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Humpback Whale Watch in Hawaii: Majestic Marine Life Adventure with Hilo Ocean Adventures
4.5
13 Ratings
Hilo
Humpback whales migrate from Alaska to Hawaii for a short period during the winter, offering a perfect opportunity to witness these magnificent creatures. Hilo Ocean Adventures is the sole provider of this tour on the island’s east side. Enjoy a ride on our new 35’ Wellcraft Scarab, which offers ample space for everyone to enjoy the view.
Humpback whales migrate from Alaska to Hawaii for a short period during the winter, offering a perfect opportunity to witness these magnificent creatures. Hilo Ocean Adventures is the sole provider of this tour on the island’s east side. Enjoy a ride on our new 35’ Wellcraft Scarab, which offers ample space for everyone to enjoy the view.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hilo Bay - Join the adventure to witness Hawaii’s gentle giants and winter guests, the Humpback Whales! After an uninterrupted 6-8 week journey covering 6,000 miles from Alaska, about 12,000 North Pacific Humpbacks reach the Hawaiian Islands each year around mid-December for a season of mating, birthing, and caring for their newborn calves. This…
- Hilo Bay - Join the adventure to witness Hawaii’s gentle giants and winter guests, the Humpback Whales! After an uninterrupted 6-8 week journey covering 6,000 miles from Alaska, about 12,000 North Pacific Humpbacks reach the Hawaiian Islands each year around mid-December for a season of mating, birthing, and caring for their newborn calves. This annual migration is among the longest of any mammal and brings enchantment to the Hawaiian Islands every winter.
Head to the coast to start your whale watching adventure in search of these magnificent creatures for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Big Island is one of the premier locations to venture out on the water and encounter whales. The most effective way to observe these remarkable mammals is by embarking on an ocean-guided tour boat.
What's Included
- Snacks
- Snacks
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pickup & Dropoff
- Transportation from the check-in location to the boat harbor
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pickup & Dropoff
- Transportation from the check-in location to the boat harbor
Additional Information
- This tour is suitable for ages 8 and up. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- While we do see an abundance of marine life quite often, they are wild animals and we can not guarantee they will be spotted on every tour .
- This tour is suitable for ages 8 and up. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- While we do see an abundance of marine life quite often, they are wild animals and we can not guarantee they will be spotted on every tour .
Location
Hilo Ocean Adventures
Kamehameha Avenue
8:30 AM Tour: Check in at Slip #4 at the Wailoa Boat Harbor (181 Manono Street Hilo, HI 96720) 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour.
10:30 AM & 12:30 PM Tour: Check in at the Hilo Ocean Adventures storefront (1717 Kamehameha Ave. Hilo, HI 96720) 1 hour prior to the start of your tour.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(13 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
43beckya
Feb 26, 2026
Best whale adventure ever! - This was the best whale adventure ever! Morgan and Kaliko were terrific! We saw a mother and baby humpback, and the baby breached at least 5 times and then did 10 tales slaps and waved hello! Worth every penny!! I would highly recommend!
Go Seahawks!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M6281porobins
Feb 5, 2026
Humpback Whales galore ! - We went on the whale watching early tour. The whales put on quite a show for us. Our guides, Kevin and Morgen were very knowledgeable and accommodating. With this being a small group of 5 makes it well worth the money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
772tracye
Mar 9, 2025
What an amazing experience! - Devin was amazing in trying to get us to see some whales! He was very knowledgeable, knew where to go to see them, and how to maneuver around them. We could see spouts but they were so far away that he extended our ride looking for them, and luckily we saw a baby humpback and the momma! It was an amazing experience! One that we will never forget and I highly recommend Devin and his crew!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O2829qpjoycep
Feb 24, 2025
Lovely - Very nice experience. The captain and his one man crew couldn’t have been kinder or more informative . We saw a whale tail. They just were not out and about that day. However, the captain took the boat to another area and we saw at least 20 dolphins all swimming around the boat. Fun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Piperbslinger
Feb 3, 2025
Awesome Whale Watching - We had a fabulous outing with Trevor and Chris. They did a great job of making sure that we saw a bunch of whales, and were able to get in the water to hear them. We highly recommend this adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryleeo2015
Dec 23, 2024
Saw some whales with a great captain and crew. - We went on an excursion for Whale Watching in mid to late December out of Hilo.
Our Captain and crew were Trevor and Aukai, and we had a great experience!
We were told what to look for and we got to see some whales!
The captain and crew were professional, polite and knowledgeable.
Definitely, a once in a lifetime event. My family would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Koipoidog
Feb 18, 2024
Awesome Whale Watching Tour - My sister & I thoroughly enjoyed the whale watching boat tour. Captain Devin and Crewman Isaiah were helpful and friendly. The weather was clear & sunny and the ocean was gently rolling. The whales were in a playful mood. It was exciting to see the whales up close. We would wholeheartedly recommend this tour. Suggest bringing at least two cameras and have them ready to go at a moment’s notice. Best to take short video rather than try to take photos. Mahalo nui loa, Hilo Ocean Adventures!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
950claudep
Jan 24, 2024
Hands Down the BEST whale watch tour on the Big Island - What confirms the quality of this tour is that 2 days after this one we went on the Body Glove whale watch tour out of Kailuah Kona. There was simply no comparison. This tour blew Body Glove away in every possible aspect. The crew were nicer and much more informative. They actually searched for whales and were happy to move from one group of whales to another. The Body Glove tour found 3 whales 100 yards from shore, cut the engines and drifted for 1-1/2 hours. The whales disappeared after 30 minutes. They seemed more interested in conserving fuel than finding whales.
I should add that I used to work for the Sea Shepherd and Paul Watson. I have probably been on over 100 whale watch tours all over the USA. I know a good one from a bad one. This one was very good. Worth every penny. When compared side by side to the more popular, more expensive Body Glove tour it really rises above. THIS IS THE TOUR YOU WANT TO TAKE ON THE BIG ISLAND. It is worth the drive from Kona.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ellenkw4464zy
Feb 7, 2026
Worthwhile and fit right into the lane titled ‘relaxing’ - Competent and enthusiastic crew. Perfect weather and tour which expanded to view waterfalls did not short it the time. Whales were somewhat cooperative and we saw plenty of spouting and several descending tails. Pleasant way to start the day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R5427qvrobertl
Jan 24, 2026
Nice boat ride - It turned out to be a nice boat ride. The crew was good and worked hard looking for whales, but none were found.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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