Ali'i Ocean Tours — Local services in Hawaii

Wow what a great trip! Captain Leao and Marylyn were awesome. (Sorry if I got the names wrong... I'll let the owner correct me). Wouldn't hesitate to take this tour again. The boat was really nice - clean and well maintained. After their safety briefing and a light breakfast on-board, we first headed straight out west from Kona to where our captain had heard there was a pod of pilot whales. The boat captains apparently all communicate with each other and share the locations of whales, dolphins and so forth. They took us straight into the middle of the pod and shut off the engines. Great experience to see a large bull with his family. They don't let you into the water at this point. Not a good idea since they tell you oceanic white sharks follow pilot whales and feed on the scraps behind them. No thank you on the cageless great white shark adventure! Total agreement from me. Next we headed more south and swam with the dolphins. I mean really swam with them. They were all around and went under us mostly. You can't touch them or chase them but trust me, they are close. So as the dolphins swim away you jump back on the boat and they drop you off again for another pass of the dolphins. They were spinners I think. OK after that it's down further south to the Capt Cook memorial and Kealakekua Bay. This is a marine sanctuary so pay attention to where they tell you to swim and not swim. It's like an underwater Yellowstone. Ever been there? I mean teaming with life. Only thing I didn't see here was a reef shark. But every other kind of coral, fish and honu are there. Nice light lunch follows a little over an hour of in the water snorkeling. Then they take you back. There were 12 of us on the boat which I understand from other reviews is about the maximum number of people they take. The chilled lavendar towels at the end of the trip are a very nice complement to the Hawaiian chocolates they also pass out. Ultra friendly chill vibe all the way through the entire experience from check in to end of tour. Highest...

These tour group is the absolute best you can get. Ryan, Matt and Erin were superb. (the second time was Sharkie, Erin and Kaylie) They were very knowledgeable about the sea life and Hawaii itself. They provided fruit and muffins just as you got on the boat and while everyone was getting settled. They helped you get the correct snorkel gear which they provide and went over everything you needed to know about the boat and the dolphins. They provided sunscreen for you as well. We found a dolphin pod right away. Erin and Ryan would scope out where they were and call out to the group. They would let you know what direction the pod was heading so you could get the best position. My husband and I got so close to the dolphins, they were like 12 inches away from us and would swim next to you if you just swam calmly using just your flippers. They would swim below you and some of them would even jump in the air. You are not allowed to touch them because they are wild animals and need to be respected. We swam with the dolphins for about 1/2 an hour and it was amazing. This crew did a fantastic job. They also provided "noodles" to help you keep up your stamina. They provided all sorts of beverages that would accommodate everyone. We then went to Capitan Cook's cove area where their were so many fish you had to be careful not to hit one while you were swimming. Then they provided lunch while we were in the cove. It was such a great excursion. We enjoyed this group so much that we booked another trip with them the next week. You will have the best experience swimming with the dolphins and snorkeling when you use this group. There are other tour companies out there but this is by far the best. I know because we have tried others in the past but from now on whenever we come to Kona, we will use Ali'i Ocean Tours....

This group is operated by two women, Erin and Captain Ryan who do a fantastic job making you feel comfortable and taken care of on a tour. My wife and I snagged the last two spots on a snorkeling tour out to the Captain Cove monument. Due to Covid precautions, the boat only had four other people on it which was nice to have the space and spread out. There were other tour groups that I saw which had nearly full boats with people crammed in together. Now I’m not a big Covid freak, but it was nice not to constantly be thinking about how close your neighbor is. The boat was well equipped with a good variety of quality snacks, and a nice selection of drinks from sodas to Spindrift sparkling waters. Once we got to the snorkel spot, they did a good job of giving latitude to the experienced snorkelers while spending time and effort managing and helping the ones that lacked the experience or comfort level. The snorkeling was fantastic as mentioned in other reviews, and while we didn’t get to swim with dolphins, we saw them in the way out and the crew gave us some time to watch and film their antics. (I did spot two nurse sharks while snorkeling though - apparently residents of the location). After the snorkeling was done, we got a pleasant warm water shower and they topped it off with a pleasant smelling damp washcloth for our faces. They even stopped on the way back to the marina to show us some local geographic points of interest that we would have missed. These ladies did a fantastic job. Quit reading this long review and book with them! This is the...