Are you looking for a fun adventure to get you out on the water? During my first month on Oahu, Dan and I rented kayaks with a group of friends to head out to the Mokulua Islands also known as “the Mokes.” If you’re interested in making a similar trip, keep reading! I’ll detail our adventure of kayaking to the Mokes.
Where are The Mokes?
The Mokulua Islands are two islands off the coast of Oahu. It consists of Moku Nui, which is the larger island, and Moku Iki, which is the smaller island. You can see both islands from Lanikai Beach, and they serve as clear landmarks if you’re ever wondering which side of the island you’re on or where you’re located on the island.
On this particular adventure, our rental shop made it clear that we could only visit Moku Nui as Moku Iki is a bird sanctuary, and you’re not able to physically land on the land at all.
The Mokes – Moku Nui is on the left
How to Rent Kayaks
There are several rental shops located right in Kailua. We rented from TWOGOOD KAYAKS, and I’d recommend them without hesitation. Our group consisted of 6 people, so we got 3 double kayaks. In total, it ended up being $216 or $36 per person for a full-day rental. I, personally, thought that was a pretty great deal.
Our group watched a short safety video, and then the employees show our group on the map how to safely paddle out from the shore to avoid the current. After that, the shop helped us strap the kayaks to our cars and taught us how to do it so we could replicate it on the way back. We declined the seats in the kayaks to save money (an additional $10 per person), and while it could’ve been more comfortable, it certainly didn’t weigh on me that we didn’t have seats. In fact, I think I ended up sitting on the provided life jackets at least part of the time, which cushioned them.
An important note that the staff made while we were at the shop was that we weren’t technically allowed to land on Moku Nui because it was Sunday. Now, this didn’t mean that we couldn’t step foot on the island. However, it did mean that we couldn’t bring our kayaks on shore. I’m still not really sure the reasoning behind that; perhaps it’s intended to deter people from visiting on what would otherwise be one of the busiest days of the week? Whatever the reason, the rule was made in the name of conservation, which I support.
That said, it did make our trip trickier. We were told there is a $1000+ per person fine if we did land on the island. For obvious reasons, we wanted to avoid this, but what were we supposed to do?
They told us were could “anchor” our kayaks in the ocean and swim to shore. All we had to do was rent an anchor. Ten dollars later and they handed us a brick that was supposed to anchor all three of our kayaks in the open ocean.
For legal reasons, I’ll say that we definitely used that brick. We definitely did NOT pull our kayaks up onto shore like everyone else had done before us. (Dozens of kayaks were on shore already that day.) However, if you’re planning on going out to the Mokes, and your rental place says that a brick will do…don’t believe them. Your kayak will be floating away into the open ocean. If I did it all over again, I just wouldn’t go on a Sunday.
The kayak strapped to my cute 2008 Ford Fusion
Where We Kayaked
Before we went to the Mokes, we decided to go kayak through a small channel near Crouching Lion that the rental employees had told us about. It was a good warm-up and ended up being a much different experience than kayaking on the open ocean.
While it ended up making our day a little bit tight because of how much we tried to fit in before 4:30, I’m glad that we did both locations because I felt like we really got our money’s worth out of the kayak.
Part of the channel had a tree with a rope swing. We saw some other people paddleboarding along the same route as well, and overall, it was just a really relaxing atmosphere.
The tree and rope swing in the channel
After we finished in the channel, we stopped to grab a bite to eat in Kailua and then took our food to go on the way to a launching spot near Lanikai. The channel was nice and calm compared to the open ocean. While we dutifully followed the instructions of the rental shop so as not to get too close to the rocks, we ended up hitting choppy waters. At points, large waves were heading right for our tiny kayak.
The atmosphere in our kayak was tense. Dan did most (if not all) of the paddling all day long, and during these moments, you would have heard nothing but the crashing of the waves and his instructions to me to paddle. Fortunately, despite this drama, we made it. I had been most worried about the dry bag I had brought with us, and it survived without any issues.
Once on Moku Nui, we saw hundreds of people (yes, hundreds!). People had brought entire coolers with them and appeared to be camped out for the long haul. We didn’t have that long to explore, so we started hiking up and around the island. The first route we went didn’t lead us to much except wet rocks that looked more dangerous than anything else. The second route we went had some small tidepools where we spent the rest of our time taking pictures.
The two of us on Moku Nui
Dan enjoying the tide pool
By the time we were done, we only had about 45 minutes to kayak back and return them to the shop before the end-of-day deadline. If we didn’t meet it, we’d have to pay a hefty late fee. This spurred us into action, and I actually paddled on the way back to the beach (shocking).
After a mad dash, we made it to the shop at 4:30 on the dot. The whole day had taken roughly 7 hours start to finish. We had arrived in Kailua at 9:30 AM and rather lazily connected at the rental shop. After about an hour of getting organized, we left at 10 AM and started off on our adventure.
Final Thoughts
I’d recommend kayaking to the Mokes under a few circumstances.
- You love kayaking
- You love the idea of visiting one of the many smaller islands off of Oahu
- You’re looking for an activity off the beaten path
I’m glad that we spent the time exploring Hawaii this way; however, I’m not sure I would do it again. There was nothing I’d want to see again, and it was incredibly exhausting. Plus, there was quite a bit of stress/uncertainty when it came to paddling out in the open ocean and trying to navigate not being able to land on the island itself.
Give it a try and let me know what you think! Find other fun things to do on Oahu on my Hawaii bucket list.