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North Shore Oahu Whale Watching Highlights

• 1.5 hour duration
• 4 tours daily: 7:00 am, 9:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:30 pm
• Departs from Haleiwa, Oahu
• 18 guests per tour
• Set out on a power raft for an incredible marine life experience. Expect to see sharks, turtles, dolphins, and whales.
• Photos and videos available for purchase
• Children 3+ welcome

North Shore Oahu Whale Watching Details

Ocean Outfitters specializes in thrilling experiences. They’re known for their shark dives and chasing big North Shore waves in their raft, so if you’re looking for a whale watching experience that will get your heart racing, this is definitely the tour for you.

Fast paced and exhilarating, the crew will take you out on their power raft in search of tons of marine life, not just whales. Their whale watching tour is booked as their “North Shore Marine Life Tour” which they run year-round, but they add whales to the list of marine life you’ll keep an eye out for in the winter months, most notably December to March. You’ll also look for sharks, dolphins, turtles, and anything else your heart desires.

With that said, this tour is bookable outside of whale season, but you won’t be seeing any whales if you book it in the summer.

We love a raft whale watching tour because these power rafts cover more distance, getting you closer to the action and it’s a smaller group than on a sailboat or catamaran. Just remember, people and vessels are not permitted to approach whales within 100 yards, but that doesn’t mean the whales won’t approach you! When that happens, the crew turns off engines and lets the whales pass on their own time. With the raft being closer to the water, these close encounters are that much more thrilling!

In case you needed more reasons to book this tour, it’s a fantastic addition to a North Shore day! It’s absolutely beautiful on this side of Oahu and one of the few safe ways to enjoy being out on the water on the windward side in the winter. And if you’re looking to spend more time on Oahu’s North Shore, be sure to check out the best accommodations on this side of the island.

Check out the full list of the best whale watching tours on Oahu.

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