Our Koholā (Whale) Watching Tours
Liquid Hawaii offers the highly acclaimed small group whale watching tour on the Big Island, where guests are treated to a comfortable and intimate experience. Our friendly staff onboard are not only knowledgeable but are eager to share fascinating insights while you marvel at these magnificent creatures. Immerse yourself in the enchanting sounds of the ocean as you listen to the whales serenade you through our research-grade hydrophone, making each moment aboard our vessel truly unforgettable.
What People Say
Excellent rating
Based on 601 reviewsVerified A great time at the turtle carwash Captain Morgan and Gill were really great tour guides. We showed up and they were ready for us. It's great for a small group and these two guys were amazing. We had such a great time snorkeling and learning a bunch of information about the Big Island. Captain Morgan provided great snacks including the fresh pineapple. Gill was great pointing out cool stuff in the water and how you could potentially cook it. LOL. Overall, thank you both for an amazing day. The turtle carwash was very cool to see and each snorkel stop was nice and enjoyable with our small group. It was nice being with you two guys and having a blast in the water.Verified Amazing Experience & Crew Captain Morgan and crew were amazing, as was the experience. Highly recommend!Verified Liquid Hawai’i Night Manta Ray Swim AMAZING!!! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND LIQUID HAWAII NIGHT MANTA RAY SNORKELING!!! Each of us agreed this was one of the most memorable life experiences we’ve had. Guides Vasi, Gil and Azure were super knowledgeable and kind. We were in a peaceful bay without the crowds in Kona and saw many manta rays in front of our eyes. A MUST DO!!!Verified Great family adventure we’ll remember forever Would highly recommend the night snorkeling with manta rays with Liquid Hawaii. Location was convenient to get to from the Mauna Kea/Westin resort areas. It also meant we were removed from the crowds of Kona where we’ve seen photos of lines of boards lined up. The only two boats in the entire bay were from Liquid Hawaii which made for a quieter more intimate experience. Captain and crew were great with our kids and made sure my youngest had a good time despite deciding not to get in the water. Recommend bringing a waterproof camera if you have one to capture the moment.Verified A very cool experience! We did the manta ray night snorkel with Captain Vasi, Genevieve, and Azure. On our way to the manta site, we saw a mom and baby humpback whale pair and the baby breached over and over, giving us quite the show! It was an amazing bonus on top of the planned manta ray encounter. We only saw one manta ray but she did her best to give us quite the show - swimming by our group over and over. It was quite cold in the water, but this once in a lifetime encounter was worth a few shivers. Definitely plan to have some towels and warm clothes awaiting you on the boat, we were glad we did! Our travel party consisted of 8 people ranging in age from 10 to 75, although the 75 year old opted to stay on the boat and watch from there. We had 4 additional people added to our boat for a total of 12 guests. The boats are small so no restrooms are available on the boats and there were some (questionable) porta-potties at the dock...if you expect to have to "go" find somewhere before arriving at the meetup location.Verified Handstand would book again 5-Star Review: “They took their time and found the perfect spots for active sea life. We felt completely safe the entire time, and the crew’s knowledge was excellent. The first stop was really nice, but the second stop was truly amazing — we saw sea turtles, needle-nose fish, puffer fish, and so many other incredible sea creatures. It was a highlight of our entire trip to the Big Island. We would book with them anytime!”Verified Unforgettable Night Snorkeling with Manta Ray Giants Night snorkeling with Liquid Hawaii Charters was an absolute blast! Mikena and her crew were fantastic, teaching us all about the gentle nature of Manta Rays, no barbs, just pure magic. Seeing these 8-foot giants up close is an experience you truly have to live to understand. We’ll never forget it!Verified The Absolute Best! We had a great crew! Genevieve and Makenzie were in the water with us and they found an octopus and two kinds of starfish and brought them up to the surface for us before gently returning them. We saw 3 manta rays and sea turtles! It could not have been better. We’ve been on lots of snorkeling trips, and we’ve never seen more or had a more friendly and helpful crew. Oh, and two whales breached not far from our boat. Our captain found all the best spots. If you’re on the Big Island and you want to snorkel, these are your guys!Verified 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!
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great quiet, intimate trip. Short boat trip with knowledgable staff. We had an informative talk about what to expect whilst watching a fabulous sunset and then got in the water and the Manta Rays and all the other fish were truly magical.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The manta ray snorkel with captain Vasi was amazing! He explained everything very thoroughly and we felt extremely safe. I can’t recommend him and liquid Hawaii enough!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Such an awesome team! So helpful, fun, knowledgeable, and friendly. Great, beautiful, safe location and proper gear to use for the full experience.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great group of people - very professional, kind, and communicative. Highly recommend Liquid Hawai'i because of their knowledge and genuine joy for the Manta Rays. It was the best activity I did while at Mauna Lani. Thanks for making it special.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My family and I had a blast with this tour! Gill was awesome and I appreciated his patience with a beginner in snorkeling. We got to see SO MANY cool animals(including a baby manta ray). 10/10 recommend them for your snorkeling tour!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a great experience last night with Captain Morgan and Forest. They provided a wonderful introduction to the manta rays before the sun set and made sure everyone was comfortable with their equipment. Seeing these huge creatures up close - very close! - was fantastic. Highly recommend.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Our second trip with Liquid Hawaii, and just as great as the first! Last January went out with Kieran for whale watch, and this trip Brandon and Azure were amazing guides as well as stewards of the Manta rays. Very knowledgeable, and also persistent in their gentle guidance towards where the mantas wanted to be. My husband and I have been on other manta snorkels farther south, which were crowded, but Liquid Hawaii’s small boats, small group size, and care of the reef and Mantas make this experience by far the best on the big island.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Captain Brandon was excellent to work with and super knowledgeable. Azure made sure we’re safe and both gave us the opportunity to see all sorts of the good stuff. Thanks for the wild memories.