Whale Watches, Boats & Submarines

The sight of a 40-ton humpback whale leaping out of the water and pirouetting like a ballet dancer, apparently just for fun, is one of those things that gives you a whole new perspective on our little blue planet. Likewise when you dive beneath the sea and hear the squeals of a whale that might be a mile away but sounds as though she is about to appear before your eyes. The humpbacks migrate to Hawaii waters every winter (usually from about November through April) to give birth and mate, and the sight of these amazing animals—the largest mammals on Earth—never gets old. Other whale species—pilot, sperm, false killer, orcas, melon headed, dolphins—live in Hawaiian waters year-round, which is why you can have a whale watch tour any time of year with outfits like Captain Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch.

The Hawaiian word for the humpback is “kohola.” The best way to get up close and personal (within the limits of federal laws that protect this endangered species) is to take a whale-watching cruise out of Kailua-Kona.

From mid-November through May, the great humpback whales make their annual visit to Hawaii’s Big Island. Measuring an average of 45 feet, and weighing about a ton per foot, the sight of a breaching humpback whale from shore or just over the bow of your whale-watching boat will stay with you forever. Keep your camera handy; these gentle giants can take to the air at any moment.

Submarines, catamarans, other boats
Hawaii Island takes on a whole new perspective when you gaze upon it from the deck of a boat offshore. Bobbing on a catamaran while munching fruit and sipping a cold drink, still wet from snorkeling off the side—that also gives you a new perspective. And gazing out the big window of a tour submarine? Wow!