Maui: Guaranteed Whale-Watching Tour by Raft from Kihei
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Maui, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Spot humpbacks as they travel through Maui’s warm waters on this whale-watching excursion. Hop aboard a sturdy raft in Kihei with an expert naturalist as your guide, and jet to the southern coastline, which hosts one of the highest whale populations in Hawaii. Your guide will provide commentary about these fascinating creatures as you see them spout and slap the water.
- Perfect for anyone who wants to see whales in the wild
- Learn about Hawaii’s marine creatures from an on-board marine naturalist
- Listen to whale song through an onboard hydrophone
- Choose from multiple departure times to suit your schedule
What's Included
- NO Back or Neck Injuries or Pregnant Passengers Please
- On-board marine naturalist.
- On-board hydrophone to listen to the whales.
- Guaranteed to see Whales
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 2800 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, USA
You can also put in Kihei Boat Ramp into Google or Apple Maps. Parking is free in dirt lot above the parking lot where the boats/trailers are. Check-in is 30 minutes prior to departure in the parking lot for the 7AM departure and at the picnic tables above the dock for the 9 & 11AM departures.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Redline Rafting
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Kihei
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Wailea
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Keawakapu Beach
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Minimum age is 8 years
- Not recommended for anyone with bad backs
- Not recommended for anyone with neck injuries
- Maximum recommended age is 65 due to adventurous nature of our tours
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 22 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Haochen_Z
This has definitely been the highlight of my two days in Maui! Both guides were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, making the experience engaging from start to finish. We were lucky enough to see a bunch of whales up close, which was absolutely unforgettable. I couldn’t recommend this tour more and would love to do it again in the future!
Reviews
4.9
based on 695 reviews
Peter_M, Mar 2026
Great trip. We were thear near the end of the season but we're still able to see several whales. Would book again.
cassandratresino, Mar 2026
Excellent speed boat ride and plenty of whales to see. The guides were knowledgeable about the whales and able to share lots of interesting information. We saw a baby whale breech multiple times.
Christopher_R, Mar 2026
It was a great time and we were fortunate enough to see several whales and dolphins during the excursion.
Jessica_R, Mar 2026
I have been coming to Maui for 40 years and this is the first time I have traveled to Maui during whale watching season. We were not disappointed! It was whale soup out there! So many whales and we got to view them in their natural habitat communicating and playing with each other. Highly recommend. Great guides as well. Very knowledgeable. And this is after two cancellations due to severe weather. Don't give up!
Patricia_C, Mar 2026
Amazing tour guides. We saw whales the entire time. The guides were very knowledgeable about the whales, explaining behaviors and actions so we knew what was going on.
Joan_E, Mar 2026
I booked this trip because of the many positive ratings I read but in retrospect wish I had slept in or found another tour. The trip was more of a race/whack a mole game as we raced from sighting to sighting rather than finding whales to view and observe. We did see whales, as promised, but we weren't given time to watch any of them. The most positive thing about the trip was bonding with others in the parking lot after discussing how disappointed we were.
Michelle_R, Mar 2026
Great team , it was not just a ride , they really care about all the group to have the best experience , and so it was !
Stephanie_W, Mar 2026
Our guides were very knowledgeable about the whales and worked so hard to find us plenty of opportunities to see as many as we could in the time we were on the boat. Such a fun morning!
Tracy_T, Mar 2026
We had an amazing trip! Tim and Jake were great guides. They took us to multiple whale sitings, and we saw multiple breaches! They answered all questions thoroughly and provided great information. I cannot recommend this trip enough!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for the kind words Tracy! We are so stoked we were able to get you out on the water with us for an amazing time! Tim and Jake are great and are so happy you thought so too, and we hope to adventure with you on the water another day,
From the First Mate of Five-Star Reviews
Candace_O, Mar 2026
The small boat is the best way to experience the whale watching.
You are at water level, all of the seats are great for viewing and the captain and mate are right there for information and questions.
at1071, Feb 2026
Amazing tour with excellent information. We saw a ton of whales and one of them swam under our boat!
Charlotte_H, Feb 2026
Informative trip with a lot of whale sightings. No mugging but enough "close" encounters to make me happy. This is a trip I will do again, hopefully next winter. Mahalo for thew experience.
Laura_B, Feb 2026
It was great. We patiently waited for some action and boy did we get it! We saw multiple whales in every direction and two that were throwing themselves in the air.
Crew were very friendly and knowledgeable
Jacquelyn_A, Feb 2026
Saw tons of whales! Staff was awesome! Whale breached right behind our boat and we got the best photos ever.
Renee_K, Feb 2026
We had a blast. Learned a ton about whales and the islands. We saw so many whales! Definitely worth going! The boat staff were outstanding!
Shanna_G, Feb 2026
Great guides, good music (even from the whales), fun people, and most importantly, lots of whales! Definitely recommend! The raft was a great fun way for the whale watching tour!
Michele_V, Feb 2026
AMAZING IS NOT A STRONG ENOUGH WORD! I actually spotted a whale UNDERNEATH OUR RAFT! Captain Danni and mate were INCREDIBLE and so knowledgeable about whales. I may book this tour again before I go home.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Wow! How exciting you go got a whale cruising under the raft!
What an unforgettable moment, those up-close encounters are why we love doing what we do! We’re so thrilled you got to experience that kind of magic.
Captain Danni and crew will be so happy to hear your kind words. They’re passionate about whales and love sharing that knowledge (and excitement!) with guests.
If you decide to come back out before heading home, we’d absolutely love to have you on board again. The whales clearly wanted to say hi!
~Chief Happiness Navigator
Rhonda_W, Feb 2026
Great close up experience with whales!!! The operators were very informative and boat was comfortable and would definitely recommend this tour to anyone!!
Linda_K, Feb 2026
Great whale watch tour! Tony and Emma were very knowledgeable and fun. Definitely worth it!!
Highly recommend!
Jackie_A, Feb 2026
We had a great whale watching experience with Redline Rafting! Jake and Tony were the best guides…knowledgeable, safe and funny too! Smooth, easy check-in and great trip from start to finish. Will definitely recommend and use Redline Rafting for future excursions!
Anita_R, Feb 2026
Small group, speed raft, great crew. Saw many whales and had a great adventure. Would definitely do this again.
Jenny_C, Feb 2026
My elderly mother and I traveled to Hawaii for a week in January 2026. Our flights were delayed and we had an excursion booked for the day after we were supposed to arrive. We would have missed it but Redline moved our reservation for us even though it was just inside the 24 hr mark.
…Day of excursion was perfectly sunny even though there had been a coastal flood warning the previous day. They helped my mom get in the boat. Made sure she was comfortable. It was my mom’s first time to a beach ever (we live in Oklahoma). The lady naturalist (bad with names) did a wonderful job answering any and all questions our group came up with. The captain made sure we were aware of the boating safety measures and explained everything very well. They took us out toward Molokini Crater. We saw a lot of Whales and a couple dolphins. It was an amazing experience. My mom said it was her favorite experience!!!
Lisa_A, Jan 2026
Great exp and Guides fantastic much funnier than the big boat large capacity tours.
The only way to go. Lots of whale activity
Christine_S, Jan 2026
Had a great time on the excursion! We saw a lot of whales and you could tell that the captain and his first mate? We’re very experienced in what they were doing and they made it fun and educational also enjoy the fact that it was small groups of people going out. They were very timely and the process was easy. Highly recommend.
Christa_B, Jan 2026
Fantastic sunrise whale watch. Lot’s of activity and knowledgeable Captain. Boat was fast and not crowded.
Inez_V, Jan 2026
This was a great way to see and get close up to whales. Josh & Jamie were excellent and shared a lot of knowledge on the whales.
Erica_G, Jan 2026
Epic! Was tons of fun! Thank you to Jordan and Jamie for a great time. Only deducted 1 ⭐️ due to raft overcrowding. Would’ve gotten better experience and pics with less people.
Andrew_A, Jan 2026
The trip was successful in finding whales. They said it would be bumpy and that we’d get wet, but it wasn’t too bad. We appreciated the warning. The crew was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and entertaining. It was a very enjoyable experience.
Patrick_H, Jan 2026
Had a great time out whale watching. They moved around swiftly to get good look at different whales in action.
Scott_R, Jan 2026
Great morning! Crew was very knowledgeable about “everything whales”. The captain kept us on the move to experience the most whale activity in our short hour and a half excursion. We loved it so much…. experienced, learned and saw ,close up, the majesticness of these awesome creatures. Truly, we could have spent all day with our guides and this tour. Highly recommend!!!!
From $84.14
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Maui: Guaranteed Whale-Watching Tour by Raft from Kihei
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