1.5-hour Guided Marine Life Tour

We saw a sea turtle and tiger sharks on our tour. The staff was great and we hdd an awesome time!

Great experience! Highly recommend but just a warning, the boat does go fast and it’s a bumpy fun ride! Got to see a shark and turtles, had great views of the north shore, and saw sea urchins / volcano rocks. Not for the faint of heart but they can go slow if you ask them to.

We had a great time!! Saw multiple whale dives and whale tales, saw a few sharks as well! Staff was great, super friendly and easy going!

We had a super great experience on the whale watch with Ocean Outfitters and saw LOTS of whales. Crew members Lily and Colly were great. It was a very enjoyable experience and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to see whales. We also really liked that it was out of Haleiwa since we’re staying in that area and didn’t have to drive all the way to Honolulu for a whale watch. The boat was a great size and comfortable. Overall, a great experience!

Our crew was fantastic! We saw a shark really close to our boat, dolphins swimming around the boat. However, the whales were being shy. We saw tails but none jumping. However, it was an awesome experience!

Excellent tour, super fun, perfect Zodiac-style boat to best see and experience the whales and other lovely creatures. Crew is knowledgeable, but not overly chatty so you can just enjoy the experience. Kevin, the owner/ operator, has been doing this for years and grew up in the area. The crew was chill, the boat was perfect, we took turns riding on top in the "Captain's Chairs", and they were so safe and helpful getting us up and down the sling steps. They appear to love what they're doing! Anyway, I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that I got on the very next tour after the original booked experience returned to the marina! Almost 4 hours out with Icean Outfitters, loved every minute. We saw so many humpbacks, and the crew went above and beyond to make sure everyone could see everything. We also saw Galapagos sharks and large schools of smaller fish. Such an experience! Take a light jacket, sunscreen, a hat that won't fly away in the wind and a bottle of water.

Such an amazing experience! Captain Kevin is very knowledgeable and shares so much about the whales and other creatures of the sea. We saw several whales splashing and fin slapping. Kevin showed us the area that he takes snorkels out to snorkel with sharks. A few sharks started swimming by the boat. Simply incredible. If you find yourself in Haleiwa, or anywhere on Oahu you’ve got to book your next adventure with Ocean Outfitters!! You won’t regret it!!!

Great experience, saw everything we wanted! Great crew, took Great care in us having a wonderful experience! We also got a longer tour than expected.

Great trip. Saw a few whales and some sharks. The ride was a blast. Definitely needed motion sickness tablets for when the boat was still and floating.

The Marine Life Tour was such a fun little adventure. Sea turtles, tons of sharks, and the most perfect weather. Unfortunately it was too early to see any whales but Tayler was amazing: super knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole thing even better. Honestly, the perfect way to start the day.

Kevin and our other tour guide were amazing! There was a mix up with a double booking on the website but instead of making it a complicated matter they made sure our party was taken care of and that our experience was what we wanted. They were what you want as your guides, easy going, kind, knowledgeable, fun! We were not thinking we would be swimming out in the open with sharks that morning but when Kevin informed us that was the party that was double booked with us and offered that we could come with them and no charge we took him up on it and our 7 and 9 year old even joined in on a cage free experience where we were surrounded by sharks in the open water but feeling completely safe. I wish I could remember our other tour guides name but she was lovely and made my children feel so special and cool by giving them high fives afterwards letting them know how impressed she was by them. Our family loves an adventure and even though we originally booked a marine searching in the boat tour I would come back and book this one again with family and friends. We even got to see a family of spinner dolphins on the way back who gave us a bit of a show! Seriously, if you are curious of swimming with sharks in the open ocean, you can’t go wrong with this company and this amazing crew! Highly recommend and would gladly book again. Hoping to come again but during whale season! Aloha and mahalo! 🦈

10/10 experience! Got to see dolphins and sharks; nice relaxing boat ride too! Captain was super friendly and informative about places to visit in Hawaii!

We went on the wildlife tour with 3 children and 3 adults. We were the only 6 on the tour and we went at mid-day. The guides tailored the tour to us wonderfully. We saw spinner dolphins, a huge sea turtle and two different kinds of sharks. The guides tried their best to go as fast or as slow as we were comfortable with. We had a wonderful time and would do it again for sure!

This was an amazing experience. We had planned a day to explore the North Shore area and while standing on the beach looking at the water decided a boat ride would be great. We booked an open trip just a couple of hours ahead of the departure time as a marine life tour. There were other passengers that had booked Snorkeling and the shark tour so we had the great fortune of getting to experience all 3. This company went out of their way to make this a great experience. We saw and did MANY things on our 6 day trip to Oahu but this impromptu boat ride turned out to be our favorite. Highly recommend.

We were unlucky in viewing whales--though we did see signs of one. The staff was great and did everything possible for us to see more. That said, our family was treated to a shark viewing, which we enjoyed immensely. The grandkids loved learning about the sealife. We will try again on our next visit.

The boat ride over waves was fun and thrilling. Unfortunately, our marine life tour was compromised when the captain accommodated shark snorkelers from a previously canceled trip. What was supposed to be a "5-minute" stop ended up consuming nearly half of our tour time as we sat in rough seas watching others snorkel. Both families on board experienced seasickness, with children puking during this extended wait. The captain seemed dismissive, offering water only to rinse the boat rather than for the sick children, and merely assured us "we'd feel better once we started moving again" – which missed the point that we shouldn't have been sitting there that long in the first place. We understand marine life is unpredictable - we did briefly spot a sea turtle and whale spout in the distance, but only because a fellow passenger pointed them out while the captain seemed distracted with personal guests. It's reasonable to expect: 1) you'll get the tour you paid for, 2) the guide will be interactive and focused on spotting marine life, and 3) even if little is spotted, the guide will share interesting information about the area. Unfortunately, none of this happened. Safety concerns were also apparent. Life jackets weren't proactively offered for children despite the rough conditions that frequently lifted passengers from their seats. At one point, a storage compartment seat even popped open while someone was sitting on it. You can’t just tell kids to hang on and hope for the best. For the price, this tour delivered only half of what was promised. While the sharks were impressive, the experience fell short of expectations in terms of focus, safety, and value. Tip for future guests: Book another tour company, and take Dramamine.

Great experience. There were eight of us ranging in ages from 10 to 63. We really didn't know what to expect but had an amazing experience. The owner was our tour guide and was very knowledgeable. We saw dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and whales up close almost to the point we could touch them from the boat. Highly recommended.

Lilly and Gunner provided an amazing day and narrative. We were surrounded by Dolphins, saw multiple Pods of Whales and were in the middle of Galapagos sharks right at the side of the boat. My wife and I recommend Ocean Outfitters to all those who want a great experience.

Lived here all my life & this was the first time we went on a marine life tour. I highly recommend this experience for both kama'aina & visitors! The staff were knowledgeable & went over & beyond to ensure our safety & a top notch experience. We saw so many whales, dolphins, flying fish, & sharks. It was truly amazing & an unforgettable experience with the 'ohana!

Amazing experience. The whales were active. One swam right under our zodiac! Our captain was terrific! We could tell the babies from their mother. Bottle nose dolphins were swimming with the whales.

This tour company was amazing! We had the best guides. Lily and crew were so knowledgeable about the whales and got just as excited as we did when we saw them. We were fortunate to see a mama and baby whale. Jacob made it even better by sending up his drone so we could see them bird's eye. EPIC!!

We had an amazing time with the amazing crew at Ocean Outfitters. We saw several whales, a Galapagos shark, a turtle and even some flying fish. The ladies were so knowledgeable and friendly and the music was spot on. Highly recommended

We had a Marine Life Tour booked for 9 am and recieved a phone call asking if we could move it to 4:45 pm. I asked if we'd still be able to see a lot of animals and they said "definitely, they're actually more active at that time" so we said yes. The company was not honest in this as throughout our night tour, the guides kept saying that the animals are not as active at night. Throughout the whole tour, we only saw 3 whale blowhole sprays in the distance and nothing else. No whales breaching the surface, no turtles, no sharks.

The experience and opportunity to be that close to marine life was exhilarating! We felt secure and entertained!

Great tour, we booked the whale watching tour unfortunately we didn’t get to see any but we did saw some sharks and had a great experience all along the boat was nice not the biggest but I feel it was better than the other boats and the staff it’s awesome , Tyler was our capital along with this beautiful lady (I didn’t catch her name ) they were both awesome. This was the activity that my kids enjoyed the most from our trip hand down I will recommend it and let’s not forget the music it makes the experience even better .

Guides are informative and easy going. Two Humpbacks from a distance (Pre season) Galapagos sharks to the boat and Blue Footed Boobies

It did not disappoint. From the get-go, our captains, Jules and Jen were committed to knowing what we hoped to see and experience and making it happen. We saw turtles, dolphins, and, yep, sharks, and they helped us learn about the North Shore and interesting information along the way. We loved that they had as much fun as we did and clearly loved their jobs. With kids from 24 - 15, everyone walked away with permanent smiles. Thank you for a beautiful memory that will last a lifetime.

The description on Viator really needs to be updated. By stating there are bathrooms on board, I was lead to believe this was a bigger boat that would have normal seating (not straddling like riding a horse) and a shaded area for my 80 year old mother. The trip out was extremely rough, like a roller coaster ride, and we got pretty wet. There was also a suggestion on the Viator site that we would be going into coves in search of wildlife. I don’t think any place we went was considered a cove. We parked in front of Waimea bay for a bit, and drove by what was called bird sh rock, and then out to a place to bait sharks. The sharks, and a bird that flew by were the only wildlife we saw. If my mother weren’t with us, I prob’ly would have enjoyed the boat ride… and if the description was more accurate I would have chosen another tour for her.

We booked a whale watching tour that was canceled and turned into a shark diving tour then canceled all together. Rebooked as a shark tour thinking we still had a whale watching tour. No communication reached out via text and phone with no response. Still charged full price and never went on tour.

We saw some sharks but no whales. Fun and intense experience on a fast boat. Well organized, very friendly staff. Overall great experience

I did this exact trip back in 2021 and had such a fun time, that I wanted to book it again with other family members on this trip. It was even better the second time. Captain Kevin was super amazing and put the group at ease with the massive waves. I was down for the massive waves and had fun jumping them. Saw sharks and it was the highlight of the trip.

Well worth it! We saw a large turtle, dolphins, whales and sharks. It was extremely winding so be prepared to get wet, all part of the fun!

Our crew was a group of very attentive young adults. The day was cloudy and love ocean a little agitated. The whales were shy, but they diligently searched until they found it. They also took us to see the sharks. The boat is very comfortable and I felt safe, even with the rough seas. Amazing experience. I recommend.

We had so much fun!! We did not have to go that far into the ocean when we started to see some whales! It felt surreal because they were HUGE and then our captain informed us they were only babies! The moms were sneaky! Being able to see how these beautiful animals are in their natural habitat was unforgettable. We also saw some spinner dolphins along the way and some sharks! It was definitely an amazing experience, will recommend 100% we went at 7AM tour, and got to see about 8+ whales!

While we had an ok time on the trip we felt that the captain was much more focused on his agenda than on the requests and desires of the passengers. He spent a good 15-20 minutes traveling out to the shark buoy when he had been told by the passengers that we were most interested in the Humpback whales. He then spent at least 10 minutes slow walking a shark back to another boat taking time out of our tour. He also spent at least 15 minutes on the phone discussing parts for a boat motor and when he would take the boat in for repair. So in all, of the hour and a half tour about half of that was spent on sharks or boat repair, things that were not of interest to the paid passengers. So, if sharks are your thing then we would definitely recommend this tour, if you are more interested in seeing the whales then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

We had an amazing time looking for whales, we saw a few. We also loved seeing the spinning Dolphins and sharks

Crew & boat ride out was a lot of fun, a Hawaiian sled ride. Saw a turtle, flying fish & stopped to feed sharks. Alas no whales (only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars) but apparently to early so going again in a couple of weeks

This tour went way above any expectations we had. We were a group of four adults in our 60's and 70's. The boat ride was fun and had very comfortable seats. We went about three miles out to the place we stopped to view the sharks. We saw whales spouting. Captain Tyler was attentive to everyone, making sure we were safe and having a great time. The snorkeling was an added and unexpected pleasure. I was able to snorkel with Galapagos sharks! No cages! What an adventure with the bluest water and huge sharks swimming gracefully around our group. On the way back to Haleiwa, Tyler took his time allowing us to view spinner dolphins. This was an exceptional tour that highly exceeded our expectations. The crew also was amazing. Thank you for the highlight of our trip!

Great experience. Got to see dolphins and swim with sharks. Would definitely book with them again. Was not able to see whales unfortunately, but still had a great time. Firmly believe it’s all about luck, being able to see the different sea life. Overall great crew, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable.

Crew were extremely friendly and accommodating- easily altered my original reservation after I couldn't make it. Was able to get good/closeup experience with sharks and plenty of dolphins while a few whales were further out and only got to see them spout. Would go on another tour in the future.

Loved the set up of the boat. It was fun, interactive, easy to see sea life, and helped minimize sea sickness. Our tour guides were fun and knowledgeable. We saw tons of dolphins, several sea turtles, and even sharks. Great experience.

Tour guides were great. We really wanted to see the sharks and so they made an extra effort to find them for us. Overall great experience and would recommend

Wow. What an amazing, friendly, and knowledgeable staff! We’ve a blast and were able to see turtles, dolphins and Galapagos Sharks! Next time we visit the island, without a doubt we’d do this tour again. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars! Great host, great pontoon boat, awesome time on the water. It would have been an easy 5-star if we saw more dolphin, sharks, and turtles. We did see some marine life, just not as much as expected. And a few of us got to swim in the ocean and dive from the rocks, which was unexpected and super cool. Would recommend!

Great experience and great information!! I would recommend this activity to anyone. The crew was very helpful and personable.

They canceled on us a day before saying maintenance issues. They then contacted me day of saying boat was fixed and we could take boat trip so we were all excited. That was short lived because they contacted me again a half hour later to say others on the trip couldn’t make it so they didn’t want to just take us…. LAME! No boat trip for us this vacation and last minute plan changes are not my favorite.

We were able to see a lot of marine animals. We saw turtles, sharks, and dolphins. The crew was both knowledgeable and fun.

Amazing experience. It was super fun and our crew were knowledgeable. We were able to see turtles, sharks, and dolphins. Definitely worth the money.

This was a super cool experience. My family enjoyed it. The whale watching experience was a plus. Highly recommend.