Maui Whale Watching Tours

Hawaiian whale watching trips are definitely a highlight of any visit to this tropical paradise. The calm winds and the warm, clear waters of the Pacific Ocean make the western shores of the island of Maui one of the world's best spots for viewing the giant hunchbacks in their natural habitat. Of course, if whale watching is the primary reason for visiting the Hawaiian Islands, then it's imperative that the trip is scheduled when the whales are also making their annual visit to the tropics. By doing a little research ahead of time, whale aficionados can make the most of their trip. There are several Maui whale watching tours available that can be booked ahead of time.

At approximately forty-eight miles long and twenty-six miles wide, Maui is the second largest of the eight main islands that make up the state of Hawaii. Known for its long beaches and the Haleakala Crater, its nickname is the Valley Isle. British explorer James Cook, in 1778, was the first European to explore the Hawaiian Islands. But French Captain Jean Francois de Galaup de La Perouse holds the distinction of being the first to step foot on Maui later that same year. The La Perouse Bay, on the southern coastline, is named in his honor. The island was conquered by King Kamehameha the Great in 1790 at the Battle of Lao. The king was the first to unite the warring islands under one rule. For a brief time, until the mid-1800s, the royal family's residence and the center of government were located on Maui.

Now the Valley Isle is a premier tourist destination and famous for its hunchback whale watching trips. The hunchback may not be as familiar as the popular black and white orca of Shamu and SeaWorld fame. But they gained some attention as the major plot point in the 1986 movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Scriptures tell us this: "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:21). Adult hunchbacks are great, measuring about forty-five feet long, weighing approximately forty to forty-five tons, and eating about a ton of food a day. They belong to the baleen group which means that, instead of teeth, they have baleen plates made of keratin which aid in separating their food from the water. The Pacific hunchbacks migrate to the cool North Pacific waters near Alaska in the summer, then spend the winter in the warmer ocean seas closer to the equator. Though Maui whale watching tours may be taken from mid-December to mid-May, the peak season is January through April.

The Hawaiian seas are so beautifully clear because they lack phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that bait fish eat. No phytoplankton, no bait fish. This means there is little food for the whales. While swimming off the shores of the Valley Isle, the hunchbacks are breeding, giving birth, and fasting. During these summer months, they lose about a quarter to a third of their body weight, approximately six to eight tons. Those taking Maui whale watching tours will start seeing calves in late January. The baby is about twelve to fourteen feet in length at birth and weighs from one to two tons. All its nourishment comes from nursing from fifty to one hundred gallons of its mother's milk every day. Needless to say, the calf grows quickly.

The whale watching trips often have a trained naturalist on board who talks about the behavior of the hunchbacks and answers questions. The guides will dispel myths like the one that hunchbacks are monogamous and mate for life. These whales live a more solitary life than some of their cousins. They don't form lifelong bonds, but have brief "associations" that may last a few moments or a day or two. The only exception is the bond between the mother and her calf which lasts for about a year. Otherwise, it's unusual to see more than a few hunchbacks in the same location. Perhaps the only thing more spectacular than seeing a hunchback break through the surface of the water, called breaching, is hearing it sing. This is an amazing phenomenon that scientists and researchers are still trying to understand. Only the males sing and they do so while submerged about fifty to sixty feet below the ocean surface for twenty to forty minutes at a time. While singing, the male's head is down and his tail is up. The same mysterious song is sung by all males on any given day. Incredibly, scientists believe that this year's song begins where last year's song ended. Though the song evolves, it never seems to repeat. Though researchers first identified and began studying whale-song in 1979, it's still a mystery with more questions than answers.

At least a few of the Maui whale watching tours are associated with marine conservation groups who are concerned about the future of the whales and dolphins. At least one donates its profits to marine conservation. During the peak season, whales can sometimes be seen by people standing on the beaches. The tour boats usually do not have to go far from shore for whales to be spotted. In fact, some tour companies guarantee that whales will be seen or guests are offered another tour free of charge. Whale protection laws are strictly followed by the reputable companies who will not get within one hundred feet of a whale. However, if the whale comes close to the boat, it can't move until the whale does. Hawaiian whale watching trips provide exciting marine experiences that will never be forgotten.

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