Best Whale Watching

[NTP66]

Doesn't the federal regulation require 100 yards of clearance?

When there are whales nearby, the vessels cut their engines. The whales can come as close as they want, but boats can't run them down or anything.

 

[artringwald]

Doesn't the federal regulation require 100 yards of clearance?

They can't power the boat to get closer than 100 yards, but if they stop, it's okay if the whale gets closer to them. We were coming back from a Trilogy catamaran cruise from Lāhainā to Lanai one year and the captain had to keep stopping the boat because there were so many whales. He said it was like we were in the middle of whale soup. I guess the guy on the cell phone just doesn't appreciate whales.

 

[HatTrick]

How close is too close?

 

[taterhed]

The best whale watching is from the club patio at barking sands with a nice beverage in hand listening to music! But loving the thread...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[meatsss]

Had a lot of whales come close to the Maui Nui Explorer with Maui Ocean adventures.

 

[Luanne]

We were out with Pacific Whale Foundation yesterday on their sunrise trip. Amazing. We were seeing monk seals and manta rays almost immediately and didn't need to get far out of the harbor to see whales. Saw lots of tail slapping and a few breaches. We're planning to go out again while we're here.

 

[jtp1947]

Do the Trilogy catamaran's have a shaded area for sun sensitive passengers?

 

[NTP66]

Do the Trilogy catamaran's have a shaded area for sun sensitive passengers?

Yes, all of their catamarans have some sort of shaded area, be it a covered cabin or awning.

 

[jtp1947]

Thank You.

 

[Southerngirl528]

The only shaded areas I have ever seen on Trilogy "cats" or any other similar vessels is below deck in the cabin area. This would NOT be a good place to whale watch.

As for being sun-sensitive, unless you have a serious sun allergy, I would recommend, #1, take an Early Bird whale watch. It will be early in the morning, soon after sunrise. The sun is not nearly so strong. Also there are so, so many types of clothing now with sunscreen properties. One could wear this type clothing in a long sleeved shirt (roll up the sleeves for a while if you are able), loose "cargo" type pants that you could roll up to board and disembark because unless you leave from Lahaina Harbor, you likely would be boarding from the beach by wading out. Lastly, wear a good sun-blocking, broad-brimmed hat.

We have been out with Trilogy and Teralani multiple times, both for whale watches and sunset sails. Love them! But I've never seen any type awning. Only the below deck cabin for shade.

 

[jtp1947]

Thank you for the added information Southerngirl.

 

[Southerngirl528]

My pleasure, Jtp1947!

Whale watching in Hawaii is something I would hate for anyone to miss that wants to participate. It is always a highlight for us. Last month we had a mama and newborn Humpback pair come right up to us and stayed with us for almost an hour. It was extraordinary!

 

[Denise L]

Whale watching advice for first time teens?

At WKORV this week after a nightmare-ish 15-hour travel delay on Hawaiian Airlines on Saturday . Long story but the plane had to turn around 2 hours after leaving SJC and landed in OAK and then the pilots had to sleep so we left about 15 hours later than planned, had to hope the rental car place was still open, and arrived at WKORV at 2:30 AM Sunday . Spent all day yesterday just trying to get our heads clear. Lost a day in paradise, but arrived safely.

Anyhow, My 16-year-old wants to whale watch on Maui this week. Has anybody been whale watching lately, are the whales hard to spot now, and does anyone have an opinion between Trilogy and Gemini leaving out of Lahaina/Ka'anapali Beach? My husband doesn't particularly like boats so seasickness is an issue. Thinking of getting him a band that I have read about?

Also, where is the best place to book for discounts? WKORV, online, other?

 

[NTP66]

At WKORV this week after a nightmare-ish 15-hour travel delay on Hawaiian Airlines on Saturday . Long story but the plane had to turn around 2 hours after leaving SJC and landed in OAK and then the pilots had to sleep so we left about 15 hours later than planned, had to hope the rental car place was still open, and arrived at WKORV at 2:30 AM Sunday . Spent all day yesterday just trying to get our heads clear. Lost a day in paradise, but arrived safely.

Anyhow, My 16-year-old wants to whale watch on Maui this week. Has anybody been whale watching lately, are the whales hard to spot now, and does anyone have an opinion between Trilogy and Gemini leaving out of Lahaina/Ka'anapali Beach? My husband doesn't particularly like boats so seasickness is an issue. Thinking of getting him a band that I have read about?

Also, where is the best place to book for discounts? WKORV, online, other?

I've taken trips with Trilogy out of both Lahaina and Ka'anapali. So long as you keep anything you wish to remain dry up high when boarding from the beach in Ka'anapali, it's a piece of cake. My wife uses sea bands and swears by them, though I did buy MotionEaze (drops that go behind your ear) just in case. As far as discounts go, buying tickets directly through Trilogy is the cheapest way to get them.

 

[Denise L]

I've taken trips with Trilogy out of both Lahaina and Ka'anapali. So long as you keep anything you wish to remain dry up high when boarding from the beach in Ka'anapali, it's a piece of cake. My wife uses sea bands and swears by them, though I did buy MotionEaze (drops that go behind your ear) just in case. As far as discounts go, buying tickets directly through Trilogy is the cheapest way to get them.

Thanks, I booked Trilogy online and will see how it goes! The concierge recommended Gemini, but the departure times for Trilogy seem to work out better for our schedule.

 

[jtp1947]

We booked Trilogy from the recommendations on this board. We had a 10:30 am whale watching out of Ka'anapali the last part of March. All went well, spotted plenty of whales. Very friendly and informative crew aboard the cat. It was a windy day which precluded us leaving from the designated spot so we all had to walk about ten minutes to the other side of the Black Rock where the waves were more manageable to board. Even though the sea was choppy, no one got seasick.

 

[Denise L]

We booked Trilogy from the recommendations on this board. We had a 10:30 am whale watching out of Ka'anapali the last part of March. All went well, spotted plenty of whales. Very friendly and informative crew aboard the cat. It was a windy day which precluded us leaving from the designated spot so we all had to walk about ten minutes to the other side of the Black Rock where the waves were more manageable to board. Even though the sea was choppy, no one got seasick.

We are booked at 10:30 tomorrow morning! Excited and hoping it all goes smoothly boarding at Ka'anapali Beach!

 

[PamMo]

I hope you have a great whale watching trip! Let us know if you see many whales. My family will be in Maui next week, and I wasn't really expecting they'd see any whales. It would be nice if the whales are still "vacationing" in Maui!

 

[taffy19]

We are booked at 10:30 tomorrow morning! Excited and hoping it all goes smoothly boarding at Ka'anapali Beach!

You will do OK, Denise. We had never done this before to walk on a Catamaran straight from the beach until this week but the crew is very helpful and will tell you when and how to proceed. We loved our Trilogy trip to Lanai and the crew was wonderful.

The Catamarans are very stable so nobody in your family may even get seasick either. The whales are still out there and I hope that you will see them too tomorrow.

 

[LisaH]

Denise, Have a great time whale watching tomorrow! Would love to hear how it goes...

 

[Denise L]

We had a wonderful morning on Trilogy looking for whales ! It was super windy and choppy and there were white caps everywhere, so it was a bumpy ride. We found a group of about four whales (at the surface) and sailed to them and then followed them around until it was time to turn back. One whale breached once (right after we all got sprayed with water from the waves so I missed it) and then another one came halfway out a few times. We saw some half tails and a full tail or two.

The entry from Ka'anapali Beach was super easy. We had a good time. My daughter got seasick, but not upset about it.

It's the very end of whale season, so I think we will do it again in February next year so that we can see a lot more whales. Trilogy was great and the boat was not crowded at all (max 36).

Thanks for all the recommendations!

 

[NTP66]

We had a wonderful morning on Trilogy looking for whales ! It was super windy and choppy and there were white caps everywhere, so it was a bumpy ride. We found a group of about four whales (at the surface) and sailed to them and then followed them around until it was time to turn back. One whale breached once (right after we all got sprayed with water from the waves so I missed it) and then another one came halfway out a few times. We saw some half tails and a full tail or two.

The entry from Ka'anapali Beach was super easy. We had a good time. My daughter got seasick, but not upset about it.

It's the very end of whale season, so I think we will do it again in February next year so that we can see a lot more whales. Trilogy was great and the boat was not crowded at all (max 36).

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Glad to hear it all worked out. Trilogy limiting the amount of people they take out definitely helps make it more enjoyable, especially when everyone scatters from one side to the other in order to find the whales.

Be prepared for whale soup if you ever go in February. You will not believe how many whales are in the water during peak season (the official whale count always happens mid-February in Maui).

Out of curiosity, did they lower the hydrophone into the water so that you could hear the whales singing? My wife especially loved that aspect of the trip.

 

[meatsss]

Maui Adventure Cruises get a lot of photos and videos submitted to their Facebook page. Makes me yearn to go back there. 10 more months.

 

[Denise L]

Glad to hear it all worked out. Trilogy limiting the amount of people they take out definitely helps make it more enjoyable, especially when everyone scatters from one side to the other in order to find the whales.

Be prepared for whale soup if you ever go in February. You will not believe how many whales are in the water during peak season (the official whale count always happens mid-February in Maui).

Out of curiosity, did they lower the hydrophone into the water so that you could hear the whales singing? My wife especially loved that aspect of the trip.

They did not use the hydrophone (not that I was aware of).

Looking forward to whale soup in February! Has anyone gone whale watching on the Scotch Mist? The gal making our Ululani's Shave Ice (yum) said that was her favorite whale watching tour .

 

[Luanne]

They did not use the hydrophone (not that I was aware of).

If they used the hydrophone you'd be aware of it. So awesome to hear the whales sing.

Interesting fact is that whales all over the world sing the same song. It will morph and change over time and next year will be completely different, but they'll be singing the same new version.