Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
Programs: NEXUS/Global Entry, Delta, United, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Hertz
Posts: 18,056
I've been on the Navatek whale watching at least five times over the years (and seen whales countless other times while deep-sea fishing). The Navatek is a good experience, great on confort and ride, which can be an issue in the choppy coastal waters off O`ahu.
I will say that most of the humpbacks you will see will be in transit, so you will likely see them spouting, you will see their backs, and you may see a fluke or a tail. You will most likely not see a lot of breaches, which is when they "leap" out of the water. They do most of that behavior off of Maui.
You may also encounter a pod of dolphins here and there which is fun as they like to play in the bow wake and you can get a nice view of them.