Hawaii’s Big Island is home to migrating pods of humpback whales, which often breach as they build up energy for their northward migration. This narrated tour brings you to some of the best viewing grounds via 24-person catamaran. You’re able to hear the whales singing through the provided hydrophones. The tour provider guarantees whale sightings or the next trip is free.

View humpback whales in prime breaching season
Enjoy expert narration and listen to whales singing through provided hydrophones
Take in Big Island views aboard a small catamaran
Bottled water, light refreshments, and snacks provided

What's Included

Bottled water
Snacks
Professional guide

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy
74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
After turning into the harbor, TAKE the very first road to the RIGHT. Follow the road, pass Gentry's Kona Marine and a small gas station -Sea Store and Deli on the left, then TURN LEFT. As you drive in, you will see a small brown roof building to the right (restrooms). Meet crew under the pavilion.

Start time

12:30 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Not wheelchair accessible

Not recommended for pregnant women in advanced pregnancy
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

JYCARI_D

10/10 experience. We got super lucky and got to see whales, dolphins, manta rays, and a sea turtle. Aiden and the whole crew were amazing! So welcoming and friendly. There was a mixed crowd, great vibes overall. Would definitely recommend this activity.

Reviews

4.5

325 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 325 reviews

Great whale watching experience

Johnna_G, Apr 2023

Simon was an amazing boat captain. He knew where to take us to see the most whale action. We found a group of spinner dolphins too. We also got to hear the whales, which was super cool. The staff at as super knowledgeable about whales too and answered any and all questions.

Great crew, rough sea problems

Kelly_R, Apr 2023

The crew was wonderful, helpful and definitely knew how to find whales! However, I have a definite propensity to motion sickness. I have a medication that usually works for me (I took it) and I went whale watching in Alaska and had a wonderful, problem free time. I chose a smaller boat because I wanted to be around less people and this was my mistake. The sea was very rough, though they said it wasn’t too bad. If that was true and the water in Hawaii is always rough then if you get motion sickness you will need a larger, more stable craft from a different company. Also, my mom is 74 and at the first stop to see the whales, it was so rough she had to sit down and was never able to safely move around again. She didn’t see much because someone stood at the rail in front of her the whole time. Again, a larger, more stable boat would have been better for our group. If yours doesn’t have these challenges, you’ll have a great time .

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks for the accolades of our crew! We’re sorry to hear you had a sea sick ride. All our boats are a twin hull design which is the smoothest and least rocky ride you can get. Size doesn’t correlate to stability in boats. Sometimes Hawaii waves can get tough even for the smoothest ride boats, even cruise ships.

Successful

Alan_C, Apr 2023

A whale watching trip is always successful when whale(s) are seen. 2 whales were spotted on this trip. So, it was a very good trip

The experience was...

Jeremy_S, Mar 2023

The experience was enjoyable and the staff were friendly. The main issue is that they knew this time of year was not good for seeing whales. In fact one of the staff said they would likely stop the whale tours after our trip, since it wasn’t a success. It seems like the company continues to give these tours this late into the whale season because it brings in so much money, rather than stopping the tours when the whale activity dies off. They keep going until they don’t see whales anymore. So, they are gambling with your money.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks for the nice accolades for our crew. We did see 2 whales on that trip. Whale season is not predictable at the end. One day you have whales, the next day they are all gone. When the Gam thins we know the migration started and we stop our tours. Thus why 2 whales was decided to be our last trip. We pride ourselves on always insuring a great customer experience.

Only one site for viewing whales

Alana_G, Mar 2023

Initially, the tour was great. We saw a mom and her baby right at the start. However, we didn't go looking for more whales after that and stalled with the engine off for nearly two hours, which caused us both to get extremely sea sick without anything to look at it.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

We are glad you saw a mom and calf right away. The whales are amazing. The boat was not stalled, we turn the engine off to try to attract more whales as well as put a mic in the water to pick up any singing. If the sea was a bit rough that day we apologize. Our ocean can be a bit frisky every once in awhile.

What an amazing afternoon!

Grant_W, Mar 2023

What started out as a slow trip, only saw a small hammerhead on the trip out, ended on a huge high! We saw a huge pod of dolphins, they love swimming with the boat and the captain did a huge circle st speed so we would watch them surf the wake. We then saw a whale shark! A rare sight in these waters! We spent a lot of time watching the whale shark. What an amazing sight. While watching the whale shark we finally spotted the whales. It is the end of the season but we managed to find 3 or 4. While we didn’t see one breach they did linger around the boat for a while. We ended up getting back later then scheduled because the captain was determined to let us all enjoy nature at its finest!

Great! whales and dolphins

Christy_K, Mar 2023

Toward the end of migration season but we were lucky to see a few whales. The dolphins playing in the boat wake was an amazing sight too. Great trip. Avoid if you’re prone to seasickness.

10/10 must do in big island

JYCARI_D, Mar 2023

Good time! Lots to see.

Miguel_B, Mar 2023

Good crew. Had about about an hour watching humpback whale with baby swim around. Also saw manta rays and dolphins. Crew answered questions , provided snacks and boat was really good.

Best trip ever

Gregory_C, Mar 2023

Seeing the whales was amazing. We also got to see dolphins and manta rays. The staff was great. Simon was a great captain, knowledgeable & fun. Aiden gave great information about the whales. The lady( sorry I can't remember her name) was so nice & made sure we were having a great time.

It was late in the...

David_N, Mar 2023

It was late in the season, but we still saw whales, and had the dolphins swim along with us, which was as awesome site.

Best in Kona!

Christie_M, Mar 2023

Lived in Kona for 13 years. Have done multiple whale watching tours. This trip was the best! Crew are fun and very accommodating. Stayed longer to make sure we had plenty of time to see whales and dolphins. Lots of great information shared. Lots of laughter. Great whale sightings. Crew knew just where to go. Highly recommend this trip!

Breaching whales

Suzanne_G, Mar 2023

The captain and crew were amazing and so knowledgeable. We had such a great time. They were so kind to my little granddaughter and she had a blast. Thank you

Don't waste your time

Kristy_C, Mar 2023

Don't waste your time right now unless you just want a boat ride. They lied about seeing whales to us just to get us to buy the ticket. Good luck!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

We see whales on 99% of our trips. Wildlife is never predictable just like going out deep sea fishing but catching nothing. We do always offer a rebook to try the excision again at no cost.

perfect vacation activity

chloedugger1, Mar 2023

Jacob was awesome- we saw lots of spinner dolphins and several whales. I enjoyed that we stayed out a little longer than planned so everyone could have the best experience.

Beautiful

Gina_S, Mar 2023

Tour guides were fabulous! Ocean was beautiful, unfortunately we didn’t get to see any whales up close. A couple of spouts and tails

Young crew

alixgabby, Mar 2023

The tour operator tried his best to maximize our whatever sightings. But he was really young and with more experience in entertaining the large group with knowledge, stories, history and finess I believe he has the potential to thrive is this business (and get better tips).

Only a few whales

Maria_G, Mar 2023

This was a beautiful day, with lots of sun and relatively calm water. The check-in process was a little bit confusing, as everyone tried to give their name at the same time so the captain could check you off on his phone. We were on the Kona which was a rather large boat, accommodating I would say 75 people. Although it didn’t seem too crowded, there were enough people on board that you had to take turns at the rail and for the restrooms. It is covered on the second level, so if you don’t want to be in the sun, this would be a plus. We were on the water for about 2.5 hours, and saw 4-5 groups of whales. I know in nature, there is no guarantee, but most of them were 1/2 mile away or more. The captain tried to head towards them for a better look, but the whales would either dive or swim farther away. Just when we would leave a spot, heading south, wheels would come back up in the exact spot. We were just 10 minutes ago. It was a rather disappointing trip. I really could’ve seen this many whales from shore with a set of binoculars. Although the captain and crew gave some commentary, I think they could’ve done more. The big island is a beautiful and interesting place, with a lot of historical sites. Very few tidbits of information were given, and it would’ve made the trip more colorful.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

We always try to insure a good whale sighting experience. You were on our largest boat of 42 capacity. We are sorry the whales were not closer on your trip. Many times they are but we have the unpredictability of wildlife.

Whale Trip

IrmaA_H, Mar 2023

It was a wonderful experience watching the whales, dolphins and the Ono fish. The guides were great and knowledgeable.

Great time!

Christina_W, Mar 2023

We saw just a few whales but a huge pod of dolphins. Our guides were very knowledgeable and made the trip fun.

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