Not just anyone can become a guide for Discover Hawaii Tours. In fact, prospective guides have to run the gauntlet of rigorous training, studying, and testing on the islands' history. But those who succeed can expound on all manner of local topics from sea turtle anatomy to Pearl Harbor facts. Only then are they qualified to lead the small, personalized tours that span Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island.

These themed tours share Hawaii's most treasured sights, often including the acitve volcano Mt. Kilauea and sights as small and wondrous as the darting fish in Hanauma Bay. Depending on which excursion you choose, you might have the chance to pull on a mask and flippers for a day of snorkeling or steel yourself for the fire-dancing performances at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The guides also draw on their knowledge as locals to bring groups to secluded locations, such as the beach on Oahu's North Shore where turtles are known to gather and the cove where surfers go to perfect their mating dances.