Oahu Tours
Oahu Whale Watching Excursion
4.5

Oahu Whale Watching Excursion

By Hawaii Nautical
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About
Get a front-row seat to the spouting, breeching, and tail slaps of some of Earth's largest creatures on this whale-watching adventure. The experienced captain and crew know just where to go for the best vantage points, and share their in-depth marine knowledge along the way. Whale sightings are guaranteed, so in the unlikely event you don't see any, you can cruise again for free.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 49 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • See humpback whales in Oahu from December to May
  • Learn about the long-distance migration of these amazing mammals
  • Whale sightings are guaranteed thanks to the crew’s expertise

  • Whale watching tour
  • Snacks
  • Unlimited non-alcoholic beverages
What's not included
  • Gratuities
  • Lunch
  • Transportation. Meet at Kewalo Harbor Slip F28.


Start:
  • Kewalo Basin, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
    Kewalo Basin Harbor, Slip F28 - Hawaii Nautical - Honi Olani
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2774WHALE

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
    • Most travelers can participate
    • 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
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 49 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2774WHALE

    From
    $82.96
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Hawaii Nautical
      2,621
      Kapolei, Hawaii
      Joined in July 2009
    • lisaj482019
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing sunset cruise!
      We absolutely LOVED our sunset cruise and it was the highlight of our trip! Everything about it was so perfect and the staff were attentive and so kind! This should be a must when you visit the Bug Island!
      Written October 9, 2024
    • debbiewL7086QZ
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fun time!!
      Amazing employees and an awesome experience! Delicious lunch, drinks and staff that made the experience unforgettable!!
      Written October 8, 2024
    • Kathy C
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Super experience!
      We loved our tour with Hawaii Nautical. The team was amazing and took great care of us. They took us directly to a great spot where we saw many sea turtles. It was our favorite Hawaii experience and we would do it again in a heartbeat!.
      Written October 5, 2024
    • sophiebL269HF
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing experience
      Wonderful morning seeing beautiful scenery and snorkelling with turtles. Captain and first mate were so helpful and knowledgeable. Boat was lovely and fast. Our kids loved it.
      Written October 4, 2024
    • Jjs_email
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great experience
      I booked my trip somewhat last minute and was looking for a fun activity my first evening here. I was so happy that I decided to go with this tour. The crew was wonderful and welcoming. They always made sure we were comfortable and had what we needed. It was a great evening!
      Written October 3, 2024
    • Jimb0LA
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Enchanting!
      Enchanting! Had a lovely sunset sail. The catamaran was spacious and comfortable, views splendid, drinks excellent. The crew was terrific, food was good, but could use a little more like chips or something. Would highly recommend… much less expensive than similar trips on Maui. Caden the crewman was a wealth of knowledge. We really enjoyed the whole trip and the other passengers were delightful as well. We will be back.
      Written September 28, 2024
    • 457kasied
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Totally Worth It!
      It was so clean and was so much fun. The staff were incredible and so attentive. Beginning to end it was so relaxing and beautiful. Totally worth it!!!
      Written September 21, 2024
    • J2391DKamys
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Perfect tour
      This was an awesome adventure. Captain Jesse, Bronson and Megan were wonderful. We saw bottle nose dolphins and spinner dolphins. Snorkeling was superb. We saw turtles, fish, star fish, sea urchins and octopus. This is a great tour and wonderful cree. I highly recommend.
      Written September 21, 2024
    • Emma P
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Beautiful, Fun, amazing first experience on a catamaran, would definitely recommend and would absolutely go again myself
      From the beginning to the end it was just a great experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and the mai tais were on point! Loved it thank you.
      Written September 19, 2024
    • G7538XKjamesr
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great time.
      Very good time with Captain Greg, Phil, and Natalie. They were very personable and took care of our needs. Great time snorkeling in the refreshing water.
      Written September 15, 2024
    • jamesdV606JF
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Once in a lifetime experience
      This was an absolute blast. Dont ever feel you are too old for this excursion. The boat team were amazing, helpful, kind. If you are looking for an amazing time with breathtaking views of not only the island, but the ocean life if full. From turtles to many different species of fish. You will not regret booking this tour.
      Written September 14, 2024
    • alntresad
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Horrible experience. I do NOT recommend
      The views of the coastline were wonderful! We did see a huge pod of pilot whales. No dolphins. We were on the boat cruising for 2 hours out and then we turned around to go back almost to where we started. Then, we snorkeled for 15 minutes. Saw 1 turtle and a lot of tiny fish. Nothing spectacular. 😥 I had no experience in snorkeling, no instructions were given🤔 Of course, I was a little frightened. After I was in the water, my life vest was up high. I got out. I was encouraged to get back in... With assistance from Quinn. The captain was rather uninterested, and not engaging. I got sick after a few minutes and Quinn helped, but no assist getting out... I had dry heaves....ugh. Breakfast was crummy and sparse. A few grapes, 4 Strawberry's and tiny piece of pineapple bread... Megan, crew member was engaging and kind. She was the ONLY crew member that connected with me. We had a nice convo. I would not recommend this tour company. One sea turtle, no dolphins, and sparse # of fish😔
      Written September 12, 2024
    • kristinat142
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great trip! Saw turtles highly recommend!
      We had the best day - another tour provider cancelled on us and the concierge at the Ritz Carlton Residences recommended this one. Joey, Doug, Andrea and Nick did a fantastic job! We saw turtles and the boat was very clean and we always felt safe. Thanks all! We will book again next week when we are back in Waikiki!
      Written September 9, 2024
    • Dottye1950
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A Must on Maui!
      It was the best adventure with the best crew ever! The captain and first mate made the 3 hours the adventure of a lifetime. It was so good we had to go back two days later!
      Written September 4, 2024
    • X865QYjohnb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent
      Awesome fun evening. The sunset was fantastic. The crew is the best!! The company and its owner are top notch! Spinner dolphins and cruising make for a great evening with family and new friends.
      Written September 2, 2024
    See all 2,621 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles160 reviews
    Excellent
    117
    Very good
    16
    Average
    13
    Poor
    5
    Terrible
    9

    Maps638718
    1 contribution
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2022 • Family
    We were really disappointed in this tour. First, not good (or safe) for kiddos. We left our 6 yr olds life jacket at the hotel because we’ve been on other catamaran tours in Oahu and the first thing they did was require young kids to be in life jackets. We had to request one 3 times and the staff acted like it was very inconvenient. The life jacket was an adult size emergency one… not sure if it would have even worked on a small body.

    We saw 2 whales from very far away but really this was just an overpriced catamaran cruise in a so/so boat and not a very nice marina. No checks for vaccine cards (even though required by the state of Hawaii right now) and very crowded. I’d guess 40-50 people aboard.

    Save the money, book with someone else, or even watch from shore… you’d prob see the whales just as well.
    Written February 5, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Lawrence
    Helena, MT17 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2022
    We utilized the services of Hawaii Nautical our of Waianae, HI for a Whale watching tour. Our original tour date and the craft we selected was rescheduled by them due to mechanical issues. I minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience to our vacation schedule nonetheless. Their Catamaran was very smooth riding, even in the swells on the ocean that day. We did see a few whales and at least one tail breach on our trip. So we did see some whale action, albeit from several hundred yards. Which was kinda what I expected.

    For those who care, their Covid protocols are a joke! Once you board the boat no one was reminded to keep their masks over their nose and mouth, and social distancing was completely out the window. Very unsafe.
    Written January 17, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Katie N
    Oxford, UK7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2022
    We went early because reviews said there was a better chance to see the whales this cost slightly more, but was worth it as we saw a large whale very close and several others further away. The best experience was being on the boat which was nice and the views of Diamond head were worth the tour alone. But after 1 hour I did feel sea-sick, this meant that the 2 hours were more than enough time on the water. Overall I think this is a good value for money experience as long as you are happy to share the boat with others and expect not to see lots of whales, watching for them was part of the experience.
    Written January 30, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Tom R
    Bethesda, MD9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2020 • Couples
    Early in the season and we were able to see 2 whales. They were on the move but the captain spotted one and she steered us over closer. We then realized there were two and to see them blowing water out and their huge tails was very cool!

    The crew was awesome and knowledgeable, happily answering a lot of questions!

    Great experience and I wish we had more time to try their snorkel experience.
    Written December 7, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    lakohls
    Queensbury, NY64 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2023
    Crew was very upbeat and skipper called out "Whaaale" every time one was spotted. We took the 1:30 excursion and may have benefitted from the crew's experience that morning. They located at least 3 different whales groups during our trip and were successful in basically matching the cruising speed of a mom & baby across the inlet so we were able to parallel their course and see multiple instances of the pair surfacing and a breech as well!

    About 40 folks on our trip with a wide age range. 2 hour trip was a good length and it seemed the younger participants were enjoying hanging out on the netted areas on the front of the catamaran.

    I would suggest dropping any gratuity in the jar while a crew member is in the area so that they are aware of the appreciation shown.
    Written January 8, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    J.P.
    7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2020
    The crew was great! They promise you will see whales or else you get another ticket to ride for free. We didn't see any whales which worked out even better cause we got to to do a sunset trip on our last night which was also awesome.

    Can't recommend these guys enough!
    Written December 9, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Steve D
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2020
    We decided to take the morning tour, we were picked up promptly at our hotel with a reminder the night before to be at the meeting location. Our guide arrived promptly and we drove to the docks.
    We were given the safety instructions and then it was off to our excursion. Half of the fun was meeting new people while sipping on some adult beverages, great bloody marys by the way.
    We were able to cruise along the coast down to just past Diamond Head and then back again. We were able to see one whale tail and a sea turtle but the captain felt that the whale tail was not enough of an adventure so he gave everyone on board a free pass for another excursion.
    The waters were choppy but the captain made the ride smooth as could be.
    We were able to see a submarine and a cruise ship as well.
    A very good time all around, nicely done to the staff!
    I found out from someone on our cruise that they took the makeup cruise the next day and got a full breach photo!
    Written April 7, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Steve D, we’re so happy you enjoyed your whale watch! We hope you come back soon.
    Written April 14, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Jim Jones
    3 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2020
    This tour is listed as a 2h tour, starting at 3PM. We didn't start boarding until 3PM, left port at 3:15 and we were off the boat at 4:25. We did see whales. It was as though the crew said "Ok, we saw whales, let's head back to port". One of the crew members said she watched a National Geographic special on whales and that's how she learned about them. Another crew member said "I have a friend arriving at the airport now and we're going out on the town tonight". We did not feel that we were their top priority at all!
    Written February 25, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thanks for reaching out. We appreciate you joining us and take guests feedback very seriously. We will share your feedback with the crew.
    Written March 2, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Nan C
    1 contribution
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2023 • Family
    The whale guarantee is misleading. If you don’t see whales, you get a voucher for a re-sail. If you still don’t see whales, too bad. We paid twice as much as we would have with another company because of the guarantee, but we still didn’t see any whales. We had thought we could keep going back until we did, but that’s not the case. Very disappointing!

    We had a great time our first time out. The crew was energetic and fantastic! But we had a different crew on our second sail, and we got the impression they didn’t expect to see any whales and were just going through the motions. Case in point: folks have to leave their shoes in a plastic bin before boarding. The shoes are laid out on the dock for you when you get back. It was a little rainy for our second sail and my shoes were sodden when I put them back on which made for a very uncomfortable walk home. They could have easily been left in the bin until the boat docked.
    Written December 14, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Paradise22887
    7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2022 • Family
    You guys… we just got off afternoon whale watching trip with Hawaii Nautical. They were fantastic! Crew was super attentive and on point when whales were spotted. It was myself, my daughter and both my grands, 4 & 5. They let my grandson sit in captains chair! Cost was very affordable and totally worth it!!
    Written January 6, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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