All Reviews for Marine Wildlife Encounters

The crew takes outstanding care to ensure a great experience. We were so lucky to have no wind and calm waters and see a mama, a baby, and an escort whale, plus one other solo whale. A great day!

I’ve done this trip several times over the years and it never disappoints. The crew is outstanding, fun, professional, attentive, and really makes sure everyone has a great time and does everything possible for an excellent whale watching experience.

This was a great tour. I’m a little scared of the water. I don’t swim particularly well and I hate putting my head underwater. I wore a life jacket. The hardest part for me was just getting from the steps of the boat under the water and putting my head into the scuba submersible head part of the scooter. Also getting back out. There were people assisting us with everything. What a great experience.! Highly recommended!

The crew of the Moana were fabulous! They were welcoming and were genuinely just as excited as we were to see all the beautiful whales! Being on the catamaran was an intimate experience for our family and we had such a wonderful time together. If our itinerary allowed for it, we would have booked a sunset cruise in addition to our whale watching cruise!

The smiling crew guided us on board, and once we were seated, we were served banana bread along with coffee and tea. After departure, we enjoyed a humorous talk about whales by a naturalist, and then we went out on deck to take in the beautiful blue ocean and the views of Oahu from the sea that we don't usually get to see. Although we didn't encounter any whales, the informative announcements about whales and the Hawaiian sea kept us entertained throughout the cruise. A free voucher for a re-challenge was issued, so I definitely want to return to Hawaii again.

笑顔のクルーが乗船の案内をしてくれて席につくとバナナブレットとコーヒー紅茶のサービスをいただきました。出航後はユーモアたっぷりのナチュラリストによる鯨の話を楽しんだ後にデッキに出て美しいブルーオーシャンと普段見ることのできない海からのオアフ島の景色を堪能できました。肝心の鯨には遭遇しませんでしたが、鯨やハワイの海についての知識など退屈することのないアナウンスで終始クルーズを楽しめました。再チャレンジできる無料のバウチャーが発行されたので、また是非ハワイに戻って来たいと思います。

It was the activity I was looking forward to the most, and I had a lot of fun, but the sea conditions weren't very good, and the boat was rocking a lot, which made me feel seasick. However, I was glad that I could see sharks properly and took a lot of videos.

1番楽しみにしてたアクティビティで、とても楽しかったのですが、海のコンディションがあまり良くなかったのか、船がすごく揺れて酔いました。
けど、サメもちゃんと見れてたくさん動画を撮れてよかったです

This time, it might have been a bit early in the season, but we persevered and managed to catch a glimpse of a whale swimming just at the last moment. We were able to see a honu and what I think was a flying fish, and the sea breeze felt wonderful! That's what my partner said.

I was feeling seasick and ended up lying down.

今回は少し時期が早いのか中々見られずでしたが、ギリギリまで粘って探してくださり少しだけクジラの泳ぐ姿を見れました。
ホヌやトビウオ？は見ることが出来ましたし、海風も気持ちよかったです♪
と、一緒に参加した相方が申してました。

私は船酔いでグロッキーとなり横たわっていました^^;

So happy we decided to try out scuba scooters! It was an amazing way to get up close and personal with turtles and all kinds of fish. My kids are adventurous and loved every second. I am very claustrophobic and was just fine because each diver had their own helper for the entire time under water. I felt very safe! This really is something you should try! All the staff were professional and super encouraging. We loved this experience!

I saw so many whales! 😆

The experience time was a bit long, so it might not be suitable for very small children. I stayed on the second floor the whole time, so it was hard to understand the one drink policy.

めちゃくちゃクジラ見れました😆

少し体験時間が長くて小さすぎる子は向いてないかもしれません。
2階にずっといたのでワンドリンクがわかりにくかったです。

Since the main event is in early spring, I boarded with moderate expectations. However, we encountered a whale before reaching the point! Although I couldn't take any photos, I was able to enjoy watching a whale jump high up close (just like in promotional photos). Most of the passengers were Americans, but there were also about three groups of Japanese. It's easy to get there by Uber or bus, and for this price, I'm very satisfied!

本番は春先ということで、期待そこそこで乗船。ところがポイント到着前からくじらに遭遇！写真は撮れませんでしたが、大きくジャンプするくじら(まさに宣材写真の通り)を至近で楽しむことが出来ました。殆どが米人ですが、日本人グループも3組ほどいました。
Uberでもバスでも行きやすく、この値段なら大満足です♪

Loved the crew. My fourth time, my children’s second time and my son’s girlfriend’s first time. Swimming by and with turtles. Like heaven y set water with the fish. Next time I am in Hawaii, will return! Thank you

It's inexpensive, the boat is large and stable, and the staff is not mean. I was told that we wouldn't see any whales in December, but we saw many, and they were very close, clearly showing their bodies and fins, even spouting water—it was truly moving. I think there were about 100 participants, but no Japanese people. Well, the restroom was smelly, but that's unavoidable. The meeting place was a bit hard to find. I've been to Hawaii around 30 times, but this might have been the best experience yet!

お安いし、船も大きくて安定してるし、スタッフも意地悪じゃない。12月は見れないと言われていたクジラもたくさん見れて、何頭もすごく近くで体、ヒレもはっきり、潮まで吹いてくれて感動しかない。100人とか参加してたと思うけど日本人なし。まあ、トイレは臭いけど仕方なし。集合場所は若干わかりにくいかな。ハワイは30回とかは軽く来てるけど、今までで一番よかったかも！

It was supposed to be a maximum of six participants, but there were more than six on the day I attended. Also, it was stated to be two hours, but it was less than that. In the water, it felt like we were in for about 40 minutes.

There is a building for check-in, but there were no staff present at the time, which made it uncomfortable to wait alone in an empty area. (There were some people from a nearby cage tour, which added to the confusion.)

You have to hold onto the rope on the side of the boat at all times. The waves were high, and if you accidentally let go, you would get scolded for safety reasons. While waiting with the rope, one by one, we were called by the guide, and we had to swim from the rope to where the guide was. However, it felt pointless to dive when the sharks were not around during the count. There were sandbar sharks far away, and that day there were hammerheads and blacktips, but no tiger sharks. Since it’s nature, that’s understandable, but honestly, the sharks were farther away than I expected, and the water was a bit murky, so I wished I could see them up close.

When the boat's engine revs, the sharks come up a bit. It was okay to bring a GoPro and take pictures. You can rent fins, snorkels, masks, and rash guards. The guide only speaks English, so it can be tough if you don’t understand.

Also, please note that there is no place to change. The nearby restroom is for women, but there are no private stalls. Around noon, a man (possibly a homeless person?) came out of the women's restroom. There was also a dog that seemed to belong to him, and it smelled quite bad, so I quickly changed on the street in the parking lot.

MAX６名とのことですが、参加した日の回は６名以上いました。
また、２時間と記載がありますが２時間無しです。海の中にはいっているのは体感的に４０分あるかないかくらいでしょうか。
受付は建物がありますが、スタッフは居ない時間帯で誰も居ないところでポツンと待つのは不安でした。（近くのCageありのツアーの方がいたりしてちょっと混乱）
常に船の側面にある紐をつかんでいないといけません。波が高く、煽られてうっかり手が離れてしまったりしたら怒られます。（安全面のため）
紐を持って待って居ると一人ずつガイドに呼ばれたら、紐からガイドがいるところまで泳いで、ガイドのカウントで潜りますが、サメが居ないところでそのカウントで潜らせられても何も…という感じでした。下の遠くの方にサンドバーシャークがわらわら居る感じで、その日はハンマーとブラックチップも居ましたが、タイガーは居ませんでした。自然相手なのでそこは仕方ないですが、思っているより全体的にサメが遠かった＋白濁り気味でしたのでもう少し近くで見たかったというのが本音。
船のエンジンをふかすとサメが少し浮上してきます。
GoPro持っていって撮ることはOKでした。
フィン・シュノーケル・マスク・ラッシュガードは借りれます。
ガイドの方は英語対応になりますので理解出来ないと厳しいです。
また着替える場所がありませんのでご注意ください。
近くのトイレは女性側ですが個室扉がありません。
また昼頃ですが男性（路上生活者でしょうか？）が、女子トイレの中から出てきました。
またその方が飼っていると思われる犬がいて獣臭もすごかったですので、私は駐車場の路上でささっと着替えました。

The dolphins are amazing and they do as they want . We will definitely recommend dolphin quest To everyone.

This is supposed to be one of my family precious vacation experiences: spectular view, kind crews and amazing whale watching moments.

I came to Hawaii to see whales. When I went to Hokkaido, I also stared intently at the ocean surface searching for whales. In Hawaii, I also gazed at the sea, looking for them. (The captain tried various things like bananas and shrimp.) But unfortunately!! This time it didn't work out!! Next time, for sure!

クジラが見たくてハワイに来た。
北海道に行った時もジーッと海面を見つめてクジラを探した。
ハワイでもジーッと海をにらんで探した。（キャプテンもバナ
ナ、エビの投入など色々、試してくれた。）でも残念！！今回
はダメだった！！次はぜひ

A wonderful experience. Relaxed atmosphere and pleasant guides. We had already encountered sharks while snorkeling in the Maldives, but they were much smaller. These were fascinating.

I had booked a shark tour, but it was suddenly canceled, and instead, I joined a submarine tour, which turned out to be a great decision.

Getting the chance to go inside a submarine is something you don't usually experience in life, and it felt like being in a moving aquarium, full of excitement and thrill. Although I didn't get to see turtles or whales, there were impressive sights like a sunken airplane.

The explanations were in English, and while I couldn't fully understand them, the atmosphere was still enjoyable. The ferry ride to the location was also quite an experience due to the strong winds.

I highly recommend this tour as it's enjoyable for everyone, from children to the elderly.

シャークツアー予約してましたが、急遽欠航になり代わりに入れた潜水艦ツアーでしたが大正解でした。
潜水艦に入る機会って普通に生きてても人生でないので、まるで動く水族館のような雰囲気とスリルを味わえました。
亀や鯨に会うことはできなかったけれど、海に沈んだ飛行機など迫力がありました。
英語で解説してくれてましたが、わからずに過ごしましたが雰囲気も良く。
行くまでのフェリーも風が強くて、これだけでもいい経験。
このツアーは子供からお年寄りまで楽しめるのでおすすめです。

This experience was really cool and very informative. Our daughters loved it and they were excited every second of the trip. We saw fish, turtles, sharks, ships, sting rays and planes! We will come back and jump on again to discover more

Riding in a submarine and seeing the underwater world was an exciting experience for both adults and children. The kids especially seemed to enjoy understanding the differences compared to an aquarium during the boarding process. Additionally, the friendly staff made it a fun experience.

潜水艦に乗り海底海中を見れるのは大人も子供もドキドキ経験でした。特に子供たちは水族館との違いを乗船過程で分かったようで楽しんでいました。それとスタッフのフレンドリーな対応が楽しかったです。

I encountered a pod of dolphins twice and went into the sea. Unfortunately, during the first encounter, I couldn't recognize the dolphins, but during the second, I was able to see them properly. The guide was kind and took care of me as I was struggling due to my lack of stamina. I was also happy that the person I went with checked on me while I was resting and tired. It's a shame I didn't have the energy to enjoy the last snorkeling session, but I had a great time overall.

I will work on building my stamina before the next time I participate.

2回、イルカの群れに遭遇し海へ入ったのですが、
1回目の時は残念ながらイルカを認識できなかったのですが、
2回目の時には、きちんと見ることができました。
ガイドさんが親切で、体力不足でアップアップしていた私を気にかけてくださいました。
一緒に行った方も、疲れて休んでいる私に声をかけてくれて嬉しかったです。
最後のシュノーケリングを楽しむ体力がなかったことは残念でしたが、
充分に楽しむことができました。

次に参加するときまでに体力作りに励みます。

I was able to see dolphins, and the staff were very nice, which made it enjoyable. However, the dolphins were far away. In the past, I could swim closer to them. I think it's unavoidable due to stricter laws, but it was a bit disappointing.

イルカも見れたし、スタッフさんもとても良くしてくださり楽しかったのですが、イルカはみられましたが遠かったです。以前はもっと近くで泳げたのですが。法律が厳しくなったので仕方ないのだと思いますが、少し残念でした。

The beautiful ocean and Diamond Head. Just seeing the buildings of Waikiki from the boat felt great. I couldn't see the seabed very well through the glass, though.

綺麗な海とダイヤモンドヘッド ワイキキのビルを船から見るだけでも気持ち良かった
ガラス越しに海底はそれほど見えなかったかな

I went in with somewhat low expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was able to interact with the dolphins!

We experienced it alongside other Japanese groups, and the friendly Japanese staff were always there to explain things, which was very helpful.

Although there was no dolphin show happening during our visit, we had quite a bit of free time. It felt very homey, as there were staff members who spoke broken Japanese and checked in on us while we were exploring!

少し期待値低めで行ったためか、思った以上にイルカに触れることができてよかったです！

私たちは他の日本人グループの方たちと一緒に体験し、気さくな日本人のスタッフの方が常に説明してくださりとても助かりました。

園内はイルカショーもしていないタイミングで時間はかなり持て余しましたが、カタコトで日本語を話す方が散策中も会うと気にかけてくださったりアットホームなところでした！

I took a taxi to Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was fine, but I was nervous because I didn't know where the meeting place was...

I think it would be reassuring to have prior information like, "After passing through the hotel entrance, there will be a boat docked towards the beach."

On the 10:00 trip, even at a depth of 30 meters, it was bright, and I could see many fish, which was a lot of fun! I was hoping to see a honu (sea turtle), but unfortunately, that didn't happen... Since my elderly mother was with me, we didn't do any marine activities, but it was great to be able to explore underwater in a submarine, which is something you can't easily experience in Japan.

ヒルトンハワイアンビレッジまでタクシーで向かったのはいいのですが…
集合場所がわからずドキドキしました。。

「ホテルの入り口を抜けて、ビーチに向かった所に船が停まっている」
などの事前案内があったら安心だと思う。

10:00の便で、海底30mでも明るく
たくさんの魚が見れてとても楽しかった♪
ホヌに会えるのを願ってましたが…叶わず。。
高齢の母も一緒だったので、マリンアクティビティは一切なかったので、日本ではなかなか体験できない潜水艦で、水中散策ができたのでよかったです。

On October 25, the participants of Dolphin Junior High did not meet the required number, so they transferred to Dolphin University.

Before boarding the boat, I encountered a honu (sea turtle) right by the pier. I couldn't take a photo because my camera was still in the dry bag.

Shortly after departure, I encountered a Hawaiian monk seal. It popped its head up above the surface, and I was able to capture it perfectly on camera. The day before, I also encountered one while experiencing SUP at Ala Moana Beach, and according to our guide Hayato, it's very rare for short-term travelers to see wild Hawaiian monk seals two days in a row, so I was very lucky!

Next, we had our first snorkeling session in the shallow waters. I was able to capture the honu coming up for air and diving down to the seabed. This snorkeling in the shallow waters was a great warm-up.

While searching for dolphins to swim with, I saw some spinner dolphins splashing around from the boat.

Finally, the main event: snorkeling with dolphins. I heard that we encountered many spotted dolphins, but the weather was so nice that there were a lot of light curtains, making it hard to see them with the naked eye. However, since other participants seemed to see them, I trusted that the action camera had captured it and returned to the boat. When I checked back at the hotel, I was relieved to find that it had been recorded perfectly.

On the way back to the harbor, many dolphins swam alongside the boat, making for a truly enjoyable experience.

I am grateful for the kind assistance from our guide Hayato.

Mahalo

10月25日、イルカ中学参加者が規定数に満たず、イルカ大学に編入しました。

最初船に乗る前、桟橋からすぐのところでホヌに遭遇。カメラをドライバッグに入れたままだったので撮影出来ずでした。

出航後すぐにハワイアンモンクシールに遭遇。
海面にひょっこり顔を出してくれてバッチリカメラに収録。
前日アラモアナビーチでSUP体験時にも遭遇しガイドのハヤトくんが言うには、2日連続で野生のハワイアンモンクシールに遭遇した短期旅行者は滅多にいないらしくてとてもラッキー！

次に浅瀬で最初のシュノーケリング。
ホヌが息継ぎし海底まで潜って行く様子を収録出来ました。
この浅瀬でのシュノーケリングは良い準備運動になりましたね。

次に一緒に泳ぐイルカを探す途中、船上からハシナガイルカがバシャバシャしている様子が見れました。

いよいよメインイベント、イルカと一緒にシュノーケリング。
たくさんのマダライルカに遭遇したらしいですが、天気が良すぎて光のカーテン多めで肉眼では確認することが出来ず。でも他の参加者は見れた模様なのでアクションカメラに収録出来ている事を信じて船に戻りました。
ホテルに帰って確認してところバッチリ収録出来てたので良かったー。

最後ハーバーまで戻る途中、たくさんのイルカが船と一緒に泳いでくれてホント楽しい体験ができました。

ガイドのハヤトくんがとても親切に対応してくれて感謝です。

Mahalo

Our experiences were great. First we had a chance to do the underwater scooter and give food to our loving fishes. Camera man constantly took pictures of us which we received it later through purchasing it. We did not see turtles directly but definitely it was an experience we would be doing again. There were two teams in the boat where one team goes for the underwater scooter and another goes for snorkeling under the guidance of our team. Overall, the pictures made it another unforgettable experience so make sure to purchase the pictures when the guide asks you if you want the pictures or not. It was sent through email so fast and quick.

It was a bit cramped, but there wasn't any shaking, and there were lots of cute fish at the artificial reef, making for a very meaningful time. However, I probably wouldn't go on it a second time. The boat to the submarine was nice too! I definitely recommend it.

ちょっと狭いけど特に揺れたりすることもなく人工魚礁に可愛い魚が一杯でとても有意義な時間でした。
でも二回乗ることはないかな
潜水艦までの船も良かったね～
けっこうお勧めてすよ

It's a submarine journey that you can't experience anywhere else in Japan. I was able to capture a photo of a sea turtle. I was very lucky.

日本国内では体験のできない潜水艦の旅です。
ウミガメの姿が写真に収めることができました。
とてもラッキーでした。

What a thrilling day, my 11 year old was buzzing by the end!