Our Koholā (Whale) Watching Tours
We can’t emphasize enough how much location matters when it comes to viewing Humpback whales in Hawaii. Puako is the BEST place to view whales from along the West Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. Our vessel provides a smaller group setting with max of 12 to give our guests a comfortable and intimate whale viewing experience. Our staff is extremely knowledgable about the Humpback whales giving you a very educational experience while you watch. Our boat is equipped with a research grade hydrophone so you can watch and listen to these amazing creatures.
The Humpback Whales migrate from Alaska to Hawaii during the winter months to give birth and mate. Along our stretch of coastline the whales relax, mate and give birth to their new babies. We will cruise along the coast looking for these spectacular creatures that are known to slap the water with their fins and tails as well as breach. On special occasions our whales have been know to approach vessels to interact in what we call a “whale mugging”. Their backs can also be seen arching out of the water as they dive down giving you that iconic tail photo opportunity. As we travel the coast we will be looking for other large ocean creatures such as other whale species, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spotted Dolphins and many other creatures.
- Check-in time: We offer 3 whale watching tours during the peak of the season, be sure to confirm when booking which start time you are on. The departure times are 7:30am, 10:00am and 12:30pm.
- Departs From: Puako Boat Ramp, Puako (follow directions in email or on website)
- Boat Charter: 2 hours
- $129 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Includes snacks, juice, bottled water & soda
- We recommend that you take medication or natural remedies to prevent seasickness to optimize your enjoyment of the trip. We do not offer medication on the boat. To ensure best results of avoiding seasickness, take medication the day before the trip and 2 hours prior to trip departure so it is in your system.
- MINIMUM 4 PASSENGERS for the Whale Watching Tour
What Our Customers Are Saying
Nancy L.
Wonderful experience with many sightings of the humpback whales. Matt was knowledgeable about the whales and respectful of their space. The zodiac boat provided an intimate feel.
Lori L.
Liquid Hawaii is our favorite tour company on the Big Island. We had used them in 2020 and upon our 2023 return booked a whale watching excursion…and what an experience! We saw so many whales and their babies breaching and jumping and putting on quite a display. But the experience of a lifetime was when a solo whale decided to pay us a visit and swam next to the Zodiac and visited with us for 15 minutes. He even sprayed our son which the locals called a “whale blessing”! We were in awe to see the whale up close and just hanging with us going from side to side under the boat. Took us quite a while to process the gift we had been given. Our captain Kieran was extremely knowledgeable about the whales and their behavior. Another plus is that there were only 3 family members and Kieran on the tour. I highly recommend Liquid Hawaii for a personal and fabulous experience!!
Kathleen D.
Our experience was wonderful, we saw all the hightlights the reef could offer including a turtle that swam feet from us and an octopus up close. They are amazing creatures, so beautiful and graceful. Matt’s Zodiac boat was perfect as it placed us low on the water line where we could observe numerous dolphins, who swam up to greet us. We finished our trip with a phenomonal whale sighting including breaching or jumping out of the water, it was as if they were putting on a show for us.
Additional Humpback Whale Info
Each year humpback whales visit the Hawaiian Islands during the winter months, arriving sometime in November and departing in March. While in Hawaiʻi’s waters, humpbacks don’t feed, as the primary reason for their journey is to mate and for mother whales to give birth and raise their young. Their epic voyage from Alaska to Hawaii spans approximately 3,000 miles and is one of the longest journeys taken by any land or sea animal.
Humpback whales are an endangered species, and overall populations drastically declined before their placement on the endangered species list. An increase in their population has been documented, although it is difficult to estimate an exact count of this species.
Humpback whales weigh between 25-40 tons and can reach up to 45 feet in length, and females tend to be larger than males. Most humpbacks present a dark grey coloring, while some individuals have a variable amount of white on their pectoral fins and bellies. These distinctive characteristics are used in many instances used to identify individual whales.
Feeding for humpback whales occurs in the North Pacific during the summer months, where their main priority is to build up fat stores (blubber) to live off of during their winters without food in Hawaiʻi. Humpback whales filter feed on tiny crustaceans (mainly krill and small fish) and consume up to 3,000 pounds of food per day. Adults have been known to hold their breath for up to 45 minutes, where calves must surface for air every few minutes.
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