All Reviews for Marine Wildlife Encounters

If you do one thing on the west side of the big island this is it. Words and pictures don't do the experience justice. The crew of the boat was safety conscious and the captain ran a tight ship. As a passenger we felt in good hands. Do your homework about what this tour involves. If you cannot swim and/or are afraid of the water this is NOT FOR YOU!!!. This tour had 1/2 a dozen non-swimmers on the tour. They were miserable and the crew had to spend an inordinate time catering to them.

There were no issues with the pickup from the hotel, the guidance to the boarding, or the transfer to the hotel after disembarking.

As for the whales, they would briefly appear at the surface and then dive below for about 15 minutes. Many participants were intently watching the surface of the water, and when a whale did appear, cheers erupted, with everyone shifting their gaze in that direction, repeating this process.

My initial expectation was to see the whales up close while being splashed by seawater, but it turned out to be more of a distant viewing experience. The captain made efforts to capture them on camera, but I felt that approaching this with high expectations carries significant risks.

集合ホテルからのピックアップ、乗船迄の誘導、下船後のホテルへの移動については全く問題ありませんでした。
問題のクジラですが、水面に僅かに姿を現したかと思うと、15分程度海面下に潜ってしまいます。
多数の参加者が目を凝らして海面を注視しているので、現れると歓声が上がり、そちらの方向に全員が視線を移す、と言う繰り返し。
事前のイメージでは、海水を浴びながらクジラを間近で見られる、と言うモノでしたが、かなり遠景でのウォッチングでした。
船長さんも努力下さり、何とかカメラには納められましたが、大きな期待を持って臨むにはリスクが高いと思いました。

The friendliest staff and best boat ride around! Best day ever!!

The crew was amazing and qued a mother and baby, possibly 2 to the surface for play time!

loved the experience, especially with the naturalists!! would recommend to bring sunscreen, it can get hot on the decks. the boat will wander around until a whale is spotted, and stick to that spot for the majority of the time

Amazing service from the 3 crew members Nick, Paul and Phil. We saw a lot of whale activity in the evening. The drinks kept flowing and the food was much better than expected. Would definitely do another trip like this.

We have been on several Sunset Cocktail Cruises on Maui over the past decade but this was by far our favourite.
The captain and crew were super friendly, knowledgeable & accommodating…they serve everything right to you!
Ukulele Dave was a great addition as well!
All of this + multiple whale sightings made for a great evening and we definitely recommend.

We arrived slightly late and the crew kindly waited a bit for us. There was only 4 of us which made the experience felt a lot more enjoyable - it was not crowded or noisy! No jostling of people.

Once out there, we got in the water smoothly and saw 2 rays, 3 times. Unfortunately, the ray sightings have reduced in recent years so we considered ourselves lucky! Highly recommend it all round!

This was a great alternative to actual snorkeling. The divers and staff were very informative and very friendly. They made sure everyone was happy and getting the most out of the adventure. However the water was murky and not a lot of ocean creatures. But you see what’s there at that time. Would do again. Certainly an experience we will remember.

They had a great crew and did everything to make the trip wonderful: small group and lots of fun. Well worth the price.
The only reason I gave them 4 stars is that we bought water shoes for the trip and found out when we got there it was barefoot only. Would have done things differently had I known.

Bella esperienza, la barca ha tutto l'essenza Ale ed è comoda per passarci un paio di ore, i due ragazzi che ci hanno portato fuori sono stati molto gentili e professionali, conoscono bene la zona è puoi chiederlo tanti consigli su cosa fare nell'isola.
Purtoppo la giornata che abbiamo scelto non è stata delle migliori.. pioveva a tratti e l'acqua era un po' torbida.. non abbiamo visto le balene.. ma vabbè avevamo già messo in conto che poteva succedere, abbiamo fatto un bagno in mezzo all'oceano e abbiamo nuotato con tanti pesci diversi e tartarughe marine. Nel complesso ne è valsa la pena, anche perché abbiamo avuto la possibilità di vedere la costa sud di Oahu da un altra prospettiva, incantevole.
Esperienza consigliata.

It was later in their Whale season, didn't know if we would see many. We were not disappointed, at one point we were in Whale Jail (surrounded by them). We loved it.

The staff were so knowledgeable, learned so much about the Humpbacks.

Definitely would do this again.

I participated in a whale watching tour on March 4th. I was torn between a large cruise ship and a smaller one, but I decided to go with the smaller cruise ship, thinking it might get closer to the whales when we spotted them.

At the meeting point, there was no reception, and the staff who were on the returning cruise ship handled the check-in, which left me a bit confused about whether I was in the right place while waiting.

They did move a bit closer, getting within about 100 meters, and I was able to take great videos and photos with my smartphone's 2x zoom.

There were options not just for the five mountains, but also for morning, late morning, and early afternoon, allowing for flexibility in scheduling with other options and making effective use of my time.

3月4日のホエールウォッチングに参加
　大きいクルーズ船と迷ったが小さいクルーズ船の方がホエールを見つけた際、少しでも近づけるのではと今回申込みをしました
　集合場所では受付が無く戻ってきたクルーズ船に乗っているスタッフが受付をする為、待っている間ここで良いのか戸惑いました

やはり少しずつ移動をしてくれて100ｍ辺りまで近づいてくれスマホの2倍望遠でも十分動画、写真が取ることが出来ました

時間も五山だけで無く、朝・昼前・昼過ぎから選べるので他のオプションとのセッティングも出来時間を有効に使う事が出来ました

Three generations trip and this was a last minute addition.
The staff was amazing, the boat was easy to board and comfortable, and we saw turtles!!
Completely enjoyable and would readily recommend!!

On the day of the tour, it was raining on the bus, but by the time we boarded the boat and reached the area where the whales were, the rain had stopped and the sun peeked out, which was great. The color of the sea was very beautiful.

We didn't see any large whales, but we did catch glimpses of what seemed to be a baby whale! We saw its tail several times and parts of its body, which was wonderful.

Inside the boat, snacks, light meals, and drinks were available for purchase. Since the air conditioning inside the boat was quite strong, I think it's a good idea to bring a light jacket.

I believe this is a tour that can be enjoyed by everyone, from the elderly to small children.

当日、バスの中では雨でしたが、、船に乗り鯨のいる場所につく頃には雨も止んで太陽ものぞいてくれたので良かったです。
海の色がとっても綺麗でしたよ
大きい鯨には、会えませんでしたが、、赤ちゃん鯨でしょうか？！何回も尻尾が見えたり、体の一部が見えたり良かったです。
船内では、スナックや軽食・飲み物が有料販売有りでした。
船内が冷房が強いので、、羽織るもの1枚持っていくといいと思います。
ご年配の方から小さいお子様まで、一緒に楽しむことのできるツアーだと思います

My husband and I had A BLAST!! We would definitely recommend it!! Not only did they do an awesome job, one of the crew members noticed us having an underwater camera and offered to take it down deeper for us, so that we could get better pictures! A HUGE thank you to her!! Now we have beautiful pictures to keep!!

I was picked up at the Hyatt at 7:25 AM, and we arrived at 9:00 AM. My 3-year-old child got tired just from being on the bus for an hour and a half. It was disappointing that we could only see the tail this time, as it didn't leave a lasting impression on my child.

7時25分にHyattでpick upしてもらい、着いたのは9時でした。
3歳の子どもは、1時間半バスに乗っていただけでも疲れてしまいました。
今回はテールしか見られず、子供にとって印象が残らなかったのが残念でした。

Eka snorkeling with manta rays was amazing. The small, personalized tour is a great way to see the rays. Loved the classic canoe. This was perfect for ray family and I can recommend this tour group highly enough. Kai was great - he is so knowledgeable about the rays and he calmed my 9 y.o.’s fears -he on spectrum and they were very flexible in how we got him into the water and to the board. My son can’t stop talking about how great this experience was-he can’t wait to go again. Book this tour - you won’t regret it. The entire group was accommodating and friendly and made this the best adventure of our Hawaiian trip. Thank you Eka.

This activity focuses on the characteristics of plankton that gather around light, allowing you to observe manta rays that come to feed after sunset by setting up lights on the water.

During my visit, I was fortunate enough to encounter more than ten manta rays. Thanks to the lights, the mantas came close enough that I felt I could reach out and touch them, which was truly impressive. Additionally, the graceful swimming of the mantas reminded me of angels gliding through the ocean, making it a mystical and valuable experience.

The staff were all friendly, and I was able to enjoy a fulfilling time. On the return boat, we were even treated to hot chocolate, which showed their thoughtful attention to detail.

I believe this is a unique activity that you won't find elsewhere, so I highly recommend participating if you're interested!

光に集まるプランクトンの特性に着目し、夕暮れ以降に海上に浮かぶライトをセッティングすることで、プランクトンの捕食を目的に集まったマンタを鑑賞できるアクティビティです。

自分が参加した回は、運良く10匹を超えるマンタ達と会うことができました。
ライトのおかげで、手を伸ばせば届きそうな距離までマンタが近付いてくれるので、とても迫力がありました。
また、優雅に泳ぐマンタ達はまるで海中を泳ぐ天使を彷彿とさせ、神秘的で貴重な経験となりました。

スタッフの皆さんはフレンドリーな方ばかりで、充実した時間を過ごすことができました。
帰りの船の中では、ホットチョコレートが振る舞われるなど、気遣いもバッチリです。

他では味わえない貴重なアクティビティかと思いますので、ご興味がある方はご参加をおすすめします！

Since they are wild whales, I suppose it's understandable, but I could only see them spouting water from a distance and their tails. It was hard to tell whether they were whales or dolphins.

野生のクジラなので仕方がないと思いますが、遠くに潮を吹く姿、尾ひれくらいしか見られませんでした。その位なのでクジラなのかイルカなのか区別がつかない感じでした。

I went to the location by rental car since it was mentioned that there was a validation service. When I showed the parking ticket to the staff and asked about it, I was told that the service is not available this year. It seems there was an error in the information provided, which is disappointing.
During the cruise, I was able to enjoy taking photos of Waikiki and Diamond Head from the sea.
As the ship was returning to the port, there was an announcement at 9 o'clock that something would be visible, and the ship moved a bit, but then there was another announcement at 10 o'clock, unfortunately, I couldn't see it. It seemed that many others also missed it. Even if some people were able to see it, it appears that rescheduling is not guaranteed for those who couldn't, which is unfortunate.
It is very cold on the ship, so a jacket is a must.

バリデーションのサービスがあると記載されていたので、レンタカーにて現地へ向かいました。スタッフにパーキングチケットを見せて聞いたところ、今年はそのサービスはやっていないとの返答。記載内容に誤りがあるようで残念です。
乗船中は海から見るワイキキやダイヤモンドヘッドを写真に撮ったりと楽しむことができました。
船が港へ戻る際9時に見えると放送があり少し船が動いたのでその後10時の方向と放送がありましたが、残念ながら見る事が出来ませんでした。他にも見れなかった方は沢山いたようでした。自身が見れなくても見ることのできた人がいればリスケジュールの保証外となるようで、残念でした。
船上はとても寒いので、上着必須です。

Very impressed with their knowledge of whales. Saw many sightings! Would definitely do again! Loved that we could hear whales through under water microphone!

The ship was so large that I imagined I would see whales from a distance, but in reality, I was able to see them up close multiple times, which was amazing.

船が大きいので、クジラは遠くに見るようなイメージだったが、実際には近くで、何度も見ることができ最高だった。

We had an amazing time as the crew was incredibly prepared and accommodating. They were able to fit all of us on board and bring us out without a problem. The guides were very knowledgeable and were helpful in getting in and out of the water. They work together with the other tours in the same space to attract as many rays as possible. We ended up seeing 10 or more rays with a near constant show. We had my 65-year-old mom and dad, my 40-year old self and wife, and our eight and 10-year-old with us, and it was never a problem. A great activity if your kids can stay up a little later and recover the next day.

It's a short boat ride out, but the darkness set off a little of my motion sickness, So if you're prone to that be sure to take some medication ahead of time. I also had a little issue being in the waves and going up and down in the darkness. One of the other participants got fully sick away from the boat but the crew handled it very professionally.

I would absolutely recommend them!

Best excursion during our week in Maui. The reviews were spot on about Sea Maui. The captain and crew were outstanding. You won’t be disappointed.

The tour guide took us into the ocean beyond the cruise ship (as in the picture below). We saw whales and heard a whale singing from under the Kayaks. Most beautiful experience. I’m not a pro at kayaking, but the guide was always looking out to keep us up with the more avid kayakers. He had all the answers to our questions. Could not snorkel that day as the water was murky. Had a wonderful time. I would do it all over again given the chance.

We arrived at the location with a rental car as a family of four. Since our children had no experience with snorkeling, we went a bit early to choose the right size wetsuits and to learn how to use the equipment. The staff were all very kind. The unique boat allowed us to feel very close to the movements and behaviors of the creatures during the whale watching cruise. I felt that the explanations about marine life were also very professional. Finally, we could jump in and enjoy snorkeling, which I think provided a fun experience that you can't have on other whale watching tours. It was my first time in Hawaii, but I would like to participate in this company's small group, hands-on tours again next time.

家族4人でレンタカーに乗って現地入りしました。子供がシュノーケリング未経験のため少し早めに行き、ウェットスーツのサイズを決めたり道具の使い方を教えてもらいました。スタッフの方々は皆さんとても親切でした。独自のボートはホエールウォッチングクルーズの中でも最も水面に近く生き物の動きや様子をとても近くで感じることができました。海洋生物に関する解説も専門的であると感じました。最後はそこに飛び込んでシュノーケリングを楽しめるので、他のホエールウォッチングツアーでは体験できない楽しさがあると思いました。初のハワイでしたが、次行った時もこの会社の少人数で体感型のツアーに参加したいと思いました。

The back of Prince Waikiki serves as the meeting place, and everyone gathers there at the scheduled time. The departure was on time as planned.

Inside the boat, music was playing, creating a great atmosphere. Drinks can be purchased at the bar counter on the first floor.

As for the whales, we couldn't see them up close, but we saw many, so I was very satisfied! The day I participated, the weather was cloudy, and the wind was very strong, making the waves quite rough, which caused some people to feel seasick. I think it's a good idea for those who are prone to motion sickness to bring some medication.

prince waikikiの裏が待ち合わせ場所になっていて集合時間になるとみなさん集まってきます。時間は予定通りに出航してくれました。
船内も音楽がかかっていて良い雰囲気です。ドリンクは1階のバーカウンターで購入できます。
肝心のクジラはあまり近くでは見れなかったですが、たくさん見れたので大満足です！
私が参加した日は天気は曇り、風がとても強かったので波がとても荒く船酔いしている人もいました。酔いやすい方は酔い止めを持って行った方が良いと思います。

It was a small whale, but I was able to see it spouting water. It's a shame I couldn't see the jumps I was hoping for. Apart from the whale, I was able to see a beautiful rainbow, which made for a great experience.

小さい鯨でしたが、潮吹きが見ることができました。
期待していたジャンプは見れなかったのが残念です。
鯨とは別に綺麗な虹が見ることができ、いい経験となりました。

We could not see any and also the ride was so bumpy