Signature · Evening
Humpback season, six guests, 360° views.
Our Waikīkī whale watching cruise is a two-hour small-group boat tour running December through April, when thousands of humpback whales fill the waters off Oʻahu — the largest concentration in the Northern Hemisphere. Aboard the Kona Star with a maximum of six guests, you get 360° views from the flybridge and a captain who knows where to look. $125 per person.
Humpbacks breach, tail-slap, pec-slap, and spy-hop through Hawaiian waters all season. Nothing compares to the sight of a 50-ton whale launching clear of the surface and crashing back — a sound you feel as much as hear.
A breach is the headline act, but watch for the full repertoire: pec slaps, where a fifteen-foot pectoral fin smacks the surface and carries across the water; spy-hopping, when a whale rises vertically just to look around; and fluking, the raised tail as a whale dives — each tail's markings as individual as a fingerprint.
Sightings are wild-animal sightings: never guaranteed. But during peak season they're the rule rather than the exception, and our crew is pretty good at finding them.
Most Waikīkī whale tours carry 40 to 100 passengers — when a whale surfaces, you're watching the backs of heads. The Kona Star carries six. Every rail is a front-row rail, the flybridge gives 360° sightlines in every direction, and the captain can hold position on a sighting without managing a crowd. When a humpback comes up fifty feet off the starboard side, nobody is climbing over anyone to see it.
Season opens December 1 and runs into April. Peak sightings come January through March. Morning departures — especially the 7:00 am — run in the calmest water of the day, with the best visibility and the lightest boat traffic.
We depart from Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Slip #64 — directly behind the Hilton Hawaiian Village, between Waikīkī and Ala Moana.
| Hilton Hawaiian Village | adjacent — 5 minutes on foot |
| Waikīkī hotels (Kalākaua corridor) | 10–25 minutes, depending on your hotel |
| Ala Moana hotels | 10–15 minutes on foot |
| Anywhere else | rideshare drops right at the harbor |
| Driving | harbor lot, $1/hour; extra time weekends/holidays |
| Rideshare | drop-off at the harbor |
| Check-in | 15 minutes before departure; we leave on time |
Escape the crowds aboard our beautifully appointed 45-foot trawler yacht, updated specifically for small-group experiences and capped at six guests. Multiple seating areas, a furnished cocktail deck, an enclosed cabin with kitchen and two restrooms, and 360° views from the flybridge — the perfect platform for spotting and following whales.
$125 per person · 2-hour cruise · Max 6 guests · December through April
Peak-season dates fill fast — book ahead.
Book NowDecember through April, with peak sightings January through March.
No — these are wild animals and they don't keep a schedule. During peak season sightings are very common, and our crew knows where to look.
Morning tours, especially 7:00 am, run in the calmest water with the best visibility.
We follow all federal viewing regulations and let the whales set the distance — sometimes they choose to come remarkably close on their own.
Yes — it's a family-friendly cruise.
10% off for kamaʻāina and for military members and their families — call or message us to apply.
4.9 on Google · 135 reviews"Great whale watching tour with a really knowledgeable team. It was great seeing several whales even though it is late in the season!"
— Emma Richardson · Google review
Signature · Evening
Snorkel · Turtles
BespokeTwo hours · Six guests · $125 per person