Lahaina Cruise Company / Hawaii Ocean Project

What Lahaina Cruise Company / Hawaii Ocean Project does

Hawaii Ocean Project is a locally owned Hawaiian ocean adventure company founded in 1989 that operates scheduled whale watching tours from two islands, with the 70-foot catamaran Kaulana based at Lahaina Main Loading Dock on Maui and the 65-foot Lahaina Princess based at Ala Wai Harbor Slip 497 in Waikiki on Oahu. The core product is a 2-hour guided whale watching experience during Hawaii's December-through-April/May whale season, priced at $69.95 per adult and $39.95 per child from Maui and $49.95 per adult and $24.95 per child from Oahu, with on-board restrooms, expert narrators, and a guaranteed whale sightings policy that offers a free return trip if no whales are observed. The company also operates Lanai snorkeling excursions and dinner cruises from its Oahu location, attempting to extend vessel utilization beyond the whale season.

Hawaii Ocean Project's commercial model is direct-to-consumer, with all bookings handled via phone or an embedded FareHarbor online reservation system on hawaiioceanproject.com, and ancillary revenue generated from on-board beverage and snack sales. The customer base consists of individual tourists and families visiting Hawaii — a horizontal segmentation with no enterprise or B2B exposure — and pricing is uniformly unit-based with no subscription or contracted revenue.

The business has operated continuously for over 35 years, claims more than one million guests served, and maintains 5-star ratings on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. Hawaii Ocean Project explicitly aligns itself with conservation, education, and peer-reviewed marine research, using research affiliation and on-board narration as a brand differentiator. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; there is no disclosed institutional ownership, parent company, funding history, or headcount figure. The technology layer is essentially physical — vessels, harbor slip rights, and USCG/NOAA-regulated operations — with no app, no proprietary software platform, and no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Name

Lahaina Cruise Company / Hawaii Ocean Project

Legal name

Hawaii Ocean Project

Website

https://hawaiioceanproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hawaii Ocean Project is a locally owned Hawaiian tour operator founded in 1989 that runs whale watching tours, dinner cruises, and snorkeling excursions from Lahaina Harbor (Maui) and Ala Wai Harbor (Oahu), serving individual tourists and families visiting Hawaii.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Tourism Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Whale watching tours
• Ocean adventure cruises
• Dinner cruise services
• Snorkeling excursions
• Marine wildlife tours

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tour Ticket Sales: One-time ticket sales for whale watching tours from two locations. Customers purchase individual tickets for adult and child admission. Additional revenue from on-board beverage and snack sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hawaii Ocean Project operates guided whale watching ocean adventure tours from two Hawaiian islands using its own fleet of catamaran vessels. From Lahaina Harbor on Maui, the 70-foot catamaran Kaulana runs 2-hour whale watching excursions; from Ala Wai Harbor in Waikiki (Oahu), the 65-foot Lahaina Princess runs the same. The company also offers dinner cruises and Lanai snorkeling excursions, guarantees whale sightings or free rebooking, and provides expert on-board narration about marine wildlife.

Product overview

Hawaii Ocean Project is a locally owned ocean adventure company operating whale watching tours from two Hawaiian islands. The company offers a unified service across two distinct vessels: the 70-foot catamaran Kaulana operating from Lahaina Harbor in Maui ($69.95/adult), and the 65-foot Lahaina Princess operating from Ala Wai Harbor in Waikiki, Oahu ($49.95/adult). Both vessels provide guided whale watching experiences with expert narrators, onboard amenities including restrooms, and a guarantee that guests see whales or return for free. The Oahu location also mentions Lanai Snorkeling and Dinner Cruises as part of their adventure portfolio. The company has operated for over 35 years, supporting legitimate and peer-reviewed marine research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kaulana: 70-foot catamaran serving Maui operations, home port Lahaina Harbor
• Lahaina Princess

Products and services

• Maui Whale Watching Tour (Kaulana) A 2-hour guided whale watching tour departing from Lahaina Harbor's Main Loading Dock on Maui aboard the 70-foot catamaran Kaulana, priced at $69.95 per adult and $39.95 per child. Targeted at tourists and families visiting West Maui, the tour features on-board expert whale narrators, restrooms, dual decks, beverages and snacks for purchase, and a guaranteed whale sighting or free rebooking.
• Oahu Whale Watching Tour (Lahaina Princess) A 2-hour whale watching tour departing from Ala Wai Harbor Slip 497 in Waikiki, Oahu, aboard the 65-foot Lahaina Princess, priced at $49.95 per adult and $24.95 per child, with departures at 9:45 AM and 12:15 PM. Targeted at tourists and families staying in Waikiki hotels, the tour features on-board expert whale narrators, restrooms, dual decks, beverages and snacks for purchase, and a guaranteed whale sighting or free rebooking.
• Dinner Cruises Dinner cruise excursions departing from Lahaina Harbor on Maui as part of Hawaii Ocean Project's ocean adventure portfolio, targeting tourists seeking an evening dining experience on the water.
• Lanai Snorkeling Excursions Snorkeling excursions to Lanai departing from Lahaina Harbor on Maui, offered as part of Hawaii Ocean Project's ocean adventure portfolio for tourists seeking reef and marine experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million guests served over 30+ years of operation

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Trilogy Excursions: Multi-island Hawaiian sailing and snorkeling catamaran operator running tours from Maui (Lahaina) and Oahu. Comparable to Hawaii Ocean Project in vessel class (catamaran), harbor footprint (Lahaina), and tourism experience offering including whale watching seasonally.
• Wild Side Specialty Tours: Oahu-based operator running whale watching, dolphin encounters, and snorkeling tours from Waikiki-area harbors. Direct peer to Hawaii Ocean Project's Oahu (Lahaina Princess) operation, serving the same Waikiki visitor segment with comparable vessel-based wildlife tours.
• Star of Honolulu: Oahu-based dinner cruise and ocean experience operator out of Honolulu Harbor. Comparable in vessel-based experience model, Oahu visitor market, and overlap with Hawaii Ocean Project's dinner cruise product offering.
• Pacific Whale Foundation: Maui-based nonprofit operating whale watching ecotours from Ma'alaea and Lahaina harbors with research and education mission. Direct competitor to Hawaii Ocean Project's Maui offering, with similar product (whale watches from a catamaran), overlapping customer base, and aligned conservation/education positioning.
• Hawaii Nautical: Oahu-based boat tour operator offering whale watching, snorkeling, and sunset/dinner cruises departing from Waikiki harbors. Directly comparable in vessel type, product mix, and Waikiki visitor target market to Hawaii Ocean Project's Oahu operations.
• Ali'i Kai Catamaran: Maui catamaran operator running whale watching, snorkel, and dinner cruises primarily from Lahaina Harbor. Comparable to Hawaii Ocean Project on catamaran vessel type, Lahaina departure point, and overlapping product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantis Adventures: Established Hawaii operator running submarine and boat tours across Oahu, Maui, and Big Island, including a whale-watching-adjacent product. Broader multi-island, multi-product portfolio makes it a wider incumbent in Hawaiian marine sightseeing rather than a whale-watching specialist.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lahaina-cruise-company-hawaii-ocean-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lahaina Cruise Company / Hawaii Ocean Project