Big Island of Hawaii Cruises, Sailing & Water Tours

The fish didn’t cooperate thanks to Hurricane Lala, but the crew was fantastic and the experience was still great. Clayton told us great stories and was a pleasure to hang out with, even if we didn’t get a single bite. Always next time!

My family and I had such an incredible day on our private fishing charter. We caught 9 fish! Brian and Tracy are wonderful guides. 100% recommend.

The Manta Ray Night Snorkel was the absolute highlight of our stay in Kona. Sam and Brianna were amazing and so knowledgeable about marine life. We’ve been on larger boat tours which tend to feel impersonal and rushed. The smaller boat/group size felt personalized to our needs and was very enjoyable. We saw many manta rays and Brianna did a fantastic job with us in the water and videoed our manta ray experience for us. We can’t recommend them highly enough!

The Manta Ray Snorkeling was amazing! Meeting everyone was very easy and it was seamless to get on the boat. Sam and Brianna were very nice to all of us, and we even saw some spinner nose dolphins too. It is definitely worth the price! The Manta Rays went really up close to us, and I thought that was an amazing experience. Brianna was very helpful guiding us toward the manta rays and helping us have a safe experience! Overall, I would rate this excursion highly!

We took the small boat tour out into Hilo bay for a two hour waterfall tour. Our captains, Koleco and Morgan, took excellent care of us. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire adventure. Morgan made the safety tour fun and interesting. In spite of no promises, we did get a pod of spinner dolphins that follwed us around for awhile and showed off why they’re called spinners. The scenery, old sugar mills, ans waterfalls were just all so lovely. Morgan was a great source of information about hos the sugar mills operated and shaped the coastline. Koleco was a master at avoiding as many of the larger swells and kept us relatively dry. It only really rained on us the last 15 minutes or so and in no way dampened our enjoyment of this trip. Great job, mahalo, brothers!

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.

Such a wonderful trip we booked again! Boat is solid. I am sensitive to motion. I took 1 Bonine and had no problems. I honestly may have not needed it. Captain and staff were so knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the whales and Hawaii. The cruise was not only to see whales, but a beautiful view of the coast.

Great Captain and Mate. Perfect fishing boat. Landed a 647.5 lb Blue Marlin! Definitely a fish of a lifetime.

You can stop looking for whale watching excursions if you come across this company! This excursion was worth every penny. First of all, it's a small group tour. The max they can take is 6 people....the minimum is 2. So for me and my friend ...it was just us that they took out and that alone was awesome as it felt more personal. Samantha and her partner (in life and in business) were informative and just overall fun! They offered us drinks and prepackaged fresh fruit and cheese for a snack which was wonderful. Now about the boat...it appears to be new...its beautiful! Super clean and bright white. It has twin outboard motors and was a rather smooth ride for us sitting in the back. They played Hawaiian reggae like music and were thoughtful to ask if the volume was too loud or needed turned up. They allowed plenty of time for us to look over the horizon for whale activity. We were fortunate enough to see a LOT of whales...solo whales and a few in pairs. Where the boat ramp and harbor is there is a pod of spinner dolphins that had babies so they allowed us to hangout there to get video and photoz...even offering to take photos and videos of my friend and I with the dolphins on the background. They showed us video and sound clips of past trips they took which was great too. They have an awesome underwater 360 camera which allowed us to see some of what they experience on a daily basis! Again, an overall WONDERFUL excursions managed by WONDERFUL people. If you want a more intimate experience...you should book this tour with this company. It literally was the highlight of my Hawaiian cruise trip where we ported at multiple islands. I'd definitely book them again in a heartbeat if I can afford to visit Hawaii again!

Wonderful trip with Brooke & Gail! Loved it so much I went back the next day! Great sightings!

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

Captain Kevin and first mate Traci were fantastic! We enjoyed our day on the water snorkeling, enjoying delicious sandwiches with homemade sourdough bread, and relaxing to a beautiful Hawaii sunset. If you want a 5 star day on the water in Kona, Ocean Blue is the way to go! From the perfect snorkeling in Kealakekua bay (Captain Cook’s) to spinner dolphins to sandbar sharks, this day boating had it all!

As an old fart that lives here and spent the bulk of his life on the oceans around the world, I have had the opportunity to experience good and horrible tour operators. Hilo Ocean Adventures is 1st class from top to bottom.I had an 87-year-old woman from San Francisco visiting me, accompanied by her 65-year-old daughter. There was another couple on the vessel with us from Florida as well. It was an awesome trip. We all chatted, laughed, and made fun of each other. Between the occasional sprinkles and the ocean spray, I FINALLY started getting a tan! Until yesterday, my legs looked like white pipe cleaners that belonged on Phyllis Diller!Our Skipper for the day was Nanook of the North, and the mate was a beautiful, friendly woman named Emily!In short, it was a perfect adventure with a perfect crew on a beautiful island. Who could ask for more?!

Captain Chad’s Charters is a family operated North Hawaii Boat Company localized in the Kawaihae area (South Kohala) of the Big Island of Hawaii. They catered and educated us all. My sister the beginner snorkeler and my advanced fisherman brother in law. My dad the marine observation enthusiast of whales and dolphins. They are Veteran friendly and will accommodate any of your custom requests to make an experience of a lifetime. Trip of a life time.

This trip was amazing! Captain Alan took us to all the right spots for snorkeling. He also got us right up next to the dolphins. Our trip could not have been any better. This group was even accommodating when we had to make changes to our trip. This will be the outfit we tour with when we come back to the island. They were the best! Mahalo!

This was easily the highlight of my entire trip to Hawaii. I've been snorkeling all throughout the Carribean, Asia and Europe but this place was my favorite... It was like being in an a exotic aquarium. We swam with a couple interactive dolphin pods, experience the humpback whales breaching about 100 ft from our boat. Our Capt and crew was very knowledgeable, knew all the best spots snorkeling spots and taught us all about the different marine life we saw. Grateful for this incredible experience.