Hoku Nai'a Dolphin Watch

Most visitors to O'ahu never take the opportunity to visit the island's Wai'anae or Leeward Coast. It's sad because this western coast of the island has lots to offer, especially with its wide diversity of marine life and beautiful geography formed by the Wai'anae Mountains.

Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore this part of O'ahu with their 149-passenger Hoku Nai'a which offers daily cruises from the Wai'anae Boat Harbor. Guests have the opportunity to see wild dolphins, Hawaiian green sea turtles and, from December - April, humpback whales.

The Hoku Nai'a, meaning Star Dolphin in the Hawaiian language, was custom built in 2007 with EPA compliant main engines and hybrid power generator for eco-friendly dolphin watching in Hawaiian waters. It features a 360-degree observation deck, dining area, bar, restrooms, BBQ and swimming facilities.

The Hoku Nai'a departs at 9:30 a.m. daily for 2 hour cruises along the Wai'anae Coast, the prime area for spotting Hawaiian Spinner, Bottlenose and Spotted dolphins.

In June 2010 I had the opportunity to cruise on the Hoku Nai'a. While a number of guests chose to drive to Wai'anae, most elected to take advantage of the round-trip motorcoach option offered by Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events with pickups in Waikiki and the Ko Olina Resort.

Cruises on the Hoku Nai'a are very popular with Japanese visitors to O'ahu and I was pleased to see that the crew consists of both English and Japanese speakers. The crew of the Hoku Nai'a includes certified naturalists who are experts in the marine life that guests may see on the cruise.

Dolphin activities include crew narration, video presentation and a keiki program that introduces children to the dolphins.

As we were welcomed aboard the Hoku Nai'a we were offered 100% all natural ginger pills to help with any seasickness that might develop. A safety briefing was conducted in both English and Japanese. Before we realized it, we were headed out to sea. The Hoku Nai'a's engines are very quiet.

Almost immediately after leaving the harbor we spotted out first pod of spinner dolphins and for much of the next two hours we followed them southward along the coast. While many of the dolphins elect to stay at a distance from the boat, many seem to actually enjoy playing within the boat's wake or very close to the boat itself.

The exact route that the Hoku Nai'a follows on any given day depends entirely on where the dolphins are. Some days they head south towards Nanakuli and the Ko Olina Resort. On other days they head north towards Makaha and Makua.

After a little over an hour into the cruise we were invited to help ourselves to a freshly grilled buffet-style lunch featuring a gourmet burger with all the fixings, from grilled pineapple to avocado, Kamuela tomato, purple onion, Kula lettuce, cheeses and selection of sauces. Trio of potato chips, chocolate brownie dessert and all-you-can-drink fruit punch completes lunch. Beer and wine are available for purchase.

I thoroughly enjoyed my cruise on the Hoku Nai'a. I was amazed by the large number of dolphins that we were able to see, many at very close range. I was impressed by the knowledge of the crew and by the way that they interacted with the passengers, especially the children. Lunch was excellent. My only regret was that the cruise was only two hours. I hope that in the future they consider offering a longer dolphin watch cruise on thw days when a snorkeling option is not offered.

Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events offers a wide array of options for cruising on the Hoku Nai'a. In addition to the option of round-trip transportation which includes a narrated tour of West O'ahu, they also offer an extended cruise in which the boat heads back to sea for over three hours of snorkeling.

I wish that I had had time to stay on the boat for the snorkeling. Past experience has shown me that some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii is off of O'ahu's Wai'anae Coast. Another option takes guests to Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii following their cruise. Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii offers 29 acres of water rides and attractions.

In addition, Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events offers a "dolphin guarantee" by which guests receive a free return cruise (transportation and meals optional) if no dolphin is sighted on a cruise.

You can find our more about the packages offered for the Hoku Nai'a on Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events website at www.starofhonolulu.com.

You can view our gallery of 12 photos taken on our Dolphin Watch cruise on the Hoku Nai'a.

For over 50 years, Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events has served millions of island guests and kama'aina. Starting as a Pearl Harbor cruise, the operation has grown in scope, now offering 12 daily "must do" tours on Oahu and Maui, including sunset dinner and show cruises, daytime dolphin watch and snorkel cruises, whale watch excursions in season, holiday cruises, weddings, receptions and vow renewals at sea, and private parties.

In addition to cruise products, umbrella company Stars of Paradise Tours & Attractions has also expanded into ground transportation (Royal Star Hawaii Motorcoach Tours & Destination Services), photography (Paradise Imaging) and catering services (Paradise Kitchen).

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.