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Best Whale Watching

L

LUV2TRVL2HI

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We will be going to Kauai and Maui the last two weeks of March. We have been on whale watching boat tours a couple of times in Maui, but are wondering if the whale watching in Kauai would be as good as or better than Maui. Several of the couples we are going with have never been to either island and we would like to make sure they have the best chance of seeing whales up close by scheduling something wherever chances are best. :cheer: Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
I've always heard the best whale watching is on Maui. I was just checking on tripadvisor and all of the comments on this question say Maui. I think the whale tours are less expensive on Maui as well. There was a thread somewhere recently where someone was asking about whale tours on the Big Island and they were much more expensive that what we've done on Maui. I think the selection might be greater on Maui as well. We've done ours through the Pacific Whale Foundation out of Maalea Harbor. In fact we're going in March and already have one tour planned. We'll probably do multiple ones they're just that much fun.

Also seeing whales up close is always dependent on the day you go out, where the whales are, and how they're acting. Boats are prohibited from going too close, so you'll mostly likely not get a real "up close and personal" view. But we've seen some amazing things. Last time we went out we saw a mother whale teaching her baby to breech. Amazing!
 
The whale watching is fantastic in Kauai also.

I was watching them from the bluff at Alii Kai in Princeville.

You can also drive to the harbor and take the boat tour up the Na'Pali coast which is beautiful and has lots of whales to see.
 
buzglyd said:
The whale watching is fantastic in Kauai also.

I was watching them from the bluff at Alii Kai in Princeville.

You can also drive to the harbor and take the boat tour up the Na'Pali coast which is beautiful and has lots of whales to see.
Click to expand...

But, if you are going to be on both islands and want to know which one is "best" for whale watching, most people will say Maui. :D
 
Last month I paddled an outrigger when we stayed at WKORVN. The cost is $85/person. There are two sessions daily, all in the AM. There are six per canoe including two crew in front and back. We paddled a mile or so out. We came close to a mother humpback and her calf. Our guide told me to put my go pro into the water and I got a great video of the two whales about fifty feet away under water. The excursion takes about 90 minutes. Concierge at the resort can make reservations. Company is Maui Paddle Sports.
 
I would recommend Trilogy Excursions for any boating activity on Maui - especially whale watching. They're the best on the island (IMO), and have been doing it the longest. I've done just about every tour they offer and have never had a bad experience. Last February, on the whale watch tour alone, we probably saw a few dozen whales up close, including a handful of full breeches within 30' of the catamaran. It's an amazing experience if you've never done it before.
 
We will be on Maui from April 18- May 2. I know there is no guarantee, but are the whales usually still around in large enough quantity to make an excursion worthwhile? We have never gone whale watching before, so are definitely interested in getting as close a look as possible.

Thanks.

Mike
 
NTP66 said:
I would recommend Trilogy Excursions for any boating activity on Maui - especially whale watching. They're the best on the island (IMO), and have been doing it the longest. I've done just about every tour they offer and have never had a bad experience. Last February, on the whale watch tour alone, we probably saw a few dozen whales up close, including a handful of full breeches within 30' of the catamaran. It's an amazing experience if you've never done it before.
Click to expand...

I love Trilogy. The only thing is, do they have any Marine Naturalists on their boats? It's fun to see the whales, it's even more fun if you have someone on board who can talk about them.....other than just say "thar she blows". ;)
 
mjm1 said:
We will be on Maui from April 18- May 2. I know there is no guarantee, but are the whales usually still around in large enough quantity to make an excursion worthwhile? We have never gone whale watching before, so are definitely interested in getting as close a look as possible.

Thanks.

Mike
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When you arrive, or even a few days or week ahead of time, contact Pacific Whale Foundation. They can tell you if the whales are still around. On their website it shows they have tours out through the end of May.
 
Luanne said:
I love Trilogy. The only thing is, do they have any Marine Naturalists on their boats? It's fun to see the whales, it's even more fun if you have someone on board who can talk about them.....other than just say "thar she blows". ;)
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Not that I know of, but I think you'd be surprised at their knowledge when it comes to whales. Trilogy is a more personal experience, IMO, and if you ask around or check TripAdvisor, I'd venture a guess that a large majority would recommend them over everyone else on the island.
 
NTP66 said:
Not that I know of, but I think you'd be surprised at their knowledge when it comes to whales. Trilogy is a more personal experience, IMO, and if you ask around or check TripAdvisor, I'd venture a guess that a large majority would recommend them over everyone else on the island.
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I've always wanted to try Trilogy. So far, I've been on Pacific Whale and Captain Steve, and they are two completely different experiences. Pacific Whale is a much bigger ship while Captain Steve is more of an adventure on water. Everyone I've taken on Captain Steve thinks it's great - especially since he can get much closer to the whales (as you're only a couple of feet above the water).


Sent from my iPad
 
Ken555 said:
I've always wanted to try Trilogy. So far, I've been on Pacific Whale and Captain Steve, and they are two completely different experiences. Pacific Whale is a much bigger ship while Captain Steve is more of an adventure on water. Everyone I've taken on Captain Steve thinks it's great - especially since he can get much closer to the whales (as you're only a couple of feet above the water).


Sent from my iPad
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Catamarans are the way to go for me. You're close to the water, and the ride is smooth. This was taken from about 30' away:

 
NTP66 said:
Catamarans are the way to go for me. You're close to the water, and the ride is smooth.
Click to expand...


Still not as close to the water as Captain Steve!


Sent from my iPad
 
Ken555 said:
I've always wanted to try Trilogy. So far, I've been on Pacific Whale and Captain Steve, and they are two completely different experiences. Pacific Whale is a much bigger ship while Captain Steve is more of an adventure on water. Everyone I've taken on Captain Steve thinks it's great - especially since he can get much closer to the whales (as you're only a couple of feet above the water).


Sent from my iPad
Click to expand...
We always used to go with the Pacific Whale Foundation and went with their very first boat and so on. I will never forget that we had a whale go under us that was longer than the boat or it seemed that way and the pod of whales was all around us.

The last few years, we have been going with the Ultimate Whale Watch rafts and they are super fast and not that big plus they cater to keen photographers and make sure that the lighting is good. We really enjoy them more now.

We also take spur of the moment whale watching tours if we happen to drive by the harbor and there is still room and they have spotted whales. We park our car and ask them how it was that day when we see them come in. You may get a discount too from a smaller company as we have had it more than once and the whale watching was good but I highly recommend this company here:

http://www.ultimatewhalewatch.com/
 
NTP66 said:
Not that I know of, but I think you'd be surprised at their knowledge when it comes to whales. Trilogy is a more personal experience, IMO, and if you ask around or check TripAdvisor, I'd venture a guess that a large majority would recommend them over everyone else on the island.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on what you want. As I said, I absolutely loved the Trilogy trip I took. But....it was very expensive. Do they do a shorter, whale watch trip these days? Never mind, I just checked their website and they do. They have a 2 hour trip out of Maalaea, Lahaina or Kannapali for $49. The one through Pacific Whale Foundation is $23.00 if you book online, $25.00 if you don't. We can do two trips with PWF for the price of one with Trilogy. :D

And when I checked I did see that Trilogy offers naturalists on their trips. I don't think you can go wrong with either company. But, if I'm doing Trilogy I'd do the sail to Lanai complete with snorkeling and the bar-be-que lunch. :clap:

I think what this all shows that everyone has their own favorite and there is no "best" whale watching.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, Everyone, for your suggestions! I'm thinking we may have to do both Kauai and Maui! Since we are going to Kauai first, we'll start there and that way we will get to see the NaPali Coast at the same time! Then on to Maui...now we just need to decide between Pacific Whale Foundation and Trilogy! Thanks, again. Tuggers always come through! :clap:
 
Luanne said:
When you arrive, or even a few days or week ahead of time, contact Pacific Whale Foundation. They can tell you if the whales are still around. On their website it shows they have tours out through the end of May.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your suggestion. I will check it once we are there or shortly before we fly over. Looking forward to it.

Mike
 
iconnections said:
We always used to go with the Pacific Whale Foundation and went with their very first boat and so on. I will never forget that we had a whale go under us that was longer than the boat or it seemed that way and the pod of whales was all around us.

The last few years, we have been going with the Ultimate Whale Watch rafts and they are super fast and not that big plus they cater to keen photographers and make sure that the lighting is good. We really enjoy them more now.

We also take spur of the moment whale watching tours if we happen to drive by the harbor and there is still room and they have spotted whales. We park our car and ask them how it was that day when we see them come in. You may get a discount too from a smaller company as we have had it more than once and the whale watching was good but I highly recommend this company here:

http://www.ultimatewhalewatch.com/
Click to expand...


That's very similar to Captain Steve, which I've done several times and really enjoyed. Always good to know about another option.

http://captainsteves.com


Sent from my iPad
 
mjm1 said:
Thanks for your suggestion. I will check it once we are there or shortly before we fly over. Looking forward to it.



Mike
Click to expand...


If you're staying north of Lahaina like I do at WKORV you might enjoy the easy parking and access of Captain Steve's over the others since he picks up at the Mala wharf at the north end of Lahaina and not at the main Lahaina harbor. I usually combine a morning trip with lunch at Mala Ocean Tavern, which is one of the best restaurants in the area (http://www.malaoceantavern.com) - and very close to the Mala wharf.


Sent from my iPad
 
We just returned from 2 weeks on Maui. Went on 6 whale watch trips with Maui Adventure Cruises. The first trip costs approx. $47. After that, you get the child's rate for the future trips, good for a year. If you're a die hard whale watcher, you can get a 10 watch pass that comes to about $30 per trip. The Maui Nui is a steel hulled Zodiac that has a capacity of 40, and most importantly to some people, there is a restroom on the boat! We have used the company for over 20 years and saw great action again this trip.
 
As far as I know there are no specific whale watching tours on Kauai. Whale watching is included in other cruises especially the cruise along the Napali coast. That being said the captains stop, steer towards and discuss all water life. On a typical tour in March/April the cruise will stop 4-5 times for whales and also often sees dolphins and sea turtles
 
LUV2TRVL2HI said:
Thank you, Everyone, for your suggestions! I'm thinking we may have to do both Kauai and Maui! Since we are going to Kauai first, we'll start there and that way we will get to see the NaPali Coast at the same time! Then on to Maui...now we just need to decide between Pacific Whale Foundation and Trilogy! Thanks, again. Tuggers always come through! :clap:
Click to expand...

Last week we observed a mother whale teaching a baby to dive. She would flap her fin making huge waves and loud Navy gun sounds. This occurred about 10times right in front of Trilogy evening cruise which was delayed arriving by about 45 minutes.

Harry
 
Harry said:
Last week we observed a mother whale teaching a baby to dive. She would flap her fin making huge waves and loud Navy gun sounds. This occurred about 10times right in front of Trilogy evening cruise which was delayed arriving by about 45 minutes.

Harry
Click to expand...

This is amazing. We were able to watch a mother teach her calf to breech a few years ago. First the mom would come up, then the baby. The last time they came up together.
 
During winter months, Humpback whales can be seen from any of the Hawaiian islands but the largest concentration tends to be in the Au'Au Channel off the coasts of West and South Maui with Lana'i to the west and Moloka'i to the north. The mama whales particularly like these shallow waters where the waters are no more than about 400 ft deep.

Our first trip to Maui we went with PWF. They were fine but we felt a bit crowded. We've been out with both Trilogy and Teralani numerous times and really enjoy both. Trilogy is well know for the contribution to marine life and the environment. A friend that lives on Maui also really likes Gemini though I have yet to try them. We did Captain Steve's rafting whale watches this last trip from which we just returned and loved it.

If you are an animal lover, do a little research into the companies you are considering as some have better reputations than others as far as caring for the environment and the well-being of these magnificent marine mammals. It is a blast being out on the water and getting great views of Humpbacks, but it is also really nice to look back on the Hawaiian islands from the water. Simply lovely. :)
 
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