Whale Watching Sunset Cruise
- departs from Island Divers Hawaii Kai shop
- 1.5 – 2 hour sunset cruise, time depending on sunset. Plenty of time to take in the sights (and hopefully some whales) from our spacious 34 ton vessel “Sea Fox”
- $54 pp OR $699 for the entire boat, maximum of 30 people
- BYO beverages / food, grocery and liquor store conveniently across the parking lot from the boat
- Possible/Regular sightings of: Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Hawaiian Monk Seals, Flying Fish, Surfers, Cliff Jumpers, Red /Brown Boobies (relax, they’re a bird… this is a family-friendly tour)
Private Charter / Whale Watch / Sunset Cruise – Available Year Round (Whale Season is from Jan-April Only)
Want to do something special to top off your vacation, or for your Ohana? Charter the Sea Fox (pictured). Or maybe you just have a group of friends that would like to get together on the water and have a “pau hana” moment for just $699! If you are planning on booking during January to March, I would lock it down early, whale watching prime time with just one availability per day, the schedule fills up quick. Call us if you have questions and our friendly shop staff will help you get something sorted out that works.
PRICING:
$699 for private sunset cruise (30 passengers max)
$1900 for private dive/snorkel charter (34/16 passengers max)
Start and End at Island Divers Hawaii
The address is 377 Keahole Street, it is in a marina, and there is plenty of parking. Captain and crew open boarding for the sunset cruise 15 minutes before departure. Guests will sign liability waiver just prior to boarding. These are private cruises, so we can waif for your party to arrive in full, but the sunset waits for no one.
Rain generally leads to rainbows
Departures and Check In for Sunset Cruise
Show time is at 4:30pm, departure by 5, and will go until 6:30-7pm depending on sunset and conditions (it’s hard to take in the scenery in the dark so we usually just go back to the dock when it makes sense…). At 4:30 you’ll be arriving about 30 minutes before departure for check in, so get here sooner if you want to shop for drinks and “pupus” (snacks/appetizers).
Sea Fox in the foreground, green flash imminent!
The Whales in Maunalua Bay & Our “WHALE GUARANTEE”
Maunalua Bay is part of the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. So, as you might expect, there is a pretty good chance to see humpback whales in-season. While some of the larger cruise boats might want you to believe that whale season starts in October. On Oahu, we recognize that the ocean is beautiful every night, and wild animals don’t work on a schedule (that’s what makes seeing them so special), and we just try to appreciate every night on the water for the incredible experience it is. Think of this as a “Sunset cruise with cool new friends and the possibility of WHALES!”.
Green Sea Turtles getting some air
Regardless, we generally don’t start seeing them daily until late December. Peak whale season is from January 15th to April 1st during which we offer our “Whale Guarantee” – if captain reports we don’t see any whales, tell the shop staff when you get back and we’ll give you a voucher to come back for FREE on any other available* tour until the end of the season.
*Available: Tours that haven’t been cancelled due to weather that have space, and have other paying passengers booked
Considerations
Normally we recommend against children under the age of 5, as if they get seasick it can be miserable for all. But with private charters only, this is really up to you. We do recommend over the counter sea sickness medication. And again, these are private charters. If the group ready, just tell the captain to head home.
See the video below for an example of our Humpback Whales Boat Tour!
- 1.5 hours minimum sunset cruise aboard the Sea Fox (4:30-sunset)
- Boat departure time is scheduled for 5pm.
Schedule
Check in AT 4:30pm at our Check out our Whale Watching compilation video from 2012
Additional Information
Humpback whales are in Hawaii from Nov to May. However the peak of the whale season is Jan to March. Island Divers runs charters from December 15 to April 15th. This limited schedule gives us the greatest chance to have every charter interact with humpback whales.
Other common sea life sightings on a whale watching are flying fish, green sea turtles, spinner dolphins, bottle nose dolphins, many varieties of sea birds, and rarely a Hawaiian monk seal.
Humpback whales are in Hawaii to mate and give birth. They migrate from Alaska and the Bering sea where they feed during the summer. The most common sighting for Island Divers Hawaii has been a mother with her calf and possible one other adult or juvenile whale. Large groups and single adults are also sighted.
We recommend that persons not acclimated to open sea conditions take a sea sickness preventative medicine the night before AND at least one hour before coming aboard. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific ocean, and is not like the protected waters or lakes that most people are accustomed to. Like our marine life, our oceans are wild, and that is why we love them.
It is a small percentage of people that get ill, but a very high percentage of those are people who say “I’ve never been sea sick before!” An even higher percentage of those people who did get sea sick wish they had taken this advice. It’s only a recommendation, but it is a good one if you want to play it safe. Island Diver Hawaii is located next to a Long’s Drugs, so if you arrive a few minutes early you can make a shopping trip.
We do not recommend bringing children under 5 years of age aboard the vessel. If you chose to do so we recommend bringing a flotation device fitting for your child.
Below is a Humpback Whale photo taken by one of our instructors, Nate, while leading a scuba tour. See his dive report here.
