Captain Dan McSweeney's Whale Watching Adventures — Local services in Hawaii

We saw one humpback whale, lots of spinner dolphins, and a few bottlenose dolphins on this whale-watching adventure. Captain Dan guarantees whale spotting.

The boat ride lasts about 3 hours. The upper deck is exposed to full sun (bring sunscreen) and is for adults only. The lower deck is partly shaded and adult-accompanied children are allowed. There are four full-sun seats at the very front of the boat that are first come, first serve. My brothers got these seats and did get a little wet from the wave splash.

The staff would come around to provide information on whales and dolphins, and answer any questions. They also came around with trays of tortilla chips, carrots, fresh fruit, M&Ms, cold towels, and beverages. We left with keepsake photographs of a whale.

I highly recommend dramamine if you get motion sickness -- you will spend a good 45 minutes sitting in one spot while the boat gets rocked back and forth by waves. When the boat is in motion, it is not so bad. I also recommend using the bathroom beforehand. There are two toilets on the boat but you will make yourself nauseous trying to do your...

This was a great experience from start to finish! We made a last-minute reservation by calling (less than an hour before) and were luckily able to get into the second whale watch of the day. The person who made our reservation was so kind!

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Captain Dan himself, who gave us instructions on how to pay and board the boat.

The experience itself - whale watching - was spectacular. We were able to see a mother/baby duo, and Captain Dan goes as far as giving you a countdown to take the best pictures.

You're served snacks throughout the trip by wonderful crew members. The crew also have stories of their own to share.

Overall, a great experience - I would recommend this crew...

Dan & his crew were very affable - even very friendly. Dan did a lot of talking but hard to say how knowledgeable as the only “whale” we saw turned out to be a small sail boat in the distance that he claimed was a humpback spouting. At the end he said “glad we saw a whale!” Unlike his guarantee he didn’t offer a return trip or even a thank you for my $145 payment for a 2.5 hour wild goose chase. I understand not being able to find whales - I couldn’t find one myself - that’s why I hired Dan. But he conned a boat load of folks out of our money since he didn’t even mention the return trip promise. Everyone was incredulous. Sorry but worst whale trip of about a dozen I’ve...