Big Island: Waikoloa Deluxe Whale Watch

We took the 1 1/2 hour tour. Saw at least 6 humpbacks. They were breaching and diving. One even swam near our boat. Awesome experience! Brooke and Gail were fantastic. Very knowledgeable. The captain did something we had never seen on these kinds of tours-she put down a microphone into the water so we could hear the whales we were looking at. Definitely would recommend.

This was a great day on the water with lots of whales. Great tip from John on how to get a better picture of the whales.

Book in advance, we went sunday morning and saw so many whales! Brooke and Gail were so informative and passionate about helping us see whales. And we ended up seeing so many :))

Great small boat experience. Maybe 20 people total on the boat. Easy access on and off. We were fortunate to see several whales, one of which traveled back-and-forth under our boat. Would have given it five stars, but there was little to no narration by the guides. While we were sitting and waiting to spot whales, ithere was total silence. Would have appreciated some comments or script about whales. The guide did not even ask if there were any questions. She had no mic so if she was at the back of the boat talking, it was a little difficult to hear her. We’ve been on several while watching trips so we had no questions, but there were several kids that I believe would have been interested in hearing some facts. In fact, the woman behind me was asking some questions and it was her seatmate who was answering them.

The captain and 1st mate were good. We did find whales to view. The boat was crowded and viewing was very difficult depending on where whales were. 4 wide seating. Unless in front of boat. 40 or so people on crowded bench seating. If people stood to look, blocked views for otters. The advertisement on the page indicated we would be tendered to a larger craft. We were not. Were informed at boarding that it was the afternoon cruise that tendered. There was also no description of boat we were taken out on.

Our guides, Brooke and Ian, were friendly and went the extra mile to make sure we saw the whales. It was the best tour of our entire stay!

Well organized, clean vessel. Crew tried their best to bring us to areas of whale activity. Lots of tails, started with a breach and ended with another breach. Fantastic morning 👍

Well organized, clean vessel. Crew tried their best to bring us to areas of whale activity. Lots of tails, started with a breach and ended with another breach. Fantastic morning 👍

We had a great experience with Hawaii Nautical. We saw many mothers and babies frolicking in the water. We would scour the water looking for signs of activity and then the captain, Brook, would steer us toward the whales for a closer look. Brook also put a microphone into the water for us to hear the sounds the whales were making. That was really cool! The only thing I would recommend to change is that it was difficult to hear her what she was saying about the whales because we were in the front of the boat and she was in the back. It would be nice if she could use a microphone so we could hear her. I would highly recommend taking this tour!

We saw several humpbacks on the tour. Our lookouts seemed more interested in chatting up the young ladies than looking for whales, though.

The staff were very knowledgeable and made sure that we saw whales. We saw at least 6 on this trip. I would definitely go again.

Captain was fantastic, she knew just where to go and we saw multiple humpbacks. Easy check in, covered boat was very clean.

Great time, great people. We saw many whales. They had a lot of informationabout the whales. A couple drinks and snacks included.

We all had a great time. Everyone really enjoyed seeing the whales. Appreciate the extra time for some last minute whale watching as the trip ended.

We booked this as part of our family Christmas Eve activity and were hoping to see whales as we had been to Hawaii a few times, but on the wrong side of whale season. The whales did not disappoint this time! We saw multiple whales and, at one spot, saw five together. The captain and crew were knowledgeable and super friendly. The boat was clean and well maintained. After checking to make sure no one had a hard time commitment, they kept us out over the time allotted so that we could see as many whales as possible. It would have been nice to see a full breach but, as we understand, that is rare. The experience was a joy overall. My only complaint and the reason I did not give this a rating of five, and it's a small complaint, is that the tour is advertised as "Ages 0-99, max of 17 per group" which is why I booked this particular excursion. We looked specifically for small groups. There were 30+ on our tour. Everyone was nice and friendly and, as I said, the crew were outstanding. I would definitely recommend as long as you understand the possible group size is not limited to 17.

Great guides, great boat, great experience. I would definitely highly recommend this whale watching tour.

The crew was friendly and informative. Hearing the whale sounds was amazing. We saw dolphins, but didn’t get to see whales today. They offered us a voucher for a future excursion or upgrade to a different excursion. I would do this again.

The 4 crew members were awesome. They were friendly, informative, and enjoyable to be around. Even though we didn’t see any whales, the dolphins made the trip well worth he experience.

The crew was awesome. Boat was immaculate. Saw whales in first few minutes. We have been around the world and this was the best.

Awesome and clean boat, the crew was awesome in helping out anyway they could. U have to take off your footwear before loading the dock boat, I wear braces from my injury’s and can’t take them off. They made sure they went out of there way to help me get on the boat. A big thank you to the crew, a must do if you’re visiting the big island.

We really enjoyed our time on the boat. The whales put on quite a show for us and it was much different than seeing them off of Maine or in Alaska. I think the warmer water and gorgeous weather put us all in a good mood. We have been to Hawaii many times, but never did a whale watch. Definitely the best whale watch trip I have been on. Liked the morning time slot too.

Keep your eyes out to help find the whales, and earn yourself a chance saying, "Thar she blows!" Great chance to enjoy time out on the water and see whales breach out into the air.

We went at the very end of the migration season knowing we might not see much and boy were we wrong. We got to see a mom and young calf several times and they were quick to spot and get our boat right to them. Our 6 year old had a ton of questions and Kyle was great with answering everything he had questions on.

It was probably one of the best crews in Hawaii! I've done other excursions and the crew just wasn't nice. So this crew was friendly and attentive. We saw whales and dolphins swam alongside the boat. It was worth the trip.

Saw so many whales and had a great time! The staff was super friendly and educational the entire time. Loved seeing so many different types of wildlife

Kyle is very knowledgeable, captain knows where to take us to see whales, and we were very lucky to see a whale close to the boat. Weather was nice, windy so boat was little bumpy, if you are easy to get motion sickness, take some pills before boarding.

Read reviews, was hoping for a great experience, see a few whales and check it off our bucket list. Hands down one of the best experiences ever. We understand it's not the norm but we saw whales from afar, we saw whales pretty close and we had a whale come and meet us! The boat, the crew and the experience, top notch! We ended up spend a good part of the rest of our day just hanging out on the beach they picked us up on because it was so nice.

We had a great morning on the ocean looking for whales with Hawaii Nautical. We were picked up on the beach at A-Bay and saw our first whale in the distance within ten minutes. Over the next 90 minutes we saw several more, including a mother and baby. The crew went the extra mile for us, staying ten minutes late to see a couple of whales late in the trip.

Captain Cash B was personable and professional. The whales put on a great show. We left on time and returned on time. Weather was perfect. Enjoyed the powerboat which was very comfortable. Wear casual clothes and sun glasses. Read the description so you know what to expect. Have to climb 3 steps ladder to get on boat. Beware if you have mobility issues. We had a blast and would go again.

This tour was absolutely incredible and the staff were fantastic! They were patient and knowledgeable and because of that we saw a plethora of whales! I highly recommend this tour!

If you’ve used Triology nothing like it. Cost should be cheaper due to no food nor drinks served. Whale sighting of a blow or a tail over 100 yards for the price is not a whale sighting. Very disappointing .

Very knowledgeable guides And a lot of fun Saw quite a few whales, 1 full breech and a pod of spinner dolphins stayed with us for quite some time

Fabulous experience. Easy check in. Friendly crew. Great whales! Will recommend to anyone in the Waikoloa area.

Great time. Captain and staff were personable, and truly made the trip even more enjoyable. Great time, learned alot about whales, and saw a few of them including an active mom and baby that followed the ship. Highly recommend!

The trip began on time and we got our monies worth! We lucked out to have a male whale hang out with us for at least 10 minutes. He visited both sides of the boat and gave us quite the show!

Great staff. They were knowledgeable and wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. Very nice boat.

Awesome. Many many whales. Some swam under the tour boat. Captain he had never had so many so close.

Saw a lot of whales. Guides were knowledgeable. Only complaint is it would have been nice to 180 the boat on occasion for those of us on the left side to get a direct view. Except for the last couple minutes, everything was between one and three o’clock.

What a ponder tour we saw so many whales & heard the males singing. It was incredible. A lifelong dream to see these beautiful creatures. Captain Steve was outstanding, he made sure we saw as many whales as possible. Tobias was nice, funny,& very knowledgeable. He was a great guide. This was a fantastic trip & crew I highly recommend them. I would like to remind you to tip these hard working crews. They certainly did everything they could to make it a great experience for everyone & the tip jar was pretty empty. If you don’t know what to tip look it up. Google it. Thank you for the memory of a lifetime.

There were so many whales! Captain and crew were amazing! They went above and beyond. I have been on a whale excursion before but took it in the AM. I think I like the PM better! I can’t wait to do it again!

It’s a smooth boat ride. Light refreshments. The whales were amazing, I just wish we coulda been closer. Still an awesome experience tho.

Was not very impressed with this trip. Were told when we got on that we would be learning about whales and place their hydrophone in to hear the whales. Neither happened and the captain never even said anything at all the entire time. We spent most of it (what it felt) trying to find the whales and chasing them. Unsure if it was bad luck or the captain was a stand in but we’ve seen about 10x more whales on other expeditions vs this boat that’s whole mission was the see whales. I would not recommend this one with this company and especially not the morning option. The boat is too loud and the captain doesn’t feel experienced.

The guides know a lot about whales. They were great with the children on the tour. Very friendly!!!!

Amazing captain and crew! Saw many whales and dolphins! Thank you for the knowledge imparted and the care for passengers.

Saw so many whales!!!!! Incredible trip in a fun boat! Loved it! Felt safe and comfortable the whole way!

Terrific and fun crew with wonderful whale sightings including mother and baby. Far exceeded our expectations. Don’t miss.

We had a fun and relaxing trip with Keith and his first mate, both were knowledgeable, humorous, and full of helpful information.

We had a blast. Even if we hadn’t seen whales (which we did) it would have been a great time. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable. They shared whale facts while we were looking for whales. Facts about the islands and culture. It was awesome. And of course, we did see whales as promised.

Amazing experience! Seeing the whales jumping from the ocean was exciting. The captain & crew were great, drinks & snacks was a plus!