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Highlights
Eye-level whale encounters onboard our low-to-water small group adventure rafts! Native Hawaiian owned and voted TripAdvisors Traveler's Choice, Hawaii Ocean Rafting has been Maui’s original ocean rafting experience for more than 30 years. Our small group tours of 16 guests or less make for a fun, family style experience. Although whales are protected in Hawaii and we do not approach them closer than federal regulations, they often approach our small rafts for those up close and eye level whale encounters.
Customer Reviews
Relevant Reviews
Q3838UFsteves
2 HOURS OF TORTURE!!! First, don't believe their instructions on "Viator" about how you need to arrive 30 min before departure time which is set to 4:30pm for the afternoon whale watching tour. When we arrived at slip 8 at 4pm, the rude girl working the booth seemed annoyed that we arrived on time and actually told us we were early. She then said departure time isn't until 4:45. When I told her that their instructions told us to arrive by 4pm, she said, "NO, it says 4:45pm". Lol, they don't even know their own policy. Just arrive 5 min. before take off and you're fine. The raft is dingy, clustered and extremely uncomfortable. If you have any kind of lumbar or neck issues, you want to avoid this tour at all cost in my opinion. Only reason we had chosen the raft tour was because we thought it would go closer to the whales... lol. The whales are allergic to this company and did their best to stay away. We didn't even see a whale for the first hour. When they were finally spotted we were always 100s of yards away and just a quick glimpse of their fin. As I mentioned before, If you have neck issues I would definitely stay away from this tour! The captain would only maneuver the raft so that people sitting on the right side can just look forward but the ones of the left constantly had to turn their necks to look backwards which is very straining. What an amateur!!! The guide that was on the raft kept saying, "Come on whales, come on whales". Like a child begging his mom after she said no. That was actually the funniest part of the tour. The captain of the raft resorted to talking about solar panels on the mountain because the whale action was so pathetic. I now feel confident and educated on the logistics of solar panels now that a raft captain enlightened me on them lmao. My wife got sick due to the captain's terrible handling of the raft, lost my hat and he pretended to retrieve it but ran over it and sunk it. Instead of thinking about how the guests really got a poor showing of the whales, the captain starts chattering about tips. The level people will go to for some beer money... The tours with the bigger vessels with the open bar is the way. Stay clear away from this BS!
Gale_S
The assistant on the boat was very good. The driver gave instruction about being seated but there were no safety issues addressed i.e. where life-vest were located.
Denise_M
Jill and Lexi were wonderful!!! We booked the 2 hour whale watching ride and it did not disappoint. We had a blast and saw a ton a humpback whales, including a baby and their mama. Jill and Lexi provided so much education around the whales and answered any/all questions we had. Because it’s a smaller boat, it just felt more intimate. We will definitely be booking again next time we are on the islands!!! Thank you for an amazing time! Mahalo!
About This Deal
Itinerary
2 Hour Small Group Adventure Whale Watch (Seasonal Dec-April)
Eye-level whale encounters onboard our low-to-water small group adventure rafts! Native Hawaiian owned and voted TripAdvisors Traveler's Choice, we've been Maui’s original ocean rafting experience for more than 30 years. Our small group tours of 16 guests or less make for a fun, family style experience. Although whales are protected in Hawaii and we do not approach them closer than federal regulations, they often approach our small rafts for those up close and eye level whale encounters. Your 2 hour tour includes searching for active whales and stopping to watch them, a full narration of interesting whale and Maui facts by our marine naturalist, listening to whale songs on a hydrophone, water onboard and lots of photo ops! Whale encounters vary based on the wild animal's chosen behavior. Time of day does not affect whale activity.
The Humpback Whale returns to the warm Hawaiian waters every year during the winter months of December through April for their mating and calving season.
* Whale encounters vary in their natural environment
*Please see our AGE & MEDICAL RESTRICTIONS prior to booking.
Stop At:
• Lahaina Harbor, 675 Wharf St, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761-1296
• Hawaii Ocean Rafting, 675 Wharf St, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761-1296
Additional Information
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No Infants
- Most travelers can participate
- No children under 3
- 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 experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
- If anyone in your group is experiencing symptoms, we will work with you to cancel/refund or reschedule your tour.
- Marine Naturalist Narration
- Hydrophone to listen to whale songs
- Bottled water - We offer eco-friendly paper cups and purified water.
- Life jackets are provided for emergencies but are not required to be worn during the tour.
Exclusions
- BYOB ( Plastic or cans only)
- No Spray Sunscreen Permitted - Reef Safe Sunscreen Only
Duration
2 hours
Return Details
Returns to original departure point
Voucher Info
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
The tour identified in this promotion is made available through Viator. Groupon is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Hawaii Ocean Rafting in connection with this deal. Please contact Groupon customer service for all inquiries related to this offer. Inquiries placed to Viator will be directed back to Groupon.
This offer is not eligible for promo codes.
Fine Print
- ALL SALES FINAL.
- Voucher valid only for date and time listed; may not be exchanged or redeemed for other dates.
- Purchaser name and phone number must be provided at checkout; this information will be shared with Viator and the tour operator for purposes of order fulfillment.
- Groupon promo codes may not be used for this offer. Groupon voucher Terms of Sale and Extraordinary Event Policy do not apply.
- See Viator voucher terms under "Viator Vouchers" here.