# Whales - Maui



## cp73 (Feb 10, 2010)

I just returned from Maui on Feb 5th. Saw lots of whales. I went out 5 times on whale watches on 4 different boats because I love to take pictures. I thought I would share some of my observations about whale watching. 

Which boat you select has little to do with how many whales you will see. I went out on:

Pacific Whale Foundation - Large boat, lots of people, lots of good view points from two different levels...about $35
Trilogy - catamaran, harder to walk around on, about 25 people, left from right on Kannapali beach - $44
Safari - Nice boat confortable boat, small group about 12 people boat holds about 20, $45 
Maui Adventures - another small boat, about 18 people max, 12 people, $39, 

All four boat types had their advantage. I saw the best whales on Pacific Whale Foundation, but it had nothing to do with the boat. The smaller boats were nice, less people to fight for a good spot. The catamaran was nice for a sailboat, but it was hard to walk around on. 

You dont need to make reservations in advance. On three of my five trips I just went down to the Lahaina harbor and picked my boat. This method is best because you know what the weather is like, know the visibility, and have an idea what sitings to expect by asking around. You can also see the boat your going out on and pick it based on what appeals to you.

Idea weather conditions would be: early morning because less wind and waves and a sunny day. Avoid days with white caps, its a lot rockier plus you will see less whales generally just because they are harder to spot. If there are no waves they are very easy to see spouting the surface.

Here are a couple of my pictures I took. You can go to the link below for more.











http://www.pbase.com/cp73/maui_2010


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## GaryDouglas (Feb 11, 2010)

Looks like you had whale of a time, and that's no fluke...


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## LisaH (Feb 11, 2010)

Wow! These are great pictures! Wish I were in Maui


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## SMcdo (Feb 11, 2010)

That second photo is just stunning!  I was never quick enough on the draw to capture much more than a fluke.  My hat is off to you!


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## barefootnAR (Feb 11, 2010)

Great pictures Chris...it's luck of the draw. Somedays the whales aren't as active.
Thanks for the info on different types of boats.
Headed back in March..hope we have a great draw the days we go out.


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## Luanne (Feb 11, 2010)

How awesome.    We're not coming to Maui until the end of April.  I'm still hoping the whales might stick around that late.


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## LAX Mom (Feb 11, 2010)

Great pictures Chris! Thanks for sharing them.


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## starlifter (Feb 11, 2010)

Beautiful pictures Chris.

We went on the Pacific Whale Foundation last February. We saw whales almost everywhere. I wish my photos turned out half as well as yours.


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## Carlsbadguy (Feb 14, 2010)

Has anyone done one of the sunset cruises and seen whales?


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## SherryS (Feb 15, 2010)

We did the Quicksilver one a week ago, and saw lot of whales, many close-up.  The best view was a whale that did a spy-hop on one side of the boat and then swan under the boat.  On the other side we saw the whale's back and tail.  It was awesome!!  (Prime rib dinner was yummy, too.)


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## MOXJO7282 (Feb 15, 2010)

We were enjoying cocktails and apps at Marriott's Longboard Restaurant tonight and to the right I see a whale totally breach the water. The biggest jump I personally have seen a whale make. It was one of those "I can't believe what I just saw" moments. It was amazing.


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## meatsss (Feb 20, 2010)

*Triple breach*

We were in Maui in January and went out three times on the Maui Nui Explorer with maui Adventure cruises. Saw great action each time, but the best show was off of Kahana. Using binoculars, my wife and I were watching one pod where a whale was pec slapping for a long time. I looked a little further west and saw another group headed towards this whale and told my wife to look too. Just seconds later, a calf, mother and escort all breached at the same time. I had never even heard of a triple breach and by all the luck, we saw one. I think you get better odds of hitting the lottery than seeing that.


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## lv_maui (Feb 20, 2010)

I would add Teralani boats to the list.  They are catamarans, not too big, and leave right from Kaanapali beach in front of Hula Grill and Leilani's.  Being in this location saves a lot of driving time.  I have had very good times on the Teralani boats


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## meatsss (Mar 1, 2010)

*Whales on Sat, 2-27*

I wonder if the Humpbacks noticed the passing of the Tsunami waves?


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## jlee2070 (Mar 1, 2010)

Great PIX...

What lens were you using and are these pictures Cropped???

Opps, never mind about the lens question...  So, are they full or cropped?

GREAT PICTURES !!!


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## Kathleen (Mar 2, 2010)

Hello Chris,

WOW! Beautiful photos.

Thank you for the tips on whale watching. I was thinking that we would have to book ahead.  I'm delighted to have the information that we can wait and watch the weather. Sam and I are hoping that some of the whales are still around when we go in a couple of weeks.

Regards,

Kathleen


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## luvgoldns (Mar 7, 2010)

cp73 said:


> I just returned from Maui on Feb 5th. Saw lots of whales. I went out 5 times on whale watches on 4 different boats because I love to take pictures. I thought I would share some of my observations about whale watching.
> 
> Which boat you select has little to do with how many whales you will see. I went out on:
> 
> ...


 
AWESOME PICS Chris - THANKS for sharing!




meatsss said:


> I wonder if the Humpbacks noticed the passing of the Tsunami waves?


 
I was at the Marriott Ocean Club (7th floor) during the Tsunami. Other than the Tsunami - that day turned out to be one of the best of the week in terms of weather and whale watching. The Kaanapali water was smooth most of the day and the whales were VERY active...UNTIL around 11am and then most of them seemed to have disappeared which actually made me quite nervous. There were still a few now and then but they were not as abundant as they were during the morning hours.  Pretty interesting to watch the water throughout the afternoon.

The day after the Tsunami the weather turned rainy and then super windy for several days so we never made it on a boat this trip, but the whales were great this year even from the shoreline - remember your binoculars!

ilene


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## Carlsbadguy (Mar 10, 2010)

Just returned from Maui and went on PAcific Whale Foundation Boat on Monday. SAaw a number of whales and the weather was rough.  The boat followed a calf and it mom for a while which was fun to watch.  While snorkeling at Kapalua Bay saw a whale off shore that kept flapping its fin.    Saw a lot of blows while driving from th sirport to Kaanapali in the late afternoon.


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## Michigan Czar (Mar 16, 2010)

Awesome pictures Chris!

We did the PWF sunset cruise Christmas week and we saw quite a few whales. We really enjoyed it, and the boat wasn't crowded like I have heard others complain about.

Next time though I would do an morning or afternoon whale watching cruise since it was getting dark soon after we went out and that really made it hard to see whales during the trip back to shore.


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## falmouth3 (Mar 17, 2010)

Is it true that the seas are generally calmer in the morning?  That's what we were told when we took a snorkeling trip a few years back.   Are the whales generally more active during a particular time of day?

Hoping to get an exchange during the peak whale times in 2011.

Sue


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## Tider (Apr 3, 2010)

Can you still have good whale watching in April.  We are booked to go to the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resorts on Maui in during the first week of April, 2011.  Are there still good whale watching opportunities at that time?

Tider


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## dive-in (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm sitting on our lanai in Kihei eating breakfast right now and saw a couple of blows a few minutes ago.  We saw a breach in the distance towards Wailea one morning.  We did the Trilogy tour to Lana'i yesterday and saw some.  We saw breaching in the distance and a mom/calf swam right by the boat.  It's not February when they are everywhere, but I would expect to see them.


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## taffy19 (Apr 3, 2010)

The answer is yes.    We always come the last week in March until late April and have taken whale watching tours until the last day.  We mostly go with the PWF and make reservations but we also have gone late in the afternoon on our way home if the ocean is calm.

If you call them, they will always tell you to make reservations.  This week we went with the Ultimate Whale Watch Tour (
http://www.ultimatewhalewatch.com/ ) that was recommended here and a friend.  The ocean was very rough so they offered to cancel the trip but six of us decided to go and we saw many breaches by a baby whale and two whale fights together with lots of activity.  This was a Zodiac that can move very fast and the crew are photographers so find the best lighting for taking pictures.

According to our captain (Eric) the whales like to breach when the ocean is rough.  We have seen many whales from upstairs and from the beach too and close up even yesterday.  Every year there are about 7% more whales!

PS.  Chris, these are beautiful pictures in your album.


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## Palguy (Apr 3, 2010)

We are leaving the Marriott Ocean Club today and have been whale watching every day the wind would allow. Activity seems to be very quickly winding down now. We'll be back the beginning of next March and do it all again.


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## Emerald (Apr 9, 2010)

Did the sunset dinner cruise in late March this year and the best part of it was seeing the whales. Mostly baby whales staying around Maui to gain weight according to our skipper this late in the whale season. With mother and 'escorts' near by but not showing off like the babies. The VOG made seeing a sunset impossible and the food was only average.


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## RDB (Apr 9, 2010)

*Many flips and spootings this pm*

While visiting iconnections and her DH at Maui Sunset, several were sighted. 

This is an exitingly new experience for my bride and me. We now have a sunset cruise slated for the four of us, tomorrow out of Ma'alaea. 

Should see whales from the vessel. Hope they are as plentiful as they were this evening.


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