Whale
Watching Tips
Whale watching is fast
becoming one of the most popular
activities in Hawaii. Most of us have
seen whales on TV, but it is not until
you get up close to one of these huge
creatures in their natural habitat that
you can truly appreciate their size and
remarkable grace.
Whales can be witnessed from
all of the islands in Hawaii, but the
real whale congregating spot is Maui,
where as much as 50% of the world’s
humpback whales migrate each winter. They
come to Maui to get away from
Alaska’s cool winters, to meet other
whales, and to bear offspring.
Go With The Pro's
Don’t try to
go whale-watching on your own – the
best way to meet a whale is on a guided
whale-watching boat. The guides know
where to find the whales, and they know
how to maneuver in order to avoid a
collision. This last point can’t be
emphasized enough. The safety of the
passengers and the whales is sacred.
Besides, when we are out in a whale boat,
we are visitors in the whales’ home
(in fact, they are the Hawaii state
mammal), and we should act like polite
guests who are trying not to be too
intrusive. Another benefit of a guided
tour is that many of these boats have
microphones they drop in the water,
allowing you to hear the whales nearby.
Be prepared to be
"People-watched." Many of the
whales you will encounter are just as
curious about you as we are about them.
It can be a bit unnerving to see a 40 ton
creature fast approaching your boat, but
you need not worry since our mammalian
cousins are pretty smart and they
won’t deliberately ram your
boat.
Don’t forget to bring
your camera, and have it loaded and ready
AT ALL TIMES since whales move very fast
and are not easy to photograph.
Alternatives to
Whale-Watching Boats
Not everyone is
comfortable going out on a boat.
Fortunately, you do not actually have to
be on a whale-watching boat to see a
whale. In fact, the only two times that
we have witnessed full-body breeches (a
la "Free Willy") were when we
were on shore. The first time occurred
when we were sitting on our lanai on
Maui. We noticed the tell-tale mist from
a whale clearing its blow-hole about 200
hundred yards off-shore. Before you could
say "thar she blows," I grabbed
our binoculars
and spotted the whale jumping completely
out of the water. The second time
occurred while we were sitting on
Shipwreck Beach on the island of Lanai.
Another great way to spot
whales is to keep your eyes open while
driving around the islands. No,
don’t watch the water. Instead, look
for crowds of people pulled over and
pointing toward the ocean. They
aren’t pointing because they found
the Energizer Bunny – they are
probably pointing at a whale.
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