All Reviews for Marine Wildlife Encounters

My husband and I did the 2 hour Calypso whale watching on Feb 22nd and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The guide was very informative and told a lot of fun facts about mother and baby whales. We saw many whales as this is the time when mother whales come down to Hawaii waters to give birth and to train their babies.
The boat was big with comfortable seating and was clean. The bartenders were great too and made some amazing drinks for very fair prices.

delicious food, good tour guides, a beautiful day on the water!! great way to spend a day in maui

Overall it's an must do cruise to go out on the ocean on a Catamaran near the Waikoloa area.

We saw whales from far off as it was afternoon and the bigger ship is not attractive to the whales.

We would do the morning trip on the powerboat with fewer people or go for the sunset cruise.There is not much info provided during the cruise so it's lacking the fun in whale watching as it can be boring if nothing happens.

It would also be better if there was a spotter pointing to the breaches as it happens very quickly and multiple people spotting can be confusing.

After you get on board you are mostly left on your own and the boat only goes less than half a mile out.

We saw more whales from the shore than on the boat but it was good to get out on the ocean with this cruise.

The crew was super efficient and friendly. We were seated at a socially distanced table and served cocktails as soon as we left the harbor. The vegetarian meal was creative and delicious and better than some restaurant meals we've had. The skipper made sure we saw some whales who were especially active. All in all, a great experience.

Can't wait to do this again next year!! This was an amazing experience for my family and I.

Thoroughly enjoyed that experience and will definitely do it again. Have told everyone that they have to give it a try. Your crew was very good and pleasant and the young man talking with us was very entertaining. This is the second time I have been on an Atlantis sub the other was in the Caymans, which I also enjoyed but this one was the best.

We went on a morning whale watching cruise! Enjoyed our morning mai tai! We have gone on this several times… Always enjoy the Star of Honolulu whale watching cruise! The staff is very informative! Would recommend to anyone!

Loved the dialogue on whales throughout the trip. Saw lots of whale activity. Crew very attentive to our needs.

The whales get so close to your raft! The raft experience was surreal and it is a tour I would do everytime.

Very far away sightings. Not close enough to see whales good. Ok but there are cheaper boats for same quality.

This was a wonderful trip. The captain took us far out into the bay and we got into an area where there were many whales. He obviously knew where he was going. It was actually one of the best whale watches I've ever been on. I love the Calypso. The crew was friendly, the drinks great and even the naturalist was informative, if a bit chatty. Anyway, great time in whale soup.

Our family’s first experience whale watching was truly impressive. The crew was professional with information and safety. They did not leave out the fun and had a nice variety of refreshments. We did take the 1:30 pm tour and saw many whales.
The confirmation email as to directions to find them was not so great. They are not in front of the Lava Lava restaurant ( which kept us circling for 10 mins) they are to the right of iLava Lava down along the beach 100 yards aprox, is 2 palm trees on the beach w/ small orange sign to check in. You should notice the platoon boat and catamaran out in the water awaiting for you.
Have extra cash available for tip they are worth it.

Twenty minutes after leaving Waianae harbor, my husband spotted a whale spout first. After that several pairs of whales were spotted during the 2 hour tour.
We were so excited when one appeared at a distance of about 20 yards (whale came up to the boat) Also we watched a whale with a baby, and the baby appeared to wave to us hitting the surface of the water several times with a pectoral fin awhile looking at us.
The waves weren't so strong on that day, so even I, who get seasick, could spend the day out to sea without any problems. I was relieved that there is a restroom on board.
We relaxed sitting back enjoyed the whales and good drinks with snacks . We really had a great time.
The captain and the three staff members always took care to make us feel comfortable. The boat appears and sounds to be in good working order. We felt safe on it.
Thank you, CPT Dave, Quin, Aaron, and braeden!

My husband and I booked this at the last minute, so we weren't sure what to expect. We were very positively impressed. The boat was ready on time, clean and in very good shape. The crew were friendly as well as professional, answering any questions, patiently waiting and following signs of whales, and even taking pictures for passengers. It took a bit of patience on the passengers' part, but the crew knew where to go. We saw several pairs of mother whales with their young. At one point there were spouts going up in three different spots around us. And, really, seeing whales never gets old! The slow roll as they surface then the tail flip as they go back under is so peaceful, but thrilling at the same time. Although the crew were all younger folks, the music they played was at first a nice mix of standard pop songs that appealed to all ages. But the best was when they started playing all Hawaiian artists. (The captain joked that the whales like the Hawaiian music best). That music just seems to naturally go along with the sun and swell of the waves. We would definitely recommend this tour (and we already did).

We had attempted two times previously 9 years ago to see the Mantas and were unsuccessful. We warned our group this time that we may be bad luck. Our experience was over the top, well over 10 Mantas and Justin and Connor were great at sharing their knowledge of these fascinating creatures. We would definitely recommend to anyone wondering about this novel opportunity.

Very good. The lady instrucror was very good n friendly. I am African n we use alot of proverbs i like the fact she spoke in a lot of proverbs which makes me remember home. Loves the artifical ruins for the fishes. Welldone the crew very professional

Lovely experience. Staff were on time and took cautions. Gave the rules and were professional. Saw so many sharks. Overall, it was a good experience. My children loved it

We had such a great time on the whale watching cruise and saw two whales multiple times! The crew was great and very informative! This was an awesome experience and we highly recommend it!

The perfect experience for honeymooners, amazing adventure to be in contact with nature

We had a great trip! We had non stop manta ray action! Apparently we were very lucky. I left my phone on the boat because the current was a little rough. It was an awesome experience, would do again!! They were literally belly to belly with me. It was a really cool experience!

It was awesome! As soon as we got in the water we had Manta rays doing barrel rolls around us. Captain Kai, Justin and Jaz made the experience alot of fun. They know their Manta rays. An experience I recommend. Lady's I did this solo, don't hesitate. The night I went was well worth the money. Aloha!

Captain Cindy was delightful and funny a. And we saw plenty of whales. Thank you

We were able to see quite a few whales, and that was very neat and interesting to see. The staff was very knowmedable about the whales. All of the staff were very kind and helpful with asking if we needed anything to snack on or drink, and with helping us get to our bus after the whale watching.

The crew were fantastic! First part of the trip had difficulty finding the Whales (Mother Nature you know) but the captain and crew were relentless in the search to provide us an excellent experience! We found a group of whales that came extraordinarily close to the boat. Refreshments and snacks were also provided. Great for any traveler, family, couples or solo!
10/10 experience!

What surprised me the most when I arrived was that there was absolutely no Japanese guide. Everything was conducted in English, so I felt misled by the title of this tour.

現地に行ってまず驚いたのが
全く日本語ガイドがなかったこと。全て英語で行われていたのでこのツアーのタイトルに騙された感じでした。

Justin was so knowledgeable about the manta rays - we learned many interesting things. The equipment provided was very good quality and most comfortable. The most unforgettable part of the experience was seeing so many beautiful manta rays! And they came so close that we were touched by them as they swam.

Our captain found great whale groupings. We watched mothers and babies play, tails out of the water and a couple of jumps. The boat had snacks/drinks and bathrooms. I went with my 11 and 8 year old children, it was a perfect morning.

The activity was worth our time and money. We saw whales and the naturalists on board were excellent sources of information.. We loved hearing whale song!

This was the coolest experience of my life, and that is not an exaggeration at all. Plus that is saying a lot as we are world wide travelers and have done epic things. Every person living on the Big Island or traveling to the Big Island should do this! If you are considering it and wondering if it will be kinda cool or maybe sorta lame (like I thought it might be) let me assure you it is beyond cool!
We literally had to have close to a dozen manta rays swimming around us, most would swim within inches of us. Some VERY large ones also! No need to fear they have no teeth or stingers and are harmless (unless you are plankton). These creatures are truly magnificent!
The crew onboard was wonderful and knowledgeable. When we were done there was hot tea and a snack which was an added bonus.

This was such a great experience for my son and I. The crew was super awesome, very safe and knowledgeable about the area and types of sharks. Loved that they took video and pictures using there own equipment so we didn’t have to worry about bringing our own equipment.

I am so happy that we did this!!!! At the end of this amazing experience, we got to see a whale since it’s what season right now

Hands down, best freaking company to go shark diving with!!!! Got to see so many sharks and it was truly an amazing experience.

Looking forward to doing it again when I visit!!!!