Seasonal · Dec–May
We follow NOAA's responsible-wildlife guidelines on every cruise — always 100 yards, always respectful.
Humpbacks are the winter headliners, but the leeward waters stay busy with dolphins that share the same coast.
Forty-ton acrobatic giants that migrate to Hawaiian waters each winter to mate and calve. Breaches and tail-slaps are the show.
Often share the same leeward waters as the whales — a common sight on winter cruises.
Humpbacks are in Hawaiian waters December through April, with the heart of the season in January, February and March.
Every winter, North Pacific humpback whales travel thousands of miles to Hawaiʻi's warm, sheltered waters to mate, calve, and nurse their young. The season runs December through May, and Oʻahu's leeward Waiʻanae coast — protected from the trade winds and open-ocean swell — is one of the calmest and most reliable stretches of water on the island to watch them breach, tail-slap, and blow.
During whale season, Ocean Joy Cruises' Snorkel & Dolphin Watch cruises become Snorkel & Whale Watch cruises. Departing from Ko Olina Marina near Kapolei, ʻEwa Beach, and Makakilo, we sail into leeward waters where humpbacks gather, adjusting our route to the day's sightings and lingering as long as the whales do.
We watch whales the way federal law requires — from at least 100 yards away. We never chase or crowd them, so these visiting giants can rest and raise their calves undisturbed.
40-ton humpbacks, December through May, from the calmest coast on Oʻahu.
Choose your cruise
3.5 HoursBest SellerPremier morning cruise up the Waianae coast with an hour of snorkeling, dolphin and whale watching, and a gourmet Hawaiian buffet.
3.5 HoursAfternoon cruise along Oʻahu's western coastline featuring dolphin watching, one hour of snorkeling at a prime reef, and a Hawaiian buffet.
2.5–3.5 HoursDate NightThe only Oahu sunset dinner cruise that includes snorkeling — watch dolphins at dusk, snorkel a secret reef, and dine on a Hawaiian buffet with cocktails.
Every cruise departs Ko Olina Marina and sails north along Oʻahu's calm, sheltered west shore — the leeward Waiʻanae coast.
