Best Whale Tour Captains and Biologists - Hawaii Ocean Rafting is phenomenal - their entire team is wonderful. Special shout out to Capt. Jack and both of the naturalists Meredith and Val. There’s no better whale watching boat captain still active in Maui than Capt Jack- he understands whale behavior in depth and incredibly in tune with his passengers to ensure they get the most from their experience. Both Meredith and Val ()Biologists) are extremely knowledgeable and go way above and beyond the basic facts. I always learn something and have been going on these trips for years. I have a choice when I visit Maui and I book with Hawaii Ocean Rafting!

Great whale watching experience. - We had a great experience on the whale watching trip yesterday. Captain Zak was a very knowledgeable guide and we saw many whales. The microphone under water was fantastic. This was the best trip we’ve been on so far, been coming to Maui since 2008.

Absolutely a Must Do- Whale watching tour - A+++++, 10 out of 10 stars for this whale watching tour. Our captain. Zac and his assistant, Nicole, were the best. We saw sooo many whales it was incredible! Our 1st time here but it won't be our last!!

Not your standard whale watching trip - Unbelievably good. This is not your ordinary whale watching trip. Whales came very close and even swam under the boat. Multiple behaviors observed: breachings, fin slapping, soundings, etc. The boat was ideal for the purpose and the crew professional.

10/10 - I saw SOOO many whales up close, it’s an amazing experience. Our captain Zack and Nicole were fantastic. I would highly recommend this tour.

Highlight of our trip!! - What a wonderful experience. This excursion was the highlight of our trip. Jill and Olivia were awesome and so knowledgeable. I really recommend this!!

Eye level whale watching 👀 🐋 - Jill and Olivia were awesome , it took little while to find the active whales but once we did it was great. One of them was very curious about us and showed her stuff to us for about 30 minutes before she moved on. Jill is very safety oriented and made sure we were going to see active 🐋

See whales with Captain Jack & Jesse! - The best experience with Captain Jack and Jesse! Both are extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer questions and share their expertise. Amazed by the amount of whales we were able to see up close within our two-hour time. Highly, highly recommend making the trip to Lahaina and going out on the new raft with these two! It will make for an extremely enjoyable and memorable experience!

Exceptional experience! - Excellent experience and crew (Clint & Val). Got to see multiple whales and crew was very knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend this tour!

Not 5 Stars, but not bad. - I just returned from Maui and took 2 whale watching excursions with Hawaii Ocean Rafting. The first was on January 17, 2025 with my son, his wife, and their 3 kids. The whales were amazing and the captain and naturalist were great! This was on the raft Naia, which has saddle seating. I've done a ton of whale watching tours in my life and this was the first one with this configuration. There were 2 rows of seats down the center of the boat. I liked it because you have good views in front and both sides. The next trip I took with Hawaii Ocean Rafting was on January 20, 2025, by myself. There was a big group on that tour that was late. I was quite upset that we waited 15 minutes. I was hopeful that maybe our tour would be extended by 15 minutes, but it wasn't. In my head I'm doing the math instead of enjoying the whales. 15 minutes took 1/8 of our whale watching experience and cost me $13.49. It wasn't about the money, but missing part of the tour was very frustrating. Again, the captain and naturalist were great. This tour was on the raft Aloha, which I found very uncomfortable. The seats are bench seats around the sides of the boat facing inward, so I was always having to twist around to see what was behind me. Also, when the whales were on the other side of the boat, the guests on that side would sometimes stand up, blocking my view. Checking in for the tours, I dealt with an employee named Jason who is not personable at all and acted frustrated with me a few times. He didn't greet me, no smile, nothing. We had filled out the waivers ahead of time and when we checked in for the first tour, he said we needed to fill out waivers. I told him we had done it already and he responded, "no you haven't". Not a big deal, but it was his attitude. On the second tour he again said I needed to fill out a waiver and I just did it without telling him I had done it 2 weeks ago. Overall, a pretty good experience with the exception of the wait for the late guests and a grumpy employee.