I had never been on a whale watching tour before. Being here while the humpback whales were chilling in Maui was an experience I'll never forget. Finding the spot initially was a little confusing, we were the last ones to show up! You are given a number based on when you arrive and you choose a seat on the boat. There is a captain and a naturalist on board who talks about the whales. If you're sitting in the back of the boat, you really can't hear what's being said so sit at the front or in the middle. We circled around and got to see a baby whale breech the water! Such magnificent animals. When a microphone was lowered in the water, we could hear the whales "singing." Did you know it's only the males that do this? The time goes by reallllly fast, so just enjoy being out there. read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - At the boat ramp - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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We did the small group (6 people) whale watching tour with Ultimate Whale Watch, and it was such an amazing experience! We booked the 7 AM tour, which lasted about 2.5 hours, and it was absolutely worth waking up early for. The check-in location can be a little confusing to find, but the locals around the area are super helpful--just ask someone nearby and they'll point you in the right direction. The weather was perfect that morning, and we were lucky enough to see several whales. The highlight of the tour was a close encounter with two whales that came incredibly close to the boat--it almost felt like they were curious and checking us out. It was such a surreal and unforgettable moment. We also learned so many interesting and unique facts about whales throughout the tour. A special shout-out to Captain Kelly and our whale guru Cassy--they made the entire experience so fun, engaging, and informative. It honestly felt like we were out on the ocean with friends rather than on a tour. If you're considering a whale watching tour, I can't recommend Ultimate Whale Watch enough. It was truly a memorable experience! read more

This is our second time visiting Maui and chose ultimate whale watch each time. We actually did two trips each time we came to Maui. We were lucky and had Lacey and Lilly. They are fun and very informative. Felt very safe in boat. The boat ride itself is worth going. Listening to the music on way out was fun. We watched a mamma and her baby whale for long time. Also Lilly was able to identify a whale with app on her phone. Really cool experience. Definitely highlight of our vacation that we will always remember and talk about. read more

Fantastic experience Megan was our guide and our captain was also excellent. They were so friendly . The boat held about 25 people . They had actual seats . It was a super pleasant experience and we saw a ton of whales. They were knowledgeable we got to listen to the whales they stuck a mic under water. So much fun ! We did the two hour tour at 7:10 am we also got a great sunrise view. Highly recommend this company ! Would definitely come back! They exceeded my expectations ! Amazing experience ! read more

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This is our one third whale watching tour in Maui with Ultimate Whale watching and we always have an amazing time. Joel and Meagan were our guides and they were amazing. Megan was very informative about the humpback whales and they found whales right away ! Always a great time! We were on a 12 person raft style boat and I loved being on a smaller boat as it moves fast when needed to catch a whale in action! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - 12 person boat was great! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Absolutely Incredible Excursion--Whales, Dolphins, and Snorkeling! We had an absolutely incredible time on this whale and snorkel excursion! The departure location at Mala Ramp in Lahaina was incredibly easy to find. From start to finish, the staff was both friendly and highly knowledgeable. The boat itself was very comfortable, and because they limit the tour's capacity, the experience never felt crowded and was thoroughly enjoyable. The wildlife we saw was unforgettable--we lucked out and spotted bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, and even a mother and baby humpback whale! We also got to snorkel at two absolutely beautiful stops. They kept us well-fed throughout the day, providing a nice continental breakfast, lunch, and a snack at the end, along with plenty of soda and water. The only downside--which was completely unavoidable--was that crossing the channel on the way back from Lanai to Maui was very choppy. If you have any neck or back issues, I would not suggest this excursion. But if that's not a concern for you, this is an awesome excursion and we thoroughly enjoyed our day trip! read more

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Once is not enough! Book several whale watches on your vacation, because each will be DIFFERENT. You'll thank me later. Jill, the captain, and Lily, the naturalist, worked closely together to give us a great experience and to explain what we were seeing. Each whale watch will be a different experience for you. You'll see. read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale tails - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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Another amazing trip! I love this whale watch company. The crew are spectacular and I love the small group experience option. This vessel only allows 6 guests on a rather large boat so you can easily move around for the best viewing and photography! read more

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Love the whole experience! Wonderful and knowledgeable staff. Amazing experience for the whole family. We will definitely choose this company again. read more

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"We went out with Ultimate Whale Watch on Christmas Day and it was easily the best experience we've had. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable--we learned so much about the whales while watching them in action. It was a wonderful, high-quality day on the water. Highly recommended for anyone in Maui!" read more

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Wonderful experience. Very experienced guides. I was nervous to book as Its online. My mom has medical issues and this is our trip before a long road of treatment. I had concerns the boat would be hitting hard waves and she would be uncomfortable. THIS TRIP WAS FANTASTIC! No bumpyness boat was very smooth for being smaller. Captain made the ride pleasant. We all remained seated. We saw alot of whales learned about them and they put a microphone in the water so we heard them too. Thanks ladies for this great experience for us. A+++++ read more

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I've lived on Maui for nearly 10 years, and this was one of the most uncomfortable tours I've experienced here. The captain, Lacey, was rude, dismissive, and completely lacking in aloha. The three of us onboard were repeatedly talked down to and contradicted. When another passenger stepped on my foot and I reacted, instead of basic courtesy, the captain immediately defended him and dismissed my experience. The atmosphere was chaotic, yet instead of managing the boat professionally, Captain Lacey seemed far more focused on catering to tourists while treating locals with obvious irritation. When we commented on seeing a whale in a different direction, she snapped back that she "knew where the whales were" and essentially told us not to speak. Whale watching should be welcoming, respectful, and educational. This experience was none of those. Captain Lacey's conduct was far from appropriate for someone responsible for passengers and representing Maui. I would not recommend this company. read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - The Captain told me... " he didn't do it intentionally" and scolded me! Never asked if I was I okay. - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Went out yesterday on the Aloha Kai with Derek and Alyssa and it is an experience I will always remember! Derek and Alyssa are great! They are both super fun and nice and I learned so many things about whales that I really did not remember from when I have gone before. The boat is small, it was just six of us, which was awesome. I have never been on a boat that small whale watching, this is absolutely the way to go! We saw so many humpbacks and a few had babies in tow, one baby looked like it probably wasn't born too long ago. We saw the mother and the baby breaching over and over again. It was so awesome!! Thank you guys for an absolutely fantastic morning !! read more

Did the VIP 11:10 whale watch on 3/8/26 and had an amazing experience. Skipper Lacy and Naturalist Lauren were super knowledgeable and explained all of the mannerisms of the whales we encountered. We saw 3 sets of females with babies, baby breeches, tails flaps, pec flaps, male escorts and completions. Even had whales go under our boat. We book with Ultimate Whale Watch every time we are in Maui during whale season. We highly recommend them. read more

Highly recommend this experience. We went this morning on a small boat with about 10 other passengers for a 2-hour outing 9-11am. The best was a baby whale playing. The adult whales are fun to see too, but the babies are more into jumping. Don't drink a lot of water before you go because it's 2 hours without access to a bathroom. They do make you take your shoes off before getting on the boat, so paint your toenails before you go. My favorite part was when they dropped the Doppler into the water so we could hear the whales singing!!! Ahhhhhhhh. read more

From the moment we were waiting to get on the boat, I could tell this was going to be a wonderful experience. Every employee was so friendly, genuinely happy and kind. Our crew was very knowledgeable and I learned quite a bit about whales. We had an outstanding time, being able to witness several male whales in pursuit of a female. They put on an unbelievable show for us! Stellar. I would not want to book with any other company. Thank you for an epic experience! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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Friendly boat crew with plenty of incites on the humpback whales. Plenty of whales to see, a bunch of babies up close. Now if they would cooperate on the breaching to allow for great pictures, but alas the whales are unpredictable. Great time and highly recommended read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Sunrise over Maui on the way to see the whales. - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Absolutely incredible experience! Lacey and Reese did an excellent job getting us on dozens of whales during our two hour trip. The amount of knowledge, experience, and professionalism was far beyond what I expected. My wife and I and two daughters shared an experience of a lifetime. Awesome job!!! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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The best whale watching tour I've ever been on! Chad & Cass were so knowledgeable and passionate about the whales of Maui and were so informative about what was going on. We got amazing, up-close views of whale activity for the entire tour. Although the water was a bit choppy, they made sure everyone who was feeling sea sick felt comfortable. I wish I could go out with them again! Thank you Chad & Cass!! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Breaching whale - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

WOW!!! What an amazing experience!!! The company and the people running it were all so nice the moment we got there. Our whale watching captains Jeremiah and Casey were absolutely amazing! Jeremiah was so funny and entertaining and had an obvious love for what he does. I loved watching him watch the ocean for traces of whales, he was calculating all the places and spaces they could be. I think we had a very rare experience because we had humpbacks literally curious and coming up to our boats and then got a crazy full body breach siting! I got it all on video which is nuts. My husband was in a terrible mood due to something that happened that morning...but this experience just changed his whole demeanor for the rest of the day. Not sure if everyone would be able to experience the magic we did...but still highly recommend!! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - This buddy came right up to our boat! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

We took the morning tour with Levi and Lexi. Was HOPING to see at least one whale. WE SAW ALL DA WHALES!! Mamas, babies and even some "escorts". We saw spouts, fins, tails, breaches (and even a little 2 AM "bar brawl" over a lady - shoutout Lexi humor). Seriously, weather was postcard perfect and we learned so much from both Levi and Lexi. In fact, we loved it so much, we turned around and jumped on their next tour. Back-to-back boat adventures with some great people in a great place. Mahalo! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Ask for Levi and Lexi!! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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I have never been this close to a whale or had this much interaction with them. Ultimate Whale Watch finds the whales and the whales respect their boats. They will not disappoint you! read more

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We did the Lanai snorkeling and dolphin watching tour and it was AMAZING! They were actually able to park the boat in the middle of a pod of spinner dolphins. They just played around the boat. It was highlight of our trip to Maui! Casey and Captain Jill were so great. They knew so much about the area and the wildlife. And it is obvious they care about this beautiful place and enjoy showing it off. We enjoyed this tour so much and would HIGHLY recommend it! read more

Best time ever! We were close to the water in the 30 ft raft. Pretty windy some big rollers and felt extremely safe. The mammals we saw were incredible! The guides knew so much about the whales and dolphins. Great info given! Such a wonderful time 10/10 read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Spinner dolphin on display! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Very disappointed with the "captain" Lacey she was unprofessional and condescending to my friends. She is more catered to the tourist than to the locals just to get tips. She loves to take a jab if we make a comment CLEARLY she has no ALOHA SPIRIT in her . Whale watching was supposed to be fun and educational but this tour I hear crickets and nothing educational about it especially from Lacey just rude and disrespectful. She needs to realize that the locals are important as the tourist are. I've done many whale watching tours and this is the first time I'm shocked and horrible how we were treated from Lacey next time she needs to not make rude comments it's not a good look for her. read more

The team is always timely, friendly, and man oh man do they show you whales. I cant think of a trip we've taken in the past 3 years that's wasn't absolutely filled with multiple encounters. They know their stuff and are quick to educate. Highly recommend these fast, closer to the water boats as they reduce motion issues, get you quickly to the whales, and provide for a phenomenal experience. read more

Awesome whale watch. Captain kept boat near several groups of whales. Excellent tour. read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Incredible photo. Didn't realize I got it until I checked my photos that evening! - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Amazing whale sightings. Captain Mark and Una were great. Very knowledgeable about whales and also gave us tips about where the best snorkeling spots were and other places to visit. Highly recommend this for whale watching. read more

We had an amazing time on an early morning whale watching with Captain Mark and Una! Constant action and up close whale encounters! The whole family had an awesome time! read more

Can't recommend Ultimate Whale Watch enough. We had six whale sightings during our two hour excursion. The whole operation was efficient, safe, and fun. The staff--at check in and the boat captains-- were great. read more

This trip was exceptional. The two ladies on board, Amy & Casey who skippered the boat created a memorial experience, Their deep knowledge and love of whale is infectious. Even though this was the tail end of mating / calfing season they found multiple whales who were putting on a show. One surfaced next to the boat and than swam under the boat. We learned so much about whales. Giving the the highest recommendation! Don't forget to tip ! Keep this seasonal treasure going . read more

Best whale watching experience yet! My family and I did the 2hr whale watching cruise. The first thing we saw when we left the dock was a giant sea turtle right next to our boat! We had so much fun and saw so many whales! Moms and baby's, and a few groups of males too. We even saw a baby whale poke her head out of the water and we saw her eye looking at us! I almost cried. Our captain Lacy was very funny and engaging. Our tour was with Kass and Lacy. Kass seems to know everything about whales and was happy to answer all of our questions. Even though I'm sure these 2 have done a million tours, they genuinely seemed just as excited and overjoyed to see the whales as we were. This is my mother's favorite thing to do in Hawaii and she has been coming here every other year since 2000. And this company is her favorite for whale watching. We would highly recommend this tour. Such a fun and memorable experience. Can't say enough good things! read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale tail - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

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Best whale watching tour I've ever experienced. Saw babies, mama's and males. Lacie and Lilly were wonderful and were so knowledgeable.

Whales are cool. Boats are cool. Maui is cool. Being on a boat in Maui checking out whales doing interesting stuff is the coolest. These boats can go pretty fast, so if your boomer wants something more pedestrian then think about leaving them home or finding one of those big tour boats that'll get you within binocular range. read more

My husband and I were on a boat in early December with Captain Lacey and Naturalist Lily. What a great team and what an amazing experience! Everyone from the staff that checked us in to the team on the boat was knowledgeable, professional, and passionate, all while being laid back and fun. We saw plenty of whale activity, but even if we didn't, the boat ride and learning about whales was enjoyable enough. So happy we saw whales, though! read more

The crew and staff here are so nice and knowledgeable. We had a great trip in the afternoon and saw 2 whales that hung around the boat almost the whole time we were out there. Amazing experience read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii

Incredible whale watching and snorkel with Cassie and Chad. We had a great morning riding on a Rhib (Rigid Hulled inflatable boat) Learned a lot about whales! We saw humpback whales, and two kinds of dolphins (pantropical spotted and spinner). Snorkling off of Lanai was fun too. read more

We were incredibly lucky to pick Ultimate. We not only had perfect weather, but the pair taking us were incredibly nice, capable and informative. Kat (sp?) was our guide and, despite thinking I knew a lot about Humpbacks, we learned much more. Thx to the captain, we were close by when one breached 3 times! The entire two hours was filled with whale sightings! read more

Went on an Ultimate Whale Watch from Kaanapali Beach at 2:10 PM with Casey and Jill. It was the best whale watch of the season! Saw a mom, baby and escort(s). Lots of surface activity with baby trying out new moves. Mom and baby lying on their backs waving their pectorals around, The escort doing peduncle throwa and slaps. Great experience! I highly recommend them. read more

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Another amazing day whale watching with Ultimate whale watch. Saw these whales breaching with the first 10 minutes of the trip. Amazing experience read more

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel - Whale Watching Tours Near Me - Lahaina, Hawaii