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Whale
Watching
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December 15th to April 15th
No, you don't have to
go on a boat to see whales if you are here during the right time of
the year. It is common to see people standing on a hillside overlooking the ocean and
watching the signs of distant whale activity through binoculars.
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You can often SEE whales
from shore ... but you can't EXPERIENCE them from that
distance. There is a tremendous difference between
watching a whale splashing in the water two miles away
and experiencing the thrill of looking over the edge of
the boat and having one of these gentle giants swim
directly underneath you. If you are here during peak
season, do yourself a
favor and go on a whale watch.
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Whale Explorer
List:
$39
Our
price: $34 (kids 5-12 $25) Under 5 free
MINIMUM AGE IS 3
Our
favorite whale watch ... it's F-A-S-T which means you spend
more time watching whales and less time looking for them. The Explorer is a hard-shelled
boat with an inflatable edge (like a large zodiac) which gives a
fast, smooth ride and a front row seat for every passenger. The speed of
these boats adds another 15-30 minutes of actual whale watching
during a two hour whale watch compared to larger boats. This
boat leaves from Lahaina harbor, and they have trips daily at 8am,
10am, 12noon, and 2pm. Please note that the size of this vessel
means that the ride is more adventurous than larger boats. NO
CHILDREN UNDER 3.
The
Whale Explorer will conclude whale watches approximately April
15th
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Teralani
AM Whale Watch with Breakfast
Our
price: Adults $59 ... Teens (13-20) $49 ... Kids (3-12) $39 ...
under 3 free
Departing
at 8am from Kaanapali Beach, the Teralani offers a
two-hour whale watch with a continental breakfast, kona
coffee, tropical juices, and Teralani Mimosas. The
Teralani is a beautiful sailing catamaran that pulls right up to Kaanapali Beach and
you take off your shoes and walk across the sand to get on
board.
Note:Teralani also charges a $3pp fuel surcharge on all
tours..
The
Teralani operates their whale watch until April 1st.
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Kapalua
Kai Sunset Premium Whale Watch
Our
price: $57 ... kids 3-12 $47 ... 2 & under free
Departing
from Kaanapali Beach, the Kapalua Kai is a beautiful sailing
catamaran that features two hours of whale watching, along
with a gourmet selection of appetizers and a premium open bar.
This is a great choice for a combination whale watch and
sunset cruise. The boat pulls right up to Kaanapali Beach and
you take off your shoes and walk across the sand to get on
board. This tour operates all year round (see our sunset
cruise page at http://adventuremaui.com/dinner_cruises.htm)
but during whale watching season they focus more on whale
watching than on sailing. This is a great choice for whale
watching for people who are staying at a hotel at Kaanapali.
Note: Kapalua Kai also charges a $3pp fuel surcharge.
The
Kapalua Kai operates as a sunset cruise all year; whale
sightings start to decline after mid April.
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Spirit
of Lahaina Whale Watch
Our
price: $35 ... kids 3-11 $19 ... 2 & under free
Departing
from Lahaina Harbor, the Spirit of Lahaina is the nicest of the
larger, more spacious powered catamarans and provides a
great viewing platform for whale watching. This vessel
is a sleek 65' foot two-deck catamaran which is ultra
stable. While the small boats offer a more intimate
viewing experience, this boat is taller and allows
passengers to get up high and look down on the whales,
which offers a different perspective. The tour operates
daily at 10am and is also two hours long. An open bar
for soft drinks and two premium cocktails per adult are
included!
The
Spirit of Lahaina will conclude whale watches for the
season on March 31
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Pride
of Maui Afternoon Whale Watch / Snorkel
Our
price: $39.95 ... kids 3-12 $26.95 ... 2 & under free
Departing
from Maalaea Harbor, the Pride of Maui offers a 3 hour afternoon
whale watch and snorkel combo ... whale watching is done
on the way to and from the snorkel site. Snorkeling is
about 45 minutes in duration, and the location is
typically at Coral Gardens along the sea cliffs of the
south side of the West Maui Mountains. The price
includes a BBQ lunch and open bar for beer, wine, and
Mai Tais, which makes this excursion an excellent value!
The
Pride of Maui operates their afternoon snorkel all year;
whale sightings decline after mid-April
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NCL
cruise ship passengers in Kahului can do a whale
watch on either day they are in port in Kahului. Maalaea
Harbor is a 10-12 minute cab ride, and Lahaina whale
watches (which we prefer) are an hour drive by rental
car. We can arrange a rental car with shuttle pick-up at the
harbor for $39 per day; see our rental
car page
for more information. Lahaina cruise ship passengers can
do whale watching while in port since the Whale Express
and Spirit of Lahaina both leave from the same harbor where your cruise ship tender arrives.
You can book either the midmorning, noon, or early
afternoon time slots. The Kapalua Kai sunset sail is a
10 minute cab ride from the harbor and only works if
your cruise ship is staying in Lahaina until at least
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Activity
Tips
No, you don't have to go on a boat to see whales. During
the peak season (mid-January to mid-April) it is very common to be able to
see whales from the shore. But these sightings are usually pretty far away
... it is not a particularly impressive sight to watch a whale jump out of
the water three miles away. And these creatures are SO impressive when you
experience them close-up. There is a big difference between SEEING a whale
and EXPERIENCING a whale. There is a popular whale watching site along the
Pali Highway a few miles west of Maalaea Harbor. The scenic overlook there
is often packed during peak whale season with people who are too cheap to
spend $30 to really experience these gentle giants. Do yourself a favor
... go on a whale watching cruise.
The Humpback Whales begin to arrive in November, and
most of them have arrived by the beginning of January. Whale Searches
usually begin sometime around Thanksgiving ... sightings that early in the
season may not be guaranteed. That changes in December. During the peak
season all the boats guarantee that you will see whales. If you are here
in February you won't have to worry about getting skunked ... it will be whale
soup out there! They love the warm, shallow waters between Maui, Kahoolawe,
Molokai, and Lanai.
There are so many boats that do whale watching, I
couldn't even begin to list them here. My favorite boat is the Whale
Explorer because it is a smaller, FAST boat which guarantees you
spend less time getting to the whales and more time actually watching
them.
How close will you get to the whales? That depends on
the whales. By law, the boats must stop 100 yards away from a whale. They
are incredibly curious animals though, and they OFTEN approach much
closer than that. Sometimes they mug the boat, and you may get the rare
treat of smelling whale breath! The sound of a spouting whale is something
you will not forget ... it is much like the puff of a steam engine
locomotive.
Whale watches are
about two hours long ... there are boats that depart from Lahaina
and Maalaea. I recommend Lahaina ... the waters of Maalaea Bay are
designated as calving grounds and the boats have to stop 300 yards
away from the whales. They have to go further to get outside of this
area in order to get closer looks.
Best time of day? The
whales will put on a good show anytime you like. The morning tends
to be less windy though. The mid-morning trips usually fill up a few
days in advance, so reserve in advance to get the best time of day!
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Whale
Watch Reservations
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We
are a true activity company; we do not promote timeshare sales in any way.