All Reviews for Marine Wildlife Encounters

Amazing fun activity with kids for 2 to 3 hours. Make sure to have a hat, sunscreen and snacks for kiddos!

We loved Captain Jesse, Aaron, and Seanna! They went above and beyond to make sure that we had the best experience possible. Thanks to them, we were able to see 2 males showing dominance over the other, and 1 baby calf fooling around. On the boat, it was very spacious and the service was phenomenal. Would recommend 10/10.

Great staff and fun little outing for my 6year old :)

The captain does a great job of finding the whales and creating opportunities to let the whales approach. Very friendly staff made us feel welcome. The only thing I have concerns with is the lack of ability to social distance or avoid touching high traffic handrails due to safety, but luckily we brought our own hand sanitizer (which I recommend). Overall a great trip, and everyone in my group had a great time.

We had a family excursion and it was perfect. As we had 2 elderly family members, we loved that the boat was double decked so there was always shade for them. We also liked that the excursion has a ton of great photo opportunities of the ocean and mainland, so we got some awesome family photos. The best part of the trip though was the fact that parts of the revenue goes towards funding researchers who are working on studying the whale populations, which makes you feel good at the end of the day about the purchase, even if you don't get to see the whales up close.

I went on this trip with my family (6 adults, 2 of whom are a bit older). It was something we could all enjoy. The best part of the trip was seeing a close up whale breach, but it does come down to luck... I imagine some people might only end up seeing fins during their excursion, but even though we got to see an up close breach on our trip, the captain invited us to stay on for their second outing that day in case we missed it so we were guaranteed to be happy (super nice of him).

Recommend you to definitely bring sunglasses and a cap as its really bright out and fatigues the eyes.

Fabulous. It was one of the best things I have ever done. I highly recommend this as a activity must do!!! We will cherish this experience forever!

It's true, discovering the Manta's is a must do on Kona and the best place is Keauhou Bay with the "Dolphin Discovery" crew. I chose this company based on their reviews and it was the best decision I made! Our family numbered 6 among an intimate group of 12, plus the crew. Everyone of the crew from the "in-water" guides (Justin & Chaz) to the Capt. and shore staff were AMAZING. Super helpful, patient, approachable, knowledgeable and everything a group could ask for and more! Equipment is top notch and the hot, lavender/chamomile tea & cookies after the swim/snorkeling is the perfect touch!! Thank you very, very much for making this one of the most memorable experiences we had in Kona!!

Years ago, we were looking for a simple sunset cruise with some drinks and apps. We did not want a big boat. We did not want a big dinner because there are so many special local restaurants to try on Maui. Then we stumbled upon Sea Maui. It is perfect. A relaxing ride on a catamaran. Taking in the sunset. The staff is always friendly and accommodating. The apps are still filled with local foods. Every time we go to Maui, we try to book with Sea Maui. it was just what we were looking for and more.

Whale watching with Hawaii Nautical was a great experience. The crew was very friendly and they had a great offer at the bar. We also got a lot of information on the whales and their habitat.
Don't have too high expectations when you go out in December. We only saw two whales, their backs and a few times their tails. From what we heard, January might be a better time to go whale watching.

Crew, equipment, boat, customers and experience were all AWESOME

We took the cruise last Thursday. The cruise time from the harbor to the site was a little long but worthful. The sunset view was beautiful. And we were so lucky to see a group of dolphins. The two girls were super nice and very helpful. Also, they offer a different price for people with ride-only. It was a great experience. I regret for not giving tips because my wallet was left in the car. I hope they could accept Zelle/Apple pay of tips later.

The manta ray night snorkel was AMAZING! Our guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. They took the time to meet each one of us individually. Being in the dark ocean with these amazing creatures is a breathtaking experience that can’t be put into words or explained with videos. You just have to do it. We have 5-6 rays that barrel rolled under us continuously for about 20 minutes.

I paid for and experienced the sunset Manta Ray Night Time Snorkelling on Dec. 23, 2021. I completely understand that these are wild animals and that it's extremely unpredictable whether or not you'll get a good chance to see them up close and personal. That said, that is what this company is selling and what we are paying extremely good money for. if you are going to charge for it, then every effort should be made to deliver on that experience.

The crew overall did a decent job, but once we arrived at the area where the Manta Rays were supposed to be, I was surprised to see a huge number of boats of various sizes and setups. I then realized that perhaps our setup was not ideal. I noticed that some arrange the snorkelers in a circle or square formation, making it more likely for everyone to get a good view of the Manta Ray if it shows up. Our setup was just some floating paddle boards, and our particular location was not ideal. I would say all of us on our particular paddle board barely caught a glimpse of a Manta Ray, whereas others I believe based on what they said got a much better view. This was extremely disappointing. I'm sure those who did catch a good shot will talk about a different experience, but all of us who were on the boat paid good money, not just those who got a good view of the Manta Rays.

This makes it hard to recommend this particular outfit to others

Was thrilling and informative. The crew were friendly and helpful and made every effort to make sure the experience was enjoyable. The mantas were so close and very impressive. Also saw dolphins as a bonus.

We all hand wonderful time watching majestic sharks. Crew was very helpful and friendly. Kudos to Chris and Team! Keep up the good work!

We saw two whales during our trip! We went on a tour in December, when the whale watching season just started, yet we were lucky to encounter two whales. The tour departed from Waikaloa, which was a bit of a drive from our place in Kona. However, it is supposed to be a better area for spotting whales. Overall, we had a very pleasant experience.

The team was super friendly & nice ! Our GoPro wasn’t working when it became time to get in the water so one of the team members let us use theirs w/ a small fee. Totally worth it ! Highly recommend we seen soooo many sharks & fish !

The experience was amazing. A big ray came so close touched my elbow.

The crew were all very nice and knowledgeable but there wasn’t much wildlife to see. Mostly just coral. Wish I could’ve seen some turtles.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the whale watching adventure with Captain Heather! We were able to spot whales within the first 5 minutes and actually saw multiple humpbacks and dolphins! The crew was so wonderful and knowledgeable!! I would definitely recommend 1000 times!!!!

Our entire family had an amazing evening swimming with the Manta Rays, it was magical. The crew, with Captain Bryce were fantastic, knowledgeable, and fun. Highly recommend this trip!

Perfect activity for kids or those with limited mobility. Great crew and fun experience.

Pirate Wednesdays - Would highly recommend. You get a comedy show as well as the manta rays

Tour was professionally done, we saw to many Mantas to count...was such a beautiful experience:). Hot tea and good discussion afterwards was great! Thank you so much!!

We saw so many mantas!!!! It was amazing and awesome!!!! The hot tea was nice as well. Thank you!

This Manta Ray Night Snorkel was near the top of my husbands life list! It was very well organized and the guides were very informative. We saw at least 5-7 Rays. Many came up quite close to check us out. We would definitely do this again, but next time we will bring the camera! I felt very safe the whole time and for me, 45 minutes was just the right amount of time.

This was a very unique excursion and we had a ball! Never even knew such a cool underwater viewing activity even existed. The crew was friendly and helpful and made us feel.very comfortable throughout the adventure. Highly recommend this amazing activity.

Beautiful views, good food and very friendly staff. We really enjoyed ourselves.

It was a smaller boat, so I felt a little bit squished, but I guess that is how submarines must feel!