Big Island: Sunset Whale Watching Shared Activity

Some experiences just stay with you, and for us this sunset whale-watching tour was one of them. From the moment we stepped aboard, the crew made us feel less like old friends, not customers. The boat itself was beautiful, but it was the people at the helm that made the day unforgettable. Their knowledge of humpback whales was genuinely impressive: every sighting came with real context and passion, not just a rehearsed script. We got to witness spinner dolphins ride the waves alongside the boat, hear live whale song through the boat’s underwater microphone system, and see a whale calf surface with its mother. Just when we thought it couldn't get any more magical, the crew pulled out a ukulele as the sun started setting. I don't have words for how special it was. If you're debating whether to book, please, just do it. This is an operation that clearly pours their heart into every single tour. Absolutely 5 stars.

Crew was great. They don’t crowd the boat. Also, we meet in Kohalo shopping center NOT in downtown Kailua-Kona. It’s very convenient to resorts north of the airport. We saw spinner dolphins, flying fish, and whales! The whale breached 5 times-amazing

First whale watch tour of season was AWESOME! Lots of spouts, sprays, humps and tails!! Captain Ty showed the way for us, while Mo & Jess’s were the best mates! 5 kids onboard were thoroughly entertained and in awe! Can’t wait for more! Mahalo from the Hess family!!

I have been diving with this company for several years. While their boat is lovely, shop staff are great and my husband was very happy with his snorkel guides, I do hope that they work on customer service skills of their dive guides. I went out with Kohala on four days this September with three different guides. I’m an experienced diver and have frequented many of the dive operations on the island. Kohala is one of the better ones and I love diving the north sites. However, there are few things that could be improved. 1. Site briefings are way too long. Five minutes would do it without baking in the heat. We don’t need to go through the fish book for 15 minutes. That’s a surface interval activity and if the guides spent that time on a debrief we’d be in the water faster. 2. Train your guides to engage with their divers underwater. Two of the three guides I dove with just swam around and pointed out a few things and kept going. On one dive, my guide told everyone that the garden eels weren’t there today. I literally stopped and watched them for a few minutes while the other divers swam on by. We also missed the five turtles and the shark because we didn’t even go to the area where they were and are almost always present. (I know the site well - I had dove it the day before and several times earlier that week) 3. Try to do better grouping your divers. My groups had a mix of very experienced and inexperienced or divers needing some accommodation. On my first dive, I sat on the bottom waiting for two divers to descend. For 15 minutes. One had not been weighted at all (I think) and the other had told them that she had problems equalizing and needed extra time (fair enough). All that said, Kohala is a decent operation with a few rough edges to smooth. In general I had a good time. My husband who snorkels had a great time. I will return to a hopefully improved experience. Kudos to Matthew and Mike for their attention and service both diving and snorkelling.Also to Max in the shop for her great service.

This trip was AWESOME! While we saw 20+ whales and dolphins, as well as a very cool sunset (and what I'm convinced was a newborn calf as there were dolphins jumping all round the whales and calf), Kohala Divers Whale Watching tour was so much more. The boat - Nakama (Hawaiian Goddess of the Sea!), is new, with loads of space; viewing from the top Captains Deck, the forward huge bow, and the stern, which has bench seating. Everyone gets a direct view as they also adhere to Covid Guidelines and have a minimum number of passengers on the boat. The crew - so very Aloha! As I understand, it's the same crew who run the Dive and Snorkel trips (same boat). They can spot a whale, school of dolphins, share history and entertain. They are also so respectful of the ocean and sealife - which is 100% A very comfortable trip - the crew helped my with my disability - AND THEY HAVE A TOILET! Mahalo Crew!

We were close to whales right out of the harbor. The BYOB had everyone in good spirits and everyone was friendly. The crew was informative AND fun. Can't say enough about the colors etc of the sunset- and ofcourse, a green flash.

Hands down the best whale watch I’ve ever been on! Best staff ever! Kohala Divers never seizes to amaze me!