This was a great afternoon excursion. We saw dolphins, fish, sea stars, and an octopus. Some people saw a turtle and some saw a shark. The water is so clean and beautiful! The food after the swim was so delicious! read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - The captain let us take a look from helm! - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

We had a great time. Early April - we saw a turtle, some whales, two pods of spinner dolphins, and a school of flying fish. Well worth the early wakeup call! Thanks crew. read more

Excellent it was a very fun experience The boat was accommodating. The staff was friendly and overall a very pleasant experience with the adults and kids. read more

Amazing! The staff were so nice and welcoming. Their rapport with each other was great and they made us feel like part of their family during our time with them. I did a sunset cruise with a group of friends where we got to snorkel. I had never snorkeled and was planning on skipping that part but the staff provided us with safety equipment and knew what they were doing. So they made me feel safe and I am so glad I did it. The Food was surprisingly good! We did not expect much but we enjoyed all of the food very much. We were staying at Aulani and we were so close to where the cruise departed. I would recommend anyone that goes to Oahu to make Ocean Joy a part of their trip. It was so great and definitely worth the money. read more

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Huge thank to today's (June 9th) 8am crew! Amazing experience and vibes. Loved it! You guys have made my first 24hrs in Oahu fabulous . Also, it was my first time on a catamaran. "Morning Calm Cruise" -- Dolphins, snorkeling & yummy foods and drinks. read more

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I would have to say I was very disappointed. It was supposed to be a dolphin and snorkeling cruise. While I do know they can't guarantee dolphins I feel they just sailed out stopped for a bit then sailed back to the snorkel area. Then the life vests were the inflate yourself while another cruise line across had the standard life vests. Again went snorkeling and didn't see any sea life. The food was good and they had plenty for everyone to have second and thirds and the staff were great. Adam was on point in getting a lot of shots. read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

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This was honestly the best time we've had on our visit. We seen dolphins on the way out and while snorkeling also seen a turtle. It was so amazing. The crew was very knowledgeable and polite. read more

Nice cruise to snorkel spot, on the way saw some dolphins they stick around for a while. We have some clouds which made sitting on the deck cool and island views pretty. Lots of little fish. Water is not as clear as the Caribbean but pretty. The crew was friendly, helpful photographer took pics on boat and in water pictures. No pressure sales. Food was good pulled pork and bbq pork, rice, purple bread, salad. Drinks pop in big cooler great array of stuff, booze after water fun and was island array of booze. Was lots of fun- people mix old folks, families and couples. Not every one got in water. Aloha time :) read more

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We have been on many excursions and this one by far was the best. They are so pleasant and attentive to everyone's needs. They were so knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make sure everyone was ok. We saw so many dolphins and had a great snorkeling adventure beautiful fish and saw manta rays. The food was amazing and we loved the crew. We recommend this for anyone wanting to experience dolphins, turtles, and great snorkeling. They had good gear too. read more

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Didnt see any whales or dolphins and didn't get to snorkel. They didn't tell us we couldn't snorkel until we were already 1hour out on the water. Essentially trapped us on the boat with them to see nothing except a few turtles. They offered no partial refunds or discounts. They do this often enough to know when snorkeling wouldn't be possible due to conditions. But they kept us in the dark until we were already stuck on the boat. I highly recommend you stay away from this money hungry company. They just boat you over to electric beach anyways. You could rent a car and drive out there yourself for cheaper. Would not trust any company associated with hawaii tours. Save yourself some money and don't go with these guys read more

This is our fourth time going out with Ocean Joy. Every time we go out we have an absolute blast. This time was especially cool as there were only nine of us total on the boat not including the four staff and a seven of them were from our group. We were delighted by two pods of spinner dolphins, a pod of bottlenose dolphins- all of which swim around the boat for several minutes enjoying the music and the vibrations. We also saw two giant sea turtles, and two reef sharks. The food is always amazing the bartender knows how to make a mean MiaThai and blue Hawaiian. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous the boat is always clean. I will continue to do this Cruise with my family every time we come back to visit staff super friendly and professional and fun read more

if I could give this place 0 stars, I would. 230 (including pick up which $40 per person there and back) for the price is outrageous and to not have snorkeled, not seen any whales is crazy. I understand we did not snorkel for safety reasons, but from the waters alone, they should have known that we wouldnt have been able to snorkel. Let me explain why it was so horrible. We had booked a few ahead days ahead of our trip including the pick up. We found out that 2 people in our group would be leaving, so they would not attend. We were going to ask to cancel our tickets and take their place instead, if not we understand. At least let us cancel our pick up, because we wont be there, so it would beenfit them to not make extra trips. We called and emailed multiple times, different times of the day for multiple days. I am not sure why they did not pick up but they did not call back or send an email back! The day we were supposed to depart for the boat, they called someone else in the group to ask why we weren't at the pick up location which did not make sense to us because we had booked separately. We ended up having really sick people on our boat. Half the boat was puking, and the captain still decided to push the boat to the max to catch more waves even though there were more than 3-4 people throwing up. More than that! They did have a photographer on deck and the photographer does underwater photos which ofc we weren't able to do. But they sell $40 packages on the boat, but because we didnt snorkel, it cost $20. I get you have to make profit but the cost alone for the ticket is outrageous. The meal provided was okay, but for the money I paid I could have gotten something better. They tried to compensate us by have a free bar. The problem with that is there are children on board and we do not drink. That certain does not compensate for the money's worth that we paid for. They really just took us out on a boat ride looking at waves. We saw like 2 turtles and thats it. Each one of our members regretted that trip and was angry and disappointed after. Honestly, never again. They did not offer any compensation whatsoever. No coupons/deals for the next trip, no partial (or half refund) refund-nothing! And then they had the audacity to ask for reviews through email and something else on multiple different platforms. I was not going to even write a review till I saw the price my boyfriend paid. I thought maybe it was like 150 which is still a lot do not get me wrong, and would still have rubbed me the wrong way. But 230!?!? And no communication , no snorkeling, and did not care about the other group members on board is crazy! I am not asking to go back to shore, just that you don't push the boat to it's full capacity because others are not feeling well. If I had to go back and do it again, the answer for sure is no. If you do not knoe the condition of the waves as the customer, just do not book with these people. They were nice on board though, I wont lie about that. I do not want to leave a mean review, but I was really disappointed and more. Sorry for the long paragraph of a review. read more

We had an awesome time. Captain Jerry and his crew provided an amazing experience, from start to finish. While sailing, Capt. Jerry found a pod of spinner dolphins that provided us a good 20-30 minute show, jumping out of the water and swimming around us. We anchored and snorkeled near electric beach where we saw octopus, a sea turtle and one of the crew dove down and found a star fish! We brought our three sons for their first sailing trip and it was an incredible experience! read more

Everything about this cruise was fabulous! Great people, lots of wildlife (dolphins! turtles! flying fish! even an octopus!), yummy food and drinks. We couldn't have asked for a nicer excursion! read more

This was our second time with Ocean Joy for the snorkeling experience. The staff and crew do an amazing job! The boat is clean and well stocked, the crew is always so friendly and hospitable, and the food is delicious. And of course, the scenery and snorkeling are amazing! You will not be disappointed! read more

We have done many snorkel treks in Hawaii and our Ocean Joy Morning snorkel sail from the Ko Olina resort (April 2024) was one of the best. Catamaran was in great shape, tasty morning snack (poi bread pudding), excellent lunch buffet (kalua pig, teriyaki chicken, salad, fruit, rolls), plenty of beverages, friendly and helpful crew. Our one hour snorkeling offshore from the Hawaiian Electric Kahe Power Plant didn't have a lot of fish on our day, but we saw two large sea turtles. Its a bit pricey like the others, but we would highly recommend and would do this again. read more

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Great experience! Super friendly and helpful staff. Recommend the photo package! Kid friendly.

Although we enjoyed the cruise overall, we were hoping to go snorkeling and see some tropical fish. That was the whole point of the trip. Unfortunately, we were not able to do that because the conditions in the ocean were not good. When we ventured out to the spot where we were supposed to snorkel, the captain non-chalantly said that we would not be going in the water today. We were very disappointed when we heard this, but still made the best of it. The captain spotted some whales, sharks, and a Hawaiian monk seal which, according to him, was a rare sight. The crew and captain seemed friendly enough and were eager to serve. They were good hosts and wanted to ensure that we were having a good time. The meal was tasty, too. There was plenty to drink. The cruise back to the dock though was a bit choppy. Half of the people got seasick and went to the back of the boat. The shuttle ride back to town was the worst part since we got stuck in gridlocked traffic. It took roughly about 90 minutes to get to our shuttle stop. The driver was friendly and pointed out sites. Oddly enough, we did learn a lot from this experience. The biggest thing we learned is to do your own research beyond Yelp before going snorkeling. Although we usually are pretty thorough in doing our own research, we made an emotional decision instead in this case and took a chance with this cruise by signing up at our hotel. I guess we also got swept up by the posters and videos advertising snorkeling tours. Afterwards, we read on the internet that wintertime may not be the best time to snorkel. But who knows? Maybe it depends on the conditions of the ocean. I did overhear one of the employees say that the ocean was rough for the first cruise. I then questioned myself why would they proceed with our sailing knowing that the conditions were not good for snorkeling? Maybe they were hoping the conditions would change? On the positive side, none of us got seasick, one of us conquered their fear of boats, and we saw up close whales, sharks, and a rare monk seal all for the first time. So, I feel that it was not a total loss. read more

Fantastic trip. The captain and crew were so friendly and helped the kids with all their snorkel gear. It was a great experience for everyone. We saw whales, dolphins, turtles, and plenty of fish. read more

On Saturday 12/3/22, we embarked on the Oahu Catamaran Cruise Wildlife, Snorkeling and a Hawaiian Meal cruise. We booked through TripAdvisor and it was very easy, there were lots of reviews, and photos. It was also very easy to communicate on TripAdvisor with the business when I had questions. Once we got to the meeting spot we were greeted and directed to our group swiftly. Everyone in the crew was extremely friendly, kind, and sweet. My friend and I got to chat with all of the crew members during the cruise. They all were full of energy, telling us fun or interesting facts about Oahu and the dolphins. We were able to see many dolphins from the boat right as we got out to sea. It was so amazing and cool! We had 4 jumps into the water to search for dolphins. Although we didn't see any close up it was still super fun and great to snorkel that much. We also got to snorkel for 45 min looking for turtles. I was able to see 4 turtles! And sometimes they surfaced so they got really close to us. Overall, the crew was very knowledgeable, fun, generous, interesting, and genuine! Highly recommend going on this tour and I highly recommend purchasing the photos from their professional photographer. What a lovely and awesome cruise! read more

BEST Snorkel Cruise we have taken on Oahu so far! Awesome soft deck! Beautiful Bar! Amazing Gourmet Hawaiian Food for lunch! I'm talking Terriyaki Chicken, pulled pork and rice people! My husband and I both felt it tasted better than some luaus we have been to! The snorkel time in the water was amazing! The fish are beautiful! We saw a sea turtle and thanks to our amazing photographer Mani, we were able to capture the whole experience forever without any worry! Captain Jerry and his whole crew were so kind and friendly, it felt like stepping aboard a friend's boat.... Amazing experience! I highly recommend! read more

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Both my husband and I highly recommend Ocean Joy Cruises! Captain Patrick, crew members Elijah, Jacob, Minoru, and photo-gal Jace are all excellent! The tour cruises for about 45 minutes out of the bay before stopping to take some photos along the coast. The boat had two bathrooms with running water. After the scenic stop, we headed back toward the island to snorkel! The crew was very supportive and helpful for first time snorkelers. I do not swim and and origin had not planned to go in the water--but with the help of a pool noodle and a supportive crew I felt comfortable getting in the water and am SO grateful I did. We saw sea turtles, fish and even an octopus! Back onboard, there was a delicious lunch and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and the option to purchase Jace's photo package from the trip. I HIGHLY recommend her photos. For $40 we got access to almost 500, photos from our excursion, about 100 of which include the beautiful views, landscape and wildlife! Jace also took time to take candid and posed shots of everyone onboard and those who went in the water. She was fantastic! After lunch, we cruised back to the harbor (about 45 minutes) and disembarked. Choose this cruise & snorkeling adventure--hob won't be disappointed! read more

To me, the snorkel cruises they offer are worth it. I went on one last year and this year. The tour guides are so kind and teach us a lot about the history, traditions, and sea life. The food they offer is so good too. read more

For our last day on the island, we went out for the dolphin/whale watching & snorkling. What a wonderful day on the water! Crew is fantastic, super friendly and helpful. The hot lunch onboard was a very pleasant surprise, especially with the island drinks. We got an amazing close-up view of some very curious dolphins, some great snorkling with lots of fish, and a wonderful memory to top off our trip! read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Mother & baby dolphin following our catamaran - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

This was an amazing cruise. We took the sunset dinner cruise plus snorkeling. Tuesday October 29th 2024. Patrick, the captain and his crew were all amazing. Making sure that everyone was comfortable and had a great time. Snorkeling was fun and saw lots of great colorful fish and sea turtles. The dinner food was great with pulled pork barbecue and chicken. Drinks were fantastic. Best of all the sunset was beautiful and it was a great way to end our vacation. Highly recommend this boat cruise. For all ages. Very much worth the cost. The photographer does a fantastic job too. This trip is forever in our memory banks. read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

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Great adventure. Thank you Captain Patrick, Jace, and Spencer. Sorry I cannot recall the name of the other crew member. We did the morning snorkeling tour. Loved it. We saw dolphins, turtle, and lots of fish. Crew was amazing and very helpful. The food and beverages were great. I highly recommend cruising with them. We had a wonderful l time and hope to do it again one day. Very nice boat. Parking was very easy at the marina!!! read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

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So much fun! Meal (for us, lunch), drinks, alcohol and snacks included. Don't forget your swimsuit! You'll get to snorkel. We didn't bc we had our 1.5 year old, but we used the opportunity to take photos on an empty-ish boat and my eldest got to feed the fish and see them up close to the boat! Got to see whales! A baby and a mama. The crew was so awesome, fun, and attentive! The food and drinks were actually really good. The eldest also got to drive the boat! She was so stoked! We did this as one of our last hoorahs before we move off island... and our ticket was a raffle my husband had won from his command holiday party. SO WORTH IT! Thank you Captain Mason and crew! I forgot all their names but they were all so lovely! read more

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We had such an amazing time on our snorkel cruise. The staff was great and really went above and beyond to make it perfect. The food and drinks were delicious. thank you so much guys!!! read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

Just ok. We did the 3.5 hour cruise with snorkel, food and cruising. Nice motorized catamaran, cool crew. About an hour cruising, followed by an hour snorkel, then about an hour for food/drinks/cruise back. It's not a sailing cat, so just motoring. You cruise from Ko Olina to Makaha and back. About 46 people on our boat which left Ko Olina harbor around 12:15 pm. That's a lot of bodies on what I estimate to be about a 55 foot boat. Too crowded. It's a catamaran cattle call. When you first embark, coffee, tea and soft drinks are available along with some Snack sized muffins. Where you really feel the crowd crush is after you get your food and look for a stable place to eat as the boat rocks and dips. Food consists of kalua pork, teri chicken, salad, rice and fruit. Not bad. Their snorkel spot, at least when we went, was off of Makaha. Decent. Though, they require a snorkel vest (actually inflating it is optional). But, it's a crowded scene just with the Ocean Joy people. Did not see any dolphins or whales. Only a few turtles. They supply all the snorkel gear and also have reef safe lotion sunscreen for use. Bring your own towels. Food was ok. Drinks were ok. A little small, but, hey. Parking is like this - you can either roll the dice and see if you can nab a spot in the 100 space Ko Olina lagoon #4 lot, or cough up $10 and park in the marina pay lot. We lucked out and were able to grab a lagoon lot space. Just be forewarned, the Ko Olina lagoon lots fill up fast. They really need to put the kibosh on the money grab and cap their guest count to around 25 or so. Waaay too many people as is. Listen, I get it. If I was a charter boat owner, I know it's a numbers game with fuel costs and overhead. And they probably have a number to break even. But, you reach a point of diminishing returns with that many guests in terms of customer good will.. Don't think we would spring for them again, but it was alright. read more

Went out for morning catamaran whale and snorkeling tour. About 30 people total -- perfect amount for size of the boat. Pros: 1) saw several whales and turtles. The captain always slowed down and went toward them when they were spotted. 2) the staff were SO friendly and accommodating. Always asking if we needed anything. Bringing us drinks. Very friendly. 3) staff explained everything very clearly throughout the adventure and were patient and always very thorough 4) we had a great lunch provided and seemingly unlimited drinks (beers, alcohol, sodas, juices, etc). We also had muffins when we first got on and also some ginger pills. 5) there was a hose for us to take a hot shower/spray off at the end. 6) the bathrooms were clean and large! Cons: 1) the water was mucky so it was hard to see anything when snorkeling (not their fault) 2) the cost was a little pricey ... about $150 pp read more

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We had a great time enjoying the sea off the west coast of Oahu. Swam with turtles and tropical fish in crystal blue water. Oh and the Hawaiian style plate lunch they served us was delicious! read more

Ocean Joy Cruises - Tours Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

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My boyfriend and I purchased a Groupon for a 3.5 hr snorkel catamaran cruise out of Ko'Olina (west/leeward side of island). Make sure to call them to receive the link/info for parking, as the Ko'Olina marina requires pre-paid parking at $28 for the day (no hourly options). As follows, I'd suggest walking to the nearby Aulani Hotel, lagoon, or shopping afterwards to get the most for your parking money. The crew was so kind and helpful, and we spotted dolphins, a whale and her calf, and a sea turtle. They made a big deal of trying to find wildlife for us to see. We had 1 hr in the water of snorkeling which was plenty, and the crew brought some fish food to encourage plenty of fish to hang out near the boat. You can purchase access to all photos from the trip for only $40 (digital download link emailed), which was a great deal considering you could always ask the photographer Manny at any point (even underwater) to take pictures of you. The food and drinks were delicious, and there were ample options. They also served water, drinks, coffee, and a delicious bread pudding (it was amazing) for the morning cruise. They cruise rather slowly through the water and slow down before even moderately sized waves, making the trip more enjoyable, especially for those who get sea sick like me. Tips: - Bring a towel as they do not provide them - You will have to remove your shoes before getting on the boat read more

We got food positioning really bad, my fiancé and I both spent a night vomiting In our hotel room. We didn't eat anything in the morning before the cruise and only had the food on board so it was the only culprit. Also -- we didn't see any of the promised wildlife -- we had better luck snorkeling near Waikiki on our last trip as we saw a bunch of sea turtles then. The boat was nice, the staff was nice but given the cost I wish they would have coordinated and ensured we saw actual sea life. In general, it was a bit of a waste of money but we did still enjoy the views from the boat and the drinks, we were happy to see the other side of the island. read more

We brought our grandkids and their parents on this cruise/snorkel. I was worried about it being crowded based on past reviews. Luckily, there were only 30 people on the boat. Capacity is 49, and let me tell you, if there were 49 on the boat it would have been way to crowded. We were the morning cruise, I definitely recommend morning as it was calm and not in the hottest part of the day. Snorkeling was good, not life changing, but they fed the fish to attract them so that helped. After snorkeling we ate salad, white rice, teriyaki chicken, pulled pork, and fruit. It was ALL very good, I was pretty surprised and ate it all even though I wasn't really hungry. After eating we drove back out to where we had been earlier because dolphins were spotted there. It was very cool, spinner dolphins everywhere - the grandkids loved it! It made us five minutes late getting back for the afternoon cruise, but so worth it (BTW, the afternoon cruise had maybe 15 people max). The grandkids also loved seeing a turtle while snorkeling. The crew was amazing, drinks were strong and plentiful, and all on board were pretty happy with the cruise. Beyond their control is that the Waianae coast is not a beautiful coast compared to most places in Hawaii, so don't expect to be knocked out. Just go and have fun! read more

I booked a morning calm snorkeling trip in November through Tripadvisor while visiting Oahu. I could not have asked for a better excursion. Pickup from my hotel was flawless. The boat was beautiful - well equipped with plenty of room to move around and stretch out. (And a very clean bathroom). I've certainly had better snorkeling experiences in other places, but snorkeling options close to Oahu are limited. Two highlights of the excursion for me were lunch -- delicious, Hawaiian BBQ, and the photographer, who captured pretty great underwater photos for anyone that asked. read more

Everything about this trip was great. They were very friendly and helpful throughout, gave clear instructions (helpful for a first timer), and guided us through a beautiful display of wild life - we saw 3 sea turtles! The food for dinner was very tasty, drinks were plentiful, and the captain and crew shared their knowledge of the island and surrounding communities as we took in the sights for our sunset cruise. I would absolutely book this snorkeling, sunset, dinner cruise again on my next trip to Oahu! read more

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Did a sunset snorkeling for my birthday. Had so much fun. Great crew, friendly, and good customer service. would recommend to every. I'm not a good swimmer, but they made me feel safe. it comes with food and drinks. read more

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Wow. We crushed the waves. We saw dolphins. Pods and pods of dolphins. Snorkeled with some fish. Chowed on some local grubbage and drank some fine beers. The crew: fantastic. The views: unparalleled The facilities: top notch and clean. Ocean Joy made our day. Thinking of snorkeling while on the island of Oahu, look no further than Ocean Joy. read more

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We did the morning calm snorkeling cruise and wow. Let's just say everything from the boat, crew, food and drinks (alcohol included?) was top tier. We saw so many dolphins. We swam with turtles and beautiful fish, and our 2 and 5 year olds had the time of their lives! read more

I've now taken 3 trips with Ocean Joy Cruises and each one has been fantastic! The first time I went out was March 2018, when my dad was visiting from Washington. We had such a great day with the awesome crew of Kai'Oli'Oli. Captain Jen did a wonderful job, she found us dolphins and took us to the perfect snorkel spot! Her awesome wahine crew of Mani, Dani and Summers kept everyone happy and comfortable throughout the trip. We had a great time snorkeling, the scenery along the way was gorgeous and the boat is super comfortable. I had such a great time on my first trip that I took my friend when she came to visit for her 50th birthday in July of 2018. Again, fantastic crew, great snorkeling and some of the crew members remembered me from before. I also learned that one of the crew members from my first trip was in training to become a captain and it really impressed me that they invested in their employees in that way. Finally, I took my sister and her family when they came to visit in April of 2019. There were 6 adults and one toddler in our group. The folks at Ocean Joy communicated with me ahead of time because this isn't the best activity for a toddler and they wanted to make sure we were prepared for that. With 6 adults to monitor him we were confident we would be fine and they were good with that. I appreciate that they wanted to make sure we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Again, I was greeted with some familiar faces and had a great time with the entire crew. We found dolphins again and enjoyed viewing them from the boat Ocean Joy is very eco-conscious so when you find dolphins it means the dolphins come to you and you get to watch them from the comfort of the deck. They don't go chasing after the dolphins and we don't jump in with them. I respect this. And to really make things perfect, we had whales breaching into the sunset. Spectacular! Overall there is plenty of room for everyone on the boat and great food and beverages to enjoy. I am impressed with the little details like having complimentary reef-safe sunscreen and nausea prevention supplements available. They really take care of their guests. I will absolutely recommend Ocean Joy to others and look forward to going out with them again. read more

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