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Maui Whale Watching Tours

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Whale Watching Tours Sorted by Specific Tour

Whale Watching Maui

The Maui whale season begins on Dec 16th and runs till the middle of May. Maui Whale Watching tours are the pride of the winter season. We offer many of these excursions at discount pricing. Every year the Humpback whales return to Maui and its surrounding islands of Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe to enjoy the winter months. After feasting on krill and plankton in their home waters off Alaska and Canada over the summer season they make the enormous trip all the way to Hawaii to mate and give birth to their young. The times spent in these waters are akin to time spent on vacation as they mostly rest and enjoy the peaceful days luxuriating in the Maui sunshine. To be sure, there can be some tense moments as the males of the species can act aggressively toward each other as they vie for the companionship of the females but these moments are few and far between as the pods generally enjoy the serenity of their Hawaiian holiday.

Whale Watching activity and buy discounted tickets" href="https://mauisnorkeling.com/whale-watching/">Whale Watching Maui: Where From? When? How Long? Do We Always See Whales?

  • Most of the many whale watching tours are two hours in duration.
  • Whale watch tours leave from Maalaea Harbor, Lahaina Harbor, Kaanapali Beach and the Kihei Boat Ramp
  • During the heart of the Maui whale season between January and March the likelihood of seeing whales is almost 100% and many boats will take you out for a free ride again if you do not see them.
  • Between May 16th and Dec. 15th when whale season is not in effect, fast moving motorized boats such as jet skis and parasail boats are permitted in the whale sanctuary zone.
  • Maui whale watching tours depart dozens of times during each day during the winter whale season to view the spectacular Humpback Whale.

Types of vehicles available for whale watching:

  • Power Catamarans
  • Sail Boats
  • Zodiacs
  • Kayaks
  • Whale watching from a plane

During the Maui Whale Watching Season this is the best location to see whales in Hawaii.

  • Maui and its surrounding islands of Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe are actually the very top of one mammoth underwater volcano and just at the very peak of this mountain are the various islands delineated by shallow waterways which separate each of the islands. These channels between islands provide shallow and warm waters for the Humpback Whales to enjoy after their long and arduous journey each year from Alaska and Canada.
  • The Lahaina Roadstead area and Maalaea Bay are something akin to a resort to these amazing whales. Rather than spending all day pressing on in their incredible marathon swims from Alaska or spending all day searching out food in their home environment they instead spend their days lounging in these protected waters slowly swimming about in pods, going through the mating rituals as they court one another and giving birth to whales that were conceived the previous year.

Interesting facts about whales on Maui:

  • The Humpback Whale has come for generations to this area between the islands of Maui County and spends its days here mating, giving birth and nursing their young.
  • Humpback Whales don't eat a thing during all the months they are away from Alaska.
  • Whale's' lungs are the size of a Volkswagen!
  • Whales' babies, born here on Maui, grow at a rate of 100 pounds a day!
  • Adult Humpback Whales lose about 25% of their body weight during this period.
  • Humpback Whales spend the majority of their day below the surface of the water and just come to the surface to breathe. Though these whales can stay down for as long as 45 minutes, their average dive time is about 10 minutes.
  • We can hear the whales "song" on hydrophones from Maui's whale watch boats. Remarkably, all male whales will sing the exact same, but very complex, song at the beginning of the whale season and this song will change in the same way for all of them as the season progresses. The next years song will begin where this year's song left off.
  • No one really knows exactly why the Humpback whales sing these songs or what they mean.

Pride of America Cruise Ship:

The Maui Whale Watching Tours will not pick up at the cruise boat pier but these seasonal whale excursions can be reached via a Rent-A-Car that can be arranged through Tom Barefoot's Tours and you can be picked up by the Rent-A-Car shuttles right at the cruise ship dock. These Whale Watch Tours are available on the Sunday and Monday of your Maui cruise itinerary..

Checkout Tom's Tips and Insights about Maui Whale Watching Tours

Tom Barefoot's Tips
  • Tom's Tips - Maui Whale Watching

    Maui is the undisputed whale watching capitol of the Hawaiian Islands. Yes the Humpback Whales do come to Hawaii and can be seen off the shore of all the islands but no where in as much volume as can be found on Maui. The underwater channels connecting Maui to its neighbor islands of Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokini are considered a national protected area for these gentle giants as the depth of the channels is very shallow compared to the open ocean. For what ever their reasons, the whales consider this their favorite location to visit and the most whale sightings every year will occur here... read more.



Whale Watching Tours Sorted by Company

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Blue Water Rafting

2 Activity Options

Rigid Hulled Inflatable Speed Boat Rides

If adventure is in your blood and want to have an exciting snorkel experience you might be interested in joining Blue Water Rafting for one of their exciting snorkel tours to Molokini or to the remote and pristine Kanaio area of the island. Whale watch tours are also available during the winter season.
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(6 Reviews, 5 Stars)

Hawaii Ocean Rafting

3 Activity Options

30' Hard Bottom Inflatable Raft

Hawaii Ocean Rafting has been operating in the waters surrounding Maui and Lanai for many years. They offer personalized snorkel and marine life excursions departing from Lahaina Harbor on hard-bottom inflatable rafts similar to zodiacs. These adventure touring vessels are fast and maneuverable and you have a great likelihood of seeing whales, dolphins and other marine life up close and personal.
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(4 Reviews, 5 Stars)

Gemini Charters

2 Activity Options

64' Sailing Catamaran

Gemini Charters offers sailing tours that depart off of Kaanapali Beach and has done so for over 30 years. They offer multiple tours which include a sail and snorkel up the coast to Honolua Bay when weather permits, a delightful champagne sunset sail and whale watching tours in season. Their seaworthy 64' Sea Runner Sailing Catamaran is an excellent choice for a real sail.
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(2 Reviews, 5 Stars)

Paragon Sailing Charters

3 Activity Options

47' Sailing Catamaran

Certainly one of the very fastest boats found in the islands is the 47' customized sailing catamaran, Paragon. Paragon Sailing Charters offers a number of choices for boat tours ranging from morning sails to Molokini; Day Trips to Lanai; Sunset Sails; and Performance Sails.
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Pride Charters

1 Activity Option

65' Maxi Catamaran, 65' Catamaran

The Pride of Maui is one of the largest and most stable power catamarans available in Maui's fleet of boats. Leaving from Maalaea Harbor the 'Pride' offers tours to Molokini in the mornings but will also operate beautiful sunset cruises a few times a week and in addition will provide one of the most comfortable boats for whale watching in the winter months.
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Teralani

3 Activity Options

65' Catamaran, 64' Sailing Catamaran, 65' Sailing Catamaran

The 65' sailing catamarans of Teralani Charters offer snorkel sails along the West Coast of Maui as far up as Honolua Bay, offer dinner cruises leaving off the white sands of Kaanapali Beach and offer spectacular whale watches during the winter months. Sailing will generally be a part of all cruises, weather permitting, and the stiff afternoon winds off the western shores usually provide some adventure and excitement. Evenings cruises however usually just have a gentle breeze.
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Makena Boat Charters

1 Activity Option

Makena Boat Charters

If you're staying on the south shore of Maui in the Kihei area, Wailea or Makena a really good choice for a snorkeling tour would be on the 65' sailing catamaran "Kai Kanani". This boat was built in 2007 and is a state of the art custom motorized sailboat. The location of the departure point for this boat is one of the very best because it is located just off the coast of Molokini, perhaps a short fifteen minute ride away.
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Kaanapali Ocean Adventures

1 Activity Option

Snorkeling Tours, Day Charters, Whale Watching

Boasting two different fast and fun boats. Sanity is a very fast and comfortable boat that is designed for stability is the 46' aluminum hulled turbo charged power boat used by Kaanapali Ocean Adventures.
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Maui Adventure Cruises

1 Activity Option

48' Explorer Class Raft

On Maui, 'rafting' equates with adventure, and Maui Adventure Cruises has just about all the adventure you could want. Speeding rigid hull inflatables varying in length from 34' to 49' whisk their way from Maui over the channel to Lanai. Maui Adventure Cruises comb the shoreline looking for great snorkel spots, playing with the dolphin population, snorkeling, and viewing the whales.
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Sea Maui

2 Activity Options

Snorkeling, Whale Watching, Sunset Sails & Private Charters

Sea Maui II is a beautiful 55 foot power sailing catamaran, and the new Sea Maui III is a 65ft luxury sailing catamaran, they both depart from Kaanapali Beach. They offer a variety of snorkeling trips, whale watching, and sunset sailing options daily. Sea Maui has consistently been awarded "Maui's Best Boat Tour" for 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020! Food is provided by the award winning Chef Joey Macadangdang of Joey's Kitchen.
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HangLoose Maui Ocean Adventures

2 Activity Options

Kayak and Stand Up Paddle Board Tours on Maui for groups or private parties.

Hang Loose Maui Ocean Adventures is owned by a local family providing guided private Kayak and Stand Up Paddle tours of the Olowalu and Makena coastal areas off Maui.
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(18 Reviews, 4.8 Stars)

Trilogy Excursions

4 Activity Options

64' - 55' - 51' Sailing Catamarans, 55' Sailing Catamaran, 55' Catamaran to

One of the most popular and respected boating companies on Maui is Trilogy which has been in operation here since 1973. Though being a large company now, operating seven 50' range sailing catamarans, they are still the family owned operation that was begun by Eldon Coon and his two sons, Jim and Randy. Today they offer sailing tours to Lana'i, Molokini, the West Coast of Maui and an assortment of shorter sunset and sailing options and whale watches.
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(91 Reviews, 4.8 Stars)

Maui Snorkeling - Lani Kai (formerly Friendly Charters)

2 Activity Options

Maui Snorkeling Trips to Molokini & Whale Watching

The all-inclusive tour boat company makes this a hit for groups of all ages. One of the popular boats that goes out to Molokini for snorkeling is the Lani Kai which is operated by Maui Snorkeling. Their primary cruise is the morning snorkel but it also does an afternoon snorkel as well. This medium sized power boat will carry less than 70 passengers and has all the amenities to make for a wonderful day on the water.
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(46 Reviews, 4.8 Stars)

Pacific Whale Foundation

16 Activity Options

52' and 60' Power Catamaran, 52' and 65' Power Catamaran, 65' Power Catamaran, 65' Catamaran

The Pacific Whale Foundation is one of the main companies we have on island that goes out in search of the whales during the winter months. In addition, throughout the year they also offer boat tours to snorkel at Molokini, dolphin watches that look for dolphins and snorkel off the coast of Lanai and have rigid hull inflatable tours that visit the back side of Lanai.
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Aloha Blue Charters

1 Activity Option

40' Power Catamaran

Aloha Blue Charters is unique in that it provides a 40' jet drive boat for use as a snorkel boat to Molokini and surrounding Maui snorkel locations but also is an ideal vessel for bottom fishing excursions and is also used for whale watching during whale season. It carries a maximum of 35 passengers on its snorkeling tours and has enough room on board for its fishing trips to allow for 10 separate anglers.
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(3 Reviews, 4.3 Stars)

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel

3 Activity Options

The Ultimate Maui Ocean Adventures!

Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel offers small group snorkel and whale watching tours on safe-low to water rafting style vessels, creating an uncrowded, Hawaiian family experience! Locally owned and operated since 1982, Ultimate Whale Watch and Snorkel is a highly-rated eco-tour that volunteers as Maui's whale disentanglement team and offers vessel support to active marine researchers! Join them for a beginner-friendly snorkeling or whale watching tour exploring the reefs of Maui and Lanai!
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(6 Reviews, 3.7 Stars)

Hawaii Ocean Project

1 Activity Option

118' Motor Yacht.

The environmentally conscious Hawaii Ocean Project operates a number of tours out of the West Side of Maui port of Lahaina Harbor. Their touring options include day tours and ferry trips between Maui and Molokai, dinner cruises, sunset cruises, snorkeling tours to Lanai and whale watches. Marine naturalists will be on board to explain the marine life and ecological education is the underlying foundation of all its activities.
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Alii Nui Sailing Charters

1 Activity Option

Dinner cruise with hotel pickup.

The one of a kind, luxury catamaran Alii Nui departs from Maui's Maalaea Harbor and offers a variety of sail options which include Molokini snorkel tours, sunset sails, dinner sails and whale watches. All the specialty details have been included on all its tours to provide a privileged ocean experience. Snorkel tours include hot showers on board and large terry beach towels for your personal use. Dinner cruises are limited to 32 guests and even complementary pick-up is included on its whale watches.
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Atlantis Adventures

1 Activity Option

Submarine tours of Hawaii.

Atlantis Adventures will provide you with an opportunity to dive in absolute comfort in a 'state of the art', window filled submarine to a depth of about 100' for about forty minutes. Very spacious and air-conditioned these vessels hold just under fifty passengers as they are taken on one of the most unique rides of their lifetime.
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Hawaiian Rafting Adventures

1 Activity Option

37' Naiad HRIB (Hard Rigid Inflatable Boat)

As is the case with a number of the dive shops located on Maui's west side and primarily out of Lahaina, the specialty location of their dives is the coastline off the coast of the island of Lanai. This coastline actually has the largest coral reef in the state and is remote and beautiful.
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Hawaiian Outrigger Experience

1 Activity Option

Private Canoe Tours on Maui!

Experience and relive a part of Hawaiian History as your cultural guides teach you traditional chants (oli), ancient myths, legends and historical facts. In honoring the wisdom and knowledge passed on by generations from ancestors. Offered daily Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Tours depart from Wailea Beach in South Maui.
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Maui Ocean Sports

1 Activity Option

Maui Ocean Sports - SUP and Kayak Rentals

Maui Ocean Sports is conveniently located on Front Street in Lahaina and offers Kayak adventures - Whale Watching and Snorkel tours in the winter months and SUP Stand Up Paddle lessons.
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Aloha Kayaks Maui

4 Activity Options

Aloha Kayaks Maui

Aloha Kayak Maui is one of Maui's premier ocean activity providers. With years of ocean kayak and snorkel experience offering PRIVATE or GROUP kayak tours, whale watching, and Maui snorkeling.
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Maui Diamond II

1 Activity Option

38' Wilson Power Driven Vessel

Maui Diamond Sea Sports offers dive and snorkel charters for the whole family. Their primary destination is the island of Molokini which is a smooth ride from its dock at Maalaea Harbor on the stable 40' dive boat with twin engines, Maui Diamond ll. Unlike most dive boats they provide room for snorkelers and 'ride-along passengers' so you can have the most experienced scuba diver on the same boat with non-divers who just want to go for the ride.
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Maui Kayaks

1 Activity Option

Kayaking and Snorkeling Trips

Are you looking to go snorkeling from a kayak on your vacation to Maui? Maui Kayaks offers a variety of kayaking excursions departing from locations all over the island. They offer trips that are suited for all skill levels, from mellow first timer outings to strenuous advanced trips that will cover miles of distance.
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Redline Rafting

1 Activity Option

35' Ocean Raft

Excitement is the order of the day on one of Redline Rafting's adventurous snorkel tours to the remote Kanaio Coastline and La Perouse Bay area on Maui's 'backside'. Their powerful and comfortable 35' ocean raft will next take you to visit Molokini Crater to snorkel the 'bowl' but also usually the 'wall' on its opposite side. Dolphins are frequently a big feature of these tours as are the whales in season.
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South Pacific Kayaks

1 Activity Option

Surfing Lessons-School, Kayaking, Hiking and Surfing Lessons

One of the oldest and most seasoned of the Maui kayak touring companies is South Pacific Kayaks. Their list of kayak tour options is larger than most as they extend from Makena and La Perouse Bay on the south side to Honolua Bay on the north-west end of Maui and they even offer whale watch tours from kayaks. In addition they also offer surfing lessons as well as the popular Stand-Up Paddle lessons.
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Wailea Boating Company

1 Activity Option

36' Power Boat, 36' Powerboat (Private Charters)

If you're like many people you won't want to share your fantastic Maui ocean experience with others but would prefer to make it a day for just your own family or perhaps just for you and a couple other friends. The Wailea Boating Company may just be the boat for you as you'll be able to discuss the itinerary of your boating adventure with your captain and go off and enjoy the day. The 36', six passenger vessel is clean and comfortable.
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Wake Maui

1 Activity Option

23' Ski Supreme V232 Boat

Wake Maui will provide you with some real fun and excitement on the ocean. Specializing in groups of 6 or less, this wake board pulled by a boat provides just about all the fun anyone can handle. It's easy to learn, and the personalized attention by the captain will make it all that more simple. The fact that these tours are often private for your family and friends, makes it even that much more enjoyable.
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Makai Adventures

2 Activity Options

Makai Adventures

Come experience all that West Maui has to offer with Makai Adventures on Kainalu, our 37' powerboat. Whether you want to go fishing, snorkeling or just cruise the coast, Kainalu will be able to get you there FAST!
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Maui Plane Rides

1 Activity Option

Piper Archer single engine aircraft.

Maui Plane Rides offers you and your close friends and family the opportunity to have an aerial view of Maui and surrounding areas with a pilot that is also an instructor enabling you to actually put your hands on the controls and feel the excitement of flying.
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Maui Reef Adventures

1 Activity Option

Maui Reef Adventures- Maui Snorkel Tour and Private Charters on Exhilarating 42' Rigid Hull Rafts

Maui Reef Adventures offers private charters and the Molokini Turtle Town Snorkel Tour on their exhilarating 42' Rigid Hull Rafts.
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Kainani Sails

2 Activity Options

Maui Sailing Charters

Private sailing charters aboard a 45' Beneteau Oceanis, Maui's newest monohull charter yacht. Come on board for an exclusive, personalized and memorable experience for up to 6 people. Sailing, snorkeling, wildlife, sunset cruises, sightseeing, celebrations, proposals, memorials and even elopements... anything is possible!
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Recent Reviews


Video Transcript

If you're looking to do some whale watching in Hawaii, the island of Maui is probably the single best place that you can go to see them.

The whales as you may know, they visit here annually. They come from the north, they come from Alaska, they come from Canada. The humpback whales are the ones that we're referring to. Their main home is up north but once a year they make this incredible passage all the way across the Pacific, over 2,000 miles and they find the Hawaiian Islands. They cruise the Hawaiian Islands. They go to all of the different islands but generally speaking they end up on Maui or in Maui County in the channels between the islands here.

They're pretty remarkable, this entire travel that they have. The entire time that they're gone they don't eat. They eat krill up in the north but all the way here they don't eat anything, and the entire time they're in Hawaii they don't eat either. It's not until they return later to Alaska that they actually eat again. Essentially they're coming here kind of like a vacation. They come here to mate and to calve, and just generally seem like they cavort about and lazily enjoy themselves, wandering about in pods throughout the islands. They can be readily seen on all days of the winter.

They're here primarily, the big timing is between December 15th and May 15th. Really the bulk of them are here in January, February, March, late December but really January, February, March. Some of them get here early. Some of them are, the first ones are usually spotted oftentimes in September. The last ones are leaving in May. Most of them moved out by then, but the big whale season is really that January, February, March area although you can see whales in April and in May, and you can see them in December but they're on the outskirts of the scale.

This is where they come and they're wonderful to see, and we have many boats that go out to see them. The boats that we have, and let me show you a picture here. This is Maui County. The majority of boats we have will be leaving from either Lahaina or Mala right next door here, or Kaanapali, this coastline, or from Maalaea Harbor. These are the main places that we have to go out looking for whales.

These are the channels and the channels are very shallow, about 110 feet in this channel, maybe 600 feet in here. All the water around here goes down thousands of feet. I think that possibly they may like the notion of being in a narrow channel, not narrow but shallow channel, and that's why they end up at Maui County. I don't know that anyone really knows. I know that whales are in all the islands. You can find them. They found whales that have been on the Big Island here and then two weeks later the same whale showed up here on Kauai. They do travel. I don't know if they all necessarily come back to the same islands, that they have their favorite spots. But if you do a count, generally speaking it's going to be more in Maui County than on the other islands. So you're fortunate to be on Maui during whale season to go out to see these incredible animals.

We have many different types of boats that go out. Generally they're going to be just a couple-hour tours, these whale watches, and the Type of Boat that you would be interested in is really based on your preference. A lot of people like the larger boats. They're more stable in the water. Some of them are two levels so from up on the top, you've got little more of an observation of the whales, a little bit more perspective. So those are popular.

But we also have the smaller boats like the Radons, the Zodiacs, boats that are very fast and maneuverable and carry smaller groups of people. These are a little more adventurous. They get around quicker through the channels. In some ways that can be important because the idea is you're going out, you don't know exactly necessarily know where the pods, they travel in pods, of numbers of whales, you don't know where the pods are going to be. You get out there, you may know where they were last time you were out. They may still be there but things will change, and so you get there and you're looking for the whales. The idea is when you see them, you want to get over to them. The faster you can get to them, the better off it's going to be because you're going to have more time observing the whales.

You're not going to be able to get right on them. That is not permissible. We want to leave the whales alone, allow them to have their space but we can get within 100 yards and then just stop and then really get a good view of them. A lot of times what happens though is the boats are not allowed to get close to the whales but the whales don't have any problem sometimes just coming right up to the boats. They do it all the time and you can sometimes be just, oh my gosh, you're just right off the bow of the boat or the stern or they're going underneath the boat. It is amazing to see these incredible whales.

A lot of times they'll be docile but other times they're out there doing their breaches where they just go high up into the air, come down and slap the ocean. A lot of theories I guess on why they do that exactly. Sometimes actually you can witness really aggressive tendencies in these pods where there seems to be fighting and so on among the males. Then you're going to come across pods that have the little babies that are just so beautiful and so cute.

So you never know what you're going to see out there but it is one of the spectacles that Maui is famous for. If you're coming to Maui, you definitely should consider doing a whale watch because they're just the best.

So if you have any questions about Tours or Activities in Hawaii, just give us a call or check out tombarefoot.com. We're here to help.


The Hawaii whale watching season is the most anticipated time of year regarding activities in the islands. Whale watching is available for visitors to enjoy between December and May.

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This is a popular activity during the winter whale season.

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The whales come every winter. Don't miss this very popular activity.

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Not only does the Big Island attract the Humpback Whales in the winter but also has various other species that live here year round.

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