Whale Watch Excursion from the Big Island

5081 Reviews

Experience The Real Hawaii!

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Tour Overview

Get a prime view of Hawaii’s migrating humpback whales on a Big Island whale watching cruise from Kailua-Kona. Whale sightings are guaranteed on this immersive catamaran tour with onboard naturalist guides. Listen to whales through a hydrophone connected to a sound system, and get comfortable in between sightings with amenities such as cushioned seating, a shaded sun deck, light refreshments, and a premium bar.

Tour Name: Whale Watch Excursion from the Big Island
Availability: Check availabilty
Duration: 2h 30m
Start Time: Check availability

What's included

Live commentary on board
Professional guide
Snacks and light refreshments
Beverages (alcoholic drinks available for purchase)
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Free parking 75-5629 Kuakini Hwy., Kailua Kona, HI 96740-about a one block walk away from the pier.

What’s not included

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

What to expect

Check in for your excursion before the scheduled departure time and board a specially equipped, 65-foot (20-meter) whale watching catamaran at the Kailua Pier. Settle into a shaded cabin with seating, tables, and three restrooms, or take advantage of the cushioned seating and unobstructed views of an upper sun deck. Throughout the cruise, enjoy provided snacks and beverages, such as Kona coffee, or treat yourself to something from the premium cash bar.

Venture out into the Pacific Ocean to look for pods of humpback whales that migrate to Hawaii’s warm waters to breed every year between December and April. Learn about the lifecycle and habits of these amazing animals from marine-life naturalist guides, and listen to the humpbacks’ distinctive whale song through a hydrophone connected to the boat’s PA system. Keep an eye out for other passing marine life, such as sperm whales, pilot whales, and dolphins. Whale sightings are guaranteed, or you can take the tour again for free.

Departure and return

Start:
75-5629 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
All cruises board 30 minutes prior to departure. 75-5629 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 (Ilima Court Shopping Center) is the address for Body Glove Cruises main office where the closest free parking is located. Guests must walk one block to the Kailua Kona Pier for boarding.

End: This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Additional information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible via a customize boarding ramp with portable extensions that accommodates manual and electric wheelchairs and scooters. Please include in Special Requests at the time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required
Boarding 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure time
This adventure is on Hawaii Island in Kailua Kona.
Liability waiver must be completed by all guests prior to boarding.
Hotel pick-up is not available.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 110 travelers

Refund policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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Checking Real time availability

Adult	110
Child	99
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Tour Overview

Tour Name: Whale Watch Excursion from the Big Island
Availability: Check availabilty
Duration: 2h 30m
Start Time: Check availability

What's included

Live commentary on board
Professional guide
Snacks and light refreshments
Beverages (alcoholic drinks available for purchase)
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Free parking 75-5629 Kuakini Hwy., Kailua Kona, HI 96740-about a one block walk away from the pier.

What’s not included

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

What to expect

Departure and return

End: This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Additional information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible via a customize boarding ramp with portable extensions that accommodates manual and electric wheelchairs and scooters. Please include in Special Requests at the time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required
Boarding 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure time
This adventure is on Hawaii Island in Kailua Kona.
Liability waiver must be completed by all guests prior to boarding.
Hotel pick-up is not available.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 110 travelers

Refund policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

What others are saying...

Helen S.

1/25/2023

A bucket list must-do! The staff was great! Very attentive and friendly. Captain Bob obviously wanted to create a memorable experience as he made several course corrections to help the passengers get great new views. He didn't rush us back to the harbor when, at the last minute, we saw more whales in the distance and took us in closer to see them. Dennis was our naturalist and seemed just as amazed by these animals as we were! This is someone who truly loves his work. We were fortunate to be "visited" by a curious whale more than once up close. Great trip overall!

Diana H.

1/18/2023

Explorer Boat Whale Watch - great time! We went on the Explorer Raft for a smaller group (23 max), faster boat. Boat was a large inflated zodiak type raft that went really fast. We were on the afternoon whale watch trip and it was awesome! Crew was great, naturalist was very knowledgeable. Best of all, we saw three different groups of hunchback whales. About 5-6 whales total. One or two of the whales breached about three times. It was a bit of a distance but we could see them. We also saw a good sized pod of spinner dolphins who put on a fun show for us, right around the whales. There was also a pod of spinners right in Kailua harbor when we returned. The place you check in and park is about a block up the street from the pier, which is a fairly steep climb on the way back to your car. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and I recommend this!

Andrew C.

1/04/2023

Whales were watched, fun ensued. Shortly after Capt Bob and crew launched the vessel, we spotted a mom and calf off the port side. Capt Bob did a great job getting us close enough to see the action without disturbing the whales. That was just the beginning of our many whale sightings.

Aleigh was a terrific guide and even if she wasn’t an Oklahoma dime (which she was), her presentation was also a “10”. She kept us engaged with relevant marine facts/trivia and exercised a keen sense of when to use her mic and when not to. On the drive home my kids were saying things like, “Dad, did you even know that orcas are actually dolphins and not whales at all?” The tour was definitely time well spent—thanks Bob and crew!

Bonita R.

12/18/2022

A glorious whale-less cruise! Everything about our Body Glove experience was top-notch. Alas, alas, however, we saw nary a Cetacean, the first whale watch of our long lives that came upon no whales. We’ll try again!

Greteltx

3/22/2022

Would not recommend Nice vessel great boat crew. Really good service and a nice snack. Now I know I’m spoiled by doing so much whale watching in Maui but this captain went out to where he knew a female whale was and her calf. We stayed there for over two hours and the most we saw was a dorsal fin. Never made an attempt to find any other whales. Thank goodness I met a very interesting woman to talk with. Now that is just minor compared to the young man that was a graduate of the University of Hawaii who was there to educate us about whales. He did a good job till he said he thinks humpback whales are jerks and he hoped we would agree with him. It was a long story but that was his main opinion and I was no I believe you might be. Would not recommend.

Biff C.

3/17/2022

Whales or no whales, worth the trip We booked a late season (mid March) whale watching tour with Body Glove. I fully prepared my family of 6 that this might just be a 2.5 hour boat ride with amazing offshore views of the Big Island with some colorful and educational commentary. We certainly got both of those, but we also got to see a mama and baby humpback. The mom surfaced a few times, but the the baby was so active. It partially breached, we got amazing photos and videos even with our cell phones. The captain has to stay 100 yards away from the whales, but the whales are allowed to come closer to the boat if they choose.

We generally avoid crowds and spend a lot of time hiking and visiting various beaches, but this was worth the time and money and it was a once in a lifetime experience that my family and I will never forget.

The boat was comfortable. Easy to move around. The crew was very accommodating. They provide water, juices, full bar, light snacks, and reef safe sunscreen. Also, if you tour with Body Glove once, you receive additional discounts on future "trips" with them during your stay.

I would highly recommend this activity, but you should be OK with not seeing whales, especially if you go late in the season. I would have enjoyed the cruise if we didn't see any whales, but seeing them was truly unbelievable.

nyackgirl47

2/02/2022

Dolphins and whales! We had a great experience on the dolphin and whale watching excursion. The boat was great - clean, comfortable - and the hardworking crew was fantastic. Try a Blue Hawaii from the bar. The naturalist onboard provided just the right amount of commentary and information about the whales. And yes, we saw quite a few, as well as spinner dolphins swimming right alongside the boat! This cruise comes with a guarantee - if you do not see any whales during your trip, you can return again for free. Judging from what we saw, I doubt they have to invoke this much! The Body Glove retail shop where you check in for the cruise has alot of great snorkel and beach gear as well. I would book a snorkeling trip with them the next time. Top notch tour operator.

dianeri

1/26/2022

A lovely afternoon boat ride and nature adventure Had a very nice trip with Body Glove. The crew and naturalist guide were friendly, knowledgeable and good at their jobs. They pretty quickly located three whales which we trailed at the appropriate distance for a couple of hours. One male, one female adult and a baby.

You are kept at quite a distance, maybe 100yards?, as required. You can see just enough detail of the whales to make it interesting. We saw the adults surface and dive, sending their tail fins up out of the water several times.

The two of us really enjoyed it and would recommend it. If you’re taking young kids just be aware that there is a lot of waiting time in between very short sightings. That’s just the way it is with whales, who dive and stay under the surface for at least 15 minutes each time.

Sarah B.

1/06/2022

Great short trip to see a whale We had a fantastic time on the boat driven by Captain Reagan and narrated by naturalist Dennis. We saw a mother and baby humpback whale, bottlenose dolphin, spinner dolphin, and flying fish. They were knowledgeable and obviously took pride in the treatment of not only the passengers but also the whales.

Zoe L.

12/31/2021

Great excursion, highly recommend Unfortunately we didn't find any whales, however the staff went out of their way to find and follow a pod of dolphins, which was also very cool. The captain was awesome and Dennis the naturalist was very knowledgeable and he answered all of my many questions. Also, they have a humpback guarantee so next time we come back we can cruise for free until we see a whale, which I think is a pretty good deal. Snacks were great and we had a fantastic time overall.