reef, not a canyon you can see from land, and it has no official name. No state or federal agency describes a reef called Turtle Canyon off Waikiki. The nearest official record is the state’s five “Canyons Reef” day-use moorings, half a mile east of the Ala Wai harbor’s channel buoys: lava reef ending in sand, a maximum depth of 40 feet, and green sea turtles. The state does not say whether those are the moorings the tours use, so most of what is known comes from the trips themselves. Pink Sails Waikiki reaches it in 10 to 15 minutes from the Ala Wai harbor, Oceanstar in about 20 minutes, and Island Splash Tours anchors about three-quarters of a mile off the beach. Do not confuse it with the state’s “Turtle Canyons” moorings in Maunalua Bay off Hawaii Kai, a different reef several miles east; where Turtle Canyon is shows both on a map.

The turtle you meet is the green sea turtle, honu in Hawaiian. Hawaii’s green turtles are a population found nowhere else and are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act and state law. Adults grow to 3 to 4 feet in shell length, graze on limu (seaweed), and come up to breathe every 15 to 30 minutes, which is why people who stay on deck often see them too.

The operators side by side

Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026. Adult fares per person. Living Ocean Tours, Charter Oahu, Island Splash Tours, Pink Sails Waikiki and Waikiki Sailing Company sell the same trip on both platforms, sometimes at different prices; each operator’s page gives both.

Each of the big operators has its own page here: Living Ocean Tours, Charter Oahu, Oceanstar, Island Splash Tours, Pink Sails Waikiki and Waikiki Sailing Company. The price comparison lists what each one leaves out, from parking to tips.

Boat tour, snorkel tour, or both

Every Turtle Canyon trip is a boat trip; the difference is how much of it you spend in the water and who is in there with you. Guided snorkel boats (Living Ocean Tours, Island Splash Tours, Hawaii Ocean Charters) put guides in the water with the group. Sail-and-snorkel catamarans (Waikiki Sailing Company’s Hāwea, Holokai, Three Tiki Sailing) give you a shorter swim and a sail along the shore. Water-toy trips (Oceanstar, Blue Ocean Snorkeling) add kayaks and paddleboards after the turtles. If someone in your party will not swim, Charter Oahu has a swim step to sit on with your feet in the water. The boat tour or snorkel tour guide sorts every operator into these groups.

The rules on every boat

• Keep 10 feet (3 meters) away from a turtle, in the water and on the beach. That is NOAA’s and the state’s recommended distance; it is guidance rather than a legal line, but harassing a turtle is against the law.
• Never touch, chase, ride or feed a turtle. Hawaii’s natural-resources department, DLNR, says touching or feeding a turtle in any way counts as a disturbance and is illegal. Under state law a first offence is a misdemeanor, with a fine of at least $250, up to a year in jail, or both.
• If a turtle swims toward you, stay still and let it pass.
• Sunscreen: since January 1, 2021, Hawaii has banned the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone or octinoxate without a prescription. A rash guard means less sunscreen in the water.

Take the flotation the crew offers even if you swim well. Snorkeling is the activity most often involved in ocean drownings in Hawaii, and on the Waikiki shore from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to Kapahulu, 41 of the 50 people who drowned between 2009 and 2018 were not Hawaii residents, according to Hawaii’s health department. Is Turtle Canyon worth it covers sea conditions and who should skip it.

Who should look elsewhere

• You would rather see turtles resting on the sand, or snorkel Hanauma Bay: snorkelingwithturtlesoahu.com covers the rest of Oahu, from Laniakea Beach on the North Shore to the west-side boats.
• You are choosing by the pier nearest your hotel, or need a boat for young children or a non-swimmer: snorkelwithturtleswaikiki.com goes through the Waikiki departure points, pickup, ages and swimming rules boat by boat.