We went on an amazing whale watching excursion with Redline Rafting to see the migration of humpback whales. Because it was February, it was the perfect time to go whale watching.

Whale watching season goes from December 15th to May 15th of each year.

We looked at a lot of different excursion companies, but we decided on Redline Rafting because you get to go on a high powered 20-person raft. So not only whale watching, but the speed of a small boat.

We booked our excursion at https://redlinerafting.com/tours/whale-watch/

The excursion was 1.5 hours long and because the boat is smaller, you can only have up to 20 people on the boat.

We booked the 11am excursion. While on the excursion we asked our boat captain if there was a best time, but he said there wasn't. He said they see whales at all times of the day.

We were told to be there thirty minutes in advance to check-in.

We met at the Kihei boat ramp at 10:30am. The address of the boat ramp is 2800 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753. We were told to meet at the picnic tables for check-in.

We parked in the adjacent lot and then walked over to the picnic table area at the boat ramp.

This is what the walk from the adjacent parking lot to the picnic table area looks like:

Redline Rafting actually had 2 excursions going out at the same time. We checked-in and then got assigned to our boat.

We walked down the boat ramp to our assigned boat and got on. There was a large compartment in the front of the boat that we could put anything that we didn't want to get wet. Then they closed the compartment and it doubled as a bench to sit on.

After everyone was settled, we headed out to start looking for whales.

We didn't see any at first, so we drove around the backside of the Molokini Crater. This was so fun!

After going around the Molokini Crater, we spotted our first whale.

In Hawaii, you are legally required to stay at least 100 yards away from humpback whales by boat. If a whale approaches your boat, you have to put the engine in neutral or turn it off and wait for the whale to move away.

We didn't have any come right up to the boat, but when the whales were breaching the boat would be idle and we got to watch and enjoy.

When our time was up, we started heading back to the Kihei Boat Ramp. 

Overall, we had a great time on this excursion. The great part is that you could do this excursion multiple times and have a different experience each time. We would definitely do this again! The Redline Rafting crew was friendly and really entertaining. We had a great time!

(Click on the map above to go to a Google Maps larger view.)

We booked our excursion at https://redlinerafting.com/tours/whale-watch/

The normal price is $99 per person, but the day we went they were running a special price of $75 per person. We bought 4 tickets, so the total with taxes came out to $387.05. We each tipped the crew an additional $40. The total came out to $427.05

Price: $427.05

These are the checklist items that Redline Rafting recommended:

• Check In Time is 30 minutes prior to departure
• Physical Restrictions:
  • Participants must have the ability to engage in moderate-to-advanced physical activity.
  • Pregnant women are not permitted to participate.
  • Individuals who have recently undergone surgery, or have current or previous back or neck conditions/injuries, are not permitted to participate.
  • Individuals with medical or non-medical conditions that may be aggravated by this activity are not permitted to participate.
  • Guests must be able to step down onto a slippery tube up to three feet from the dock (depending on tides).
• Age Restrictions: To ensure the safety and enjoyment of our tours, we have set an age range for participants between eight (8) and sixty-five (65) years old. We recognize that age is not always a reliable indicator of physical fitness. Our top priority is to ensure the safety of all our guests during their trip. If you have concerns about age restrictions, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
  • No unaccompanied children between the ages of 8 and 15.
  • Parents must sign waivers for 16 & 17 year-olds. 
• What to Wear/Bring: Gratuities for guides are appropriate, appreciated and at your discretion as a gesture of thanks for exceptional service. They are expert captains, crew, entertainers etc. A general guideline for tips is 10-15% of your trip cost.
• Don't forget to apply sunscreen and bring along a hat and sunglasses!
• Please wear raft appropriate clothing as it is very common for splash and spray during all of our tours!.