Big Island of Hawaii Dolphin & Whale Watching

This tour was extremely well-run. Our tour guides (Kelly & Kala’e) were extremely nice, funny, & professional. Everyone met up at the meeting-point in the harbor, check-in was fast and easy, and then you were given a jacket wetsuit and snorkel gear. (You could also bring your own wetsuit and snorkel if you prefer). It was about a 20 minute boat ride to the manta ray spot, and drinks/snacks were provided (water, sprite, chips, granola bars). At the manta ray spot, we got about 30-45 minutes in the water. One guide stayed in the boat and the other was in the water to give fun facts and help anyone swim. You hold onto a bar as the manta rays come up to feed (my arms did get tired). Everyone also got a pool noodle to help keep their legs afloat. You could go back to the boat at any time. We saw about 5 manta rays, and they came super close to you as the fed. There was also an option to just stay in the boat the whole time as a ride-along. Overall, I thought this tour was extremely well run, super cool, and well worth the money. Would definitely recommend!

Booked with Cool Hawaii but Cool Hawaii wasnt supposed to book it for that day because the boat was in for maintenance. So we showed up and nobody was there. The tour company immediately made it right even offered to have someone come meet us and bring snorkel equipment and recommended a good snorkel spot. We ended up doing the tour a couple of days later. Eric and Lucas were great. Eric seemed to have as much fun driving the boat as we did riding on it. We saw a couple of pods of dolphins on the trip to snorkel. Captain Cook monument was a great place to snorkel water was very calm and there was alot of fish. Lucas cut up delicous pineapple for everyone. Saw some sea caves and historical sites on the return trip. Would definitely recommend this tour.

Genuinely the best experience we’ve ever had. Scary at first but quickly got over that once we were in the water. Such an honor getting the opportunity to experience the coral reefs. Will do again soon!

Great crew and boat. This boat has a roof over the seating, providing shade when the sun is beating down as well as a flush toilet on board! Snorkel gear was in great condition. Lunch consisted of nice sandwiches and fresh pineapple. Snacks and beverages were available throughout the day. Most importantly, saw a variety of fish while snorkeling. Crew also took photos of us for us.

Amazing experience! Seeing the manta rays up close was a unique experience. The activity was very easy and relaxing.

Amazing tour! Smooth check-in and -out and professional crews. Big shout out to Deavon, Koa, Kanana and Greg who kept us safe and made the tour enjoyable. We saw four mantas, they were so close to us (don’t touch them). Still feel surreal, an unforgettable experience.

Had an amazing experience! Everyone was wonderful and really helped ease my kids minds about the trip. They loved the manta snorkel and we booked another excursion for later in the week that night!

Wonderful wonderful!!! Snacks, able to take drinks, great great captin and assistant. Liena and ealio were the BEST!!!

Lucas and Eric from Captain Cooks adventures were amazing! Deavon from captain cooks was the best to work with on bookings. Adventure was amazing, fish everywhere and the cave tours were great boat ride was exhilarating and exciting. We got lucky and got to see several dolphin pods as well! Well worth it🤙🏼

Such a beautiful experience. Being out in the water and snorkeling and seeing all the fish and swimming! My kids really enjoyed it and it was easy for them to swim around. Our tour guides were amazing and very knowledgeable and providing us with history!

This was our favorite activity for sure. The guides we very knowledgeable and funny. We saw so many manta rays and they got so close! It was a 15-20 minute boat ride each way, which was also fun. I definitely recommend it!! Worth the money for sure.

It was a truly wonderful experience; I was lucky enough to see not only manta rays but also sharks. However, it was a shame that the snorkeling mask didn't fit my face well, causing water to constantly leak in. I had to keep one hand on the mask to clear out the water and press it against my face, which left my arm sore for days afterward. No matter how much I tightened the strap or adjusted the seal, it didn't help—likely because the mask was either too big or worn out. I really wished I had brought my own full-face mask. That said, I appreciated that they provided buoyancy noodles and that the staff were friendly, energetic, and gave detailed explanations throughout the tour. However, I would have been even more satisfied if a staff member had come over at least once during the activity to help readjust the position of the buoyancy noodle.

Amazing manta ray night snorkeling experience! Deavon was our host and communication was great, with advance notice before we headed to the meeting area. We saw 3–4 manta rays swim just inches away from us. It was incredible to see these gentle giants up close! The crew was friendly, funny, and Greg was so knowledgeable, and did a great job educating us and answering our questions, making the experience truly unforgettable. Definitely worth the money! Tip: expect a possible delay in the start time, but they’ll let you know in advance, and definitely bring a waterproof phone case.

Great experience. Went at 7:20pm and lots to see. Deavon, Cody, Leo and Dave were great and knowledgeable. They helped out my parents who are older and a little hard of hearing.

We went on the 4:30 snorkeling tour with Lucas and Captain David. Both were super knowledgeable and sweet. It was gorgeous, not crowded at all and beautiful to experience. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend and it was definitely worth the price. We are going to check out the food recommended by David next!!

Great fun snorkeling! Hardworking and knowledgeable guides. We really enjoyed this, and the weather was lovely.