Big Island Ocean Adventures
Small crew, big aloha — discover the Big Island’s marine world up close.
Aloha and welcome to Liquid Hawaii!
We’re a small, family-run crew who grew up on these waters and love sharing the ocean the way locals experience it — relaxed, respectful, and full of aloha. Whether you’re joining us for a guided snorkel, an unforgettable night with the manta rays, or a winter whale encounter, we keep our groups small so every guest feels like part of our ʻohana.
Book our main vessel Kai Lani by the seat (12 person max)
Get the most adventure out your Hawaiian vacation with our
Nestled in the small oceanfront community of Puakō on the Big Island, we’re just a quick drive—less than 10 minutes—from Waikoloa and the major resort areas. But once you’re out here with us, it already feels like a different world: quieter, more local, more connected to the ocean we grew up with.
At Liquid Hawaiʻi, we keep our tours small on purpose—no more than 12 guests—so you get that true, quality small-group experience. It’s the way we’d want to explore our own island: plenty of space, plenty of aloha, and guides who actually have the time to get to know you.
Come jump in with us on a Guided Snorkel Trip, join our Small-Group Manta Ray Night Snorkel, or experience whale watching the way locals do—slow, respectful, and full of awe. And if you’re looking for something more personal, our private charters let you shape the day exactly how you want it.
Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best for the last 8 years…
Excellent rating
Based on 593 reviewsVerified Incredible Whale Watching My wife and I went twice this week for whale watching. We had a great time and saw lots of whales, and including a mama whale and her "daughter" do a double breach one after another. Incredible. The crew is the best. They are knowledgable, super nice, and did their best to help us have a great experience and get some great photos and videos. Thanks very much to captain Keiran and his crew McKenna and Gwenevieve (hopefully got the spelling right on the ladies' names). I highly recommend and will go again with them.Verified The BEST small group guides 10/10 recommend liquid Hawai’i for manta night snorkel and whale watching. We traveled to the big island with our family (2 grandparents, 1 adult kid and 2 kids under 10). We stayed north of Kona so didn’t want to travel back to Kona for ocean excursions. Liquid Hawaii was only 15 minutes from our place in Waikoloa. They are a small operation so you aren’t over crowded, you get to talk to the captain and guide and they are so knowledgable! It’s a small boat so you get to be close to the water. There is no bathroom on their whale watching or manta boat (small skiff) so just be aware of that. Great local guides!Verified Manta Ray Tour Great experience! Very nice people and immediately saw a manta ray. Very knowledgeable! Highly recommend! Wish we booked our snorkeling tour with them. Will next year for sure!Verified Excellent and intimate whale watching tour We had the absolute best time whale watching with Liquid Hawaii! Captain Kieran and his co-captain were fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable, and made the entire experience feel both exciting and very safe. My husband and I were traveling with our 5-year-old daughter, and she had an incredible time. One of the highlights for us was the small, intimate group size. There were only five guests plus the two captains, which made the experience feel personal and relaxed, so much better than being packed onto a large two-decker boat. We had plenty of space to move around and unobstructed views. And the whales, wow. We saw so many! At one point, we could even hear them when they surfaced and spouted to breathe. It was truly incredible and something we’ll never forget. We’re already planning our next trip to Kona, and we would absolutely book another tour with Liquid Hawaii again. Highly, highly recommend!Verified Great experience! Amazing time! Saw some stellar breaches, staff was amazing, and the smaller boat size felt less invasive to the wales. Highly recommendVerified Helpful til the end Unfortunately due to high surf my outings. Matt was very understanding and realistic and helpful. He made sure I could go somewhereVerified Awesome Experience We had an amazing afternoon with Kirin and Genevieve on our whale watching tour. They made the trip knowledge and enjoying. We had multiple whale sightings including moms with their babies. They also recorded the mom and baby swimming under our boat and shared it with us. They also extended our time by a bit when we saw more whales on our way back to the dock. Bonus points for going out of their way to pick up trash floating in the ocean.Verified Great Whale Watching and expert guides and zodiac driver! We had a great experience with our guides Vasi and Mikena. They were knowledgeable and informative and also had some great stories. We went on a whale watching/snorkeling tour and saw dozens of whales, unfortunately a huge wind kicked up and we were not able to snorkel which was a huge attraction and disappointment for us. But it was unsafe to stay out longer with the wind getting more and more intense and the ride back to the harbor was more like surfing than riding in a zodiac, at first a little terrifying but Vasi was so expert at riding the waves that I joked we got an extra unexpected thrill ride. As we were headed in a whale appeared very close to the boat and surfaced a couple times before humping and throwing its tail and diving. It was really exciting to see so close up. We discussed options with the owner and decided on a partial refund as high winds and swells could be expected for the remainder of our trip. We paid for a 2 hour whale watching tour instead of the combo, so I felt the owner was more than fair as we were out closer to 2 3/4 hours out on the water. If I ever return to the big island I wouldn't hesitate to book with Liquid Hawaii again. I will add a video later after I can edit at home.Verified Manta Ray Snorkel with Bonus Whale Watching! Great experience. Staff friendly and informative. Saw many whales in addition to the Manta Ray's. They get so close it is amazing!Verified Best day ever Liquid Hawaii was a fantastic choice for our whale watching and snorkeling trip on the Big Island. It was super easy to arrange everything with the owner, Matthew, who made the whole process smooth and stress-free. The team—Captain Cole and wildlife expert Genevieve—could not have been more accommodating, friendly, and knowledgeable. They truly made the experience special. We were incredibly lucky to see so much sea life, including whales, turtles, and more. Honestly, there was nothing more we could have asked for. Highly recommend Liquid Leisure for an unforgettable ocean adventure! 🌊🐋🐢
Ohana owned by “Ulua” Matt and Christi Ferino
What sets Liquid Hawaiʻi apart is simple: intimate encounters with the ocean’s wildlife and real, one-on-one attention from a crew that truly cares. Out here, you’re not just another passenger—you’re part of our ocean ʻohana for the day.
Learn more about our family story, company and sustainability on our about us page!
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. What a great time we had with Matt and Damon! Brought some visitors out for a snorkel/whale watch tour. We were all blown away with the morning. These guys are super knowledgeable, very respectful of the environment, and know how to treat people right. Mahalo! We will be back!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had an amazing excursion! Saw hundreds of spinner dolphins playing in the see--many came right next to our boat. The whale watching was exceptional. We saw many humpback whale, with the highlight being a baby what flying completely out of the water and a very large male breaching high out of the water. What a treat. Keiran and Genevieve were so informative and fun to be with. Small group is the way to go!!!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Liquid Hawaii does it right! We had the best day whale watching with Kieran and Genevieve. They really have a knack for making sure that each guest has a special experience. Being on a smaller boat, with only a handful of people, made the experience seem so personal. My husband and I loved that we got to ride along with the spinner dolphins before heading off in search of the humpback whales. We got to see plenty of whales up close and got great photos! Kieran was a wonderful captain and educator. We will 100% recommend Liquid Hawaii to all of our friends!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Went out again with Cole and Genevieve. It was magical! Doing Matt proud! ❤️❤️❤️ Kieran and Sage were perfect captains and informative hosts on our whale watch. We prefer their smaller boats for the intimacy of a smaller group of people and the boat's mobility. We saw plenty of whales around the open waters of Waikoloa. This was a highlight we will always remember.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My wife and I went twice this week for whale watching. We had a great time and saw lots of whales, and including a mama whale and her "daughter" do a double breach one after another. Incredible. The crew is the best. They are knowledgable, super nice, and did their best to help us have a great experience and get some great photos and videos. Thanks very much to captain Keiran and his crew McKenna and Gwenevieve (hopefully got the spelling right on the ladies' names). I highly recommend and will go again with them.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable captain and crew. They were very respectful of all the whales and dolphins we saw! 10/10! Smaller boat so you are very close to the water which was a huge plus for us!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great experience!! They were very knowledgeable about the area, wildlife and answered questions!! Both captain and crew were great!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had the absolute best time whale watching with Liquid Hawaii! Captain Kieran and his co-captain were fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable, and made the entire experience feel both exciting and very safe. My husband and I were traveling with our 5-year-old daughter, and she had an incredible time. One of the highlights for us was the small, intimate group size. There were only five guests plus the two captains, which made the experience feel personal and relaxed, so much better than being packed onto a large two-decker boat. We had plenty of space to move around and unobstructed views. And the whales, wow. We saw so many! At one point, we could even hear them when they surfaced and spouted to breathe. It was truly incredible and something we’ll never forget. We’re already planning our next trip to Kona, and we would absolutely book another tour with Liquid Hawaii again. Highly, highly recommend!Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This was a great trip. Captain Vasy and crew member Azure were absolutely TERRIFIC!! They were easy to talk to and very knowledgeable about whales and Hawaii. It was a fun trip and the next time we are on the Big Island we would be thrilled to go with them.Posted onTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kieran was very knowledgeable and bought us right to the whales as advertised. Great experience !
Excellent rating
Based on 163 reviewsVerified We had a great experience with our guides Vasi and Mikena. They were knowledgeable and informative and also had some great stories. We went on a whale watching/snorkeling tour and saw dozens of whales, unfortunately a huge wind kicked up and we were not able to snorkel which was a huge attraction and disappointment for us. But it was unsafe to stay out longer with the wind getting more and more intense and the ride back to the harbor was more like surfing than riding in a zodiac, at first a little terrifying but Vasi was so expert at riding the waves that I joked we got an extra unexpected thrill ride. As we were headed in a whale appeared very close to the boat and surfaced a couple times before humping and throwing its tail and diving. It was really exciting to see so close up. We discussed options with the owner and decided on a partial refund as high winds and swells could be expected for the remainder of our trip. We paid for a 2 hour whale watching tour instead of the combo, so I felt the owner was more than fair as we were out closer to 2 3/4 hours out on the water. If I ever return to the big island I wouldn't hesitate to book with Liquid Hawaii again. I will post a video of the whale after editing when I get home.Verified We had a great time today with the crew! They were very nIce and informative. We saw whales and they did a good job looking and trying to find more for us to see. We would most definitely recommend this group for a water adventure in the future. Thanks for all of the information and insight. I would make sure and bring your own binoculars if you need help seeing farther away.Verified The staff were the best! We had (my spelling may be wrong) Vassi and Kiana and they really took care of me and my parents. Felt very safe due to the structured smaller group size and educated about what we were doing and the wildlife. My dad also got really sea sick and they handled it great! Recommend this company!Verified Swimming with Manta Rays is a must do. Kieran was a fantastic captain and Azure was an extremely knowledgeable first mate. They made the experience relaxing, exciting and fun. Seeing the manta rays up close and personal was something that we won't forget. If you have the chance, definitely book an excursion through Liquid Hawaii.Verified The Manta Ray Snorkeling tour was absolutely amazing! The staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and put us at ease snorkeling with the Manta Rays. It is a bucket list adventure that you will always remember.Verified Kieran and team are top notch, thoughtful and responsive. They did their best to ensure we had the best experience possible, even letting us know when waves were a little too big to enjoy our Manta ray experience. We rescheduled and had the best time watching the rays the next evening. When my wife left her sunglasses on the boat, Kieran was super helpful and responsive in helping us get them back. Even though I'm sure he was very busy! Highly recommend!Verified Ulua Matt, Capt Voss and deckhand Kyle were the best. Very educational and amazing time in the water. Don't hesitate to book a trip with Liquid Hawaii. 100/10! Memory of a life time for my daughter. Mahalo nui loa and Aloha Liquid Hawaii.Verified My Sister-in-Law found this company online and I am so glad she did. We were all a bit nervous about this, but it was a once in a life time experience. We had kids with us from 7-15 years old and they all had a great time. Their staff was great. They were funny and knowledgeable and made all of us feel at ease. One of the kids was very nervous, but they were so good with her and she had the best time. We had great luck and had 3 different rays very actively feeding and giving quite a show. I highly recommend this company, you won't regret booking this trip!Verified Matt and his crew provided an incredible manta ray snorkeling experience. They were friendly, fun, very knowledgeable about manta rays and the history of manta sightings around the Big Island. And of course they delivered an outrageously cool time floating inches above the enormous dancing mantas. Highly recommend Liquid Hawaii, particularly for anyone staying in a hotel north of Kona (eg. Fairmont), as they're the only crew that sails from a harbor near those hotels. This means you not only have a shorter drive, but you get the mantas to yourself (instead of being surrounded by a dozen other boats). Word of caution - The water can be choppy, so anyone who gets seasick might have a tough time.
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