Zodiac Raft Whale Watching: Witness Magnificent Humpback Whales in Their Natural Habitat
4.9
327 Ratings
Kailua-Kona
Experience the thrill of witnessing magnificent humpback whales in their natural habitat on a Zodiac raft. Get up close and personal with these 40-foot giants as they migrate and even come right under the boat!
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • 74-425 Kealakehe Pkwy - Join us for an adventure to see our seasonal Humpback whales as they come home to Hawaii to calf and mate during the winter months. Our twin powered Zodiac boats can cover lots of ground as we leave the harbor and venture out to find these majestic beauties. Scanning the horizon for any blows, splashes, or flukes as your captain will engage all guests with an informative narrative about the Humpback whales. Bring along any camera you have to take breath taking photographs from 100 yards away. Relax for a short snack break when you have a chance to because the whales always seem to know when the cameras are down. Its a three hour tour but packed full of action from start to finish.
What's Included
  • Rafting expedition
  • Beverages and snacks included
  • Local taxes covered
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
Additional Information

Seeing 40 foot (12 meter) whales from a 24 foot (7 meter) Zodiac raft creates unforgettable memories! Adhering to Hawaiian Marine Park regulations of maintaining at least 100 yards (90 meters) distance from these grand creatures, you get an up-close view of the traveling humpback whales. It’s not rare for them to exhibit curiosity about the raft and swim directly beneath it!

  • Minimum age is 4 years
Location
Captain Zodiac Snorkeling and Whale Watching tours
Kealakehe Parkway
Captain Zodiac is located at 74-425 Kealakehe Parkway, suite #16. We are in the Honokohau Marina and small boat harbor located approximately 5 miles south of the Kona Airport and approximately 2 miles north of the town of Kailua-Kona. Meet at our office in the Gentry's Kona Marina parking lot.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(327 Ratings)
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Tiffany_w
Mar 23, 2024
Best way to see whales! - This was a great trip! Marco & Devonte were so informative & entertaining! Saw a whole family of whales & several others breaching!
Review provided by Viator
Campermomlife
Mar 23, 2024
The best way to see whales! - This was an awesome trip! Marco & Devonte gave us so much great information while also being super entertaining. We saw multiple whales breaching all the way out of the water & saw a full whale family- mom, baby, & escort. It was a day of decent size waves but Marvo's driving kept it a pretty calm ride. By kids ages 10 & 14 loved it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trail54334184148
Mar 16, 2024
Beautiful views and great crew! - Has a great day on the water. Was a bit bumpy, but Captain Marco. DeVante and Sandy made it a ton of fun. The shoreline is absolutely beautiful and we got to see a brand new baby calf with mom and chaperone which is extremely rare at the end of the season! Highly recommend this excursion and would do it again 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Teresa_g
Mar 16, 2024
Great time - My family enjoyed themselves. We did see whales and even saw a baby whale. We had a great time and would recommend doing this when you visit the island.
Review provided by Viator
Paige_l
Mar 16, 2024
Captain Marco and Devonte... - Captain Marco and Devonte made the trip so fun! They both are so knowledgeable about marine life and Hawaii. We saw many breaches and even got to see a baby whale. It was an amazing tour, highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Phfree
Mar 16, 2024
Fantastic experience; up-close encounters - Our 3-hour zodiac experience was exceptionally good. Had a great time and were lucky to have many encounters with a pod of whales on our 50th wedding anniversary. This experience in this beautiful part of the ocean in this beautiful part of the world was the highlight of our trip. Ashley and Shannon were expert and exceptional guides, knew where to look for beautiful marine life, and were very knowledgeable and friendly. The hydraphone was an added bonus and we were able to listen to them communicate with each other. Our safety and having a very positive experience was their number one priority. Riding the zodiac in the ocean is unique and puts you up close and personal during your whale watching tour. I highly recommend this company and this tour during whale season. Can't say enough positive things about our experience which we'll cherish for many years to come.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heidi_d
Mar 15, 2024
Whales, dolphins and a fast boat ride to keep us cool! - Our captain and crew were amazing! They made us comfortable from the start. We saw whales within 20 minutes and dolphins and even a sea turtle. It was super fun flying across the waves on the raft. we loved hearing the whales’ songs when the microphone was dropped in the water.
Review provided by Viator
B4830kgianr
Mar 13, 2024
Whale watching with CPT Ashley - What an amazing trip late in the whale watching season. CPT Ashley put in the spot to see 10+ breaches and listened to some amazing whale song. Would higjly recommend and lok forward to.another great ride.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
612iland
Mar 12, 2024
Amazing * Humpbacks * & Zodiac Adventure - Amazing experience. Saw many Humpback whales and their babies. The boat ride was authentic, awesome crew, way exceeded our expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robin_v
Mar 12, 2024
Zodaic boats are fun! - So I will not knock the staff at all as they made the trip what it was. We had captain Marco and Deonte as co-captain. They were awesome the boat is wonderful and super fun however the whales were lackluster at best. These are the navy seal type boats and they are fast and bumpy and that makes it soooo much more fun in my opinion. I get seasick on catamarans and larger boats but never on these little rockets so that is a plus! I was super disappointed that we went south this day instead north up to the Kohala coast which you absolutely see the most whales. Each time going north to Kohala coast, you can see whales playing and breaching etc even from shore. We spent the day going south past kona and down past Captain Cook monument and saw zilch. Captain Marco did his best to entertain and we saw cool things down the coast and he even let those that had bathing suits on take a dip in the captain cook monument area which has amazing snorkeling in that area. However only after getting enough radio chatter did we spot a mama and baby just swimming along on our way back to port (boring!). Ive been on enough whale watching expeditions to know this was a lackluster one in terms of viewing them, but the boat was super fun and the crew made up for it so that is why Im giving it a 4. Marco could have just gave up but he didn't so for that I say thank you with a 4stars. We were out from 11:45-3ish. I would highly suggest beginning of day or end of day instead of this middle of day adventure. Ive done them all and this is the second time Ive been basically skunked on the middle of day trek.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
April 2024
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