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Whale
Watching
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.
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 from December 15th to April 15th, do yourself a
favor and go on a whale watch.
NOTE: Most whale watches will be operating for the 2009-2010 whale season starting Christmas week and continuing through early to mid April. The exception is the Spirit of Lahaina; they begin their whale watches on January 2nd, 2010.
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Whale Explorer
List:
$39
Our
price: $34 (kids 5-12 $28) 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.
Whale
Explorer is offering a WHALE of a combo deal ... go on one of
their morning snorkel trips to Lanai and save $11 per adult off the
list price of a whale watch. For more information on this special combo,
see our Lanai dolphin
page.
The
Whale Explorer will conclude whale watches approximately April
15th
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Teralani
10am Whale Watch with Breakfast
Our
price: Adults $59 ... Teens (13-20) $49 ... Kids (3-12) $39 ...
under 3 free
Departing
at 10am every day except for Saturday 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 $5pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.
Teralani
12:30pm Whale Watch
Our
price: Adults $49 ... Teens (13-20) $39 ... Kids (3-12) $29 ...
under 3 free
Departing
at 12:30pm every day except for Saturday from Kaanapali Beach, the Teralani also offers a
two-hour early afternoon whale watch which includes dry snacks, beer, wine, soda, and juice.
Note:Teralani also charges a $5pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.
The
Teralani operates their whale watch until April 1st.
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Spirit
of Lahaina Whale Watch
Our
price: $36 ... kids 3-11 $22 ... 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 11:30am and is also two hours long. A cash bar
for soft drinks and cocktails is available, and they
grill up some amazing gourmet hot dogs with pineapple salsa
which are available for purchase.
The
Spirit of Lahaina will operate whale watches from January 2nd through March 31st
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Pride
of Maui Afternoon Whale Watch
Our
price: $29.95 ... kids 3-12 $19.95 ... 2 & under free
Departing
from Maalaea Harbor, the Pride of Maui offers a 2 hour afternoon
whale watch departing from central Maui at 1:30pm. This is a great option for those who don't want to drive to the west side of the island. Lunch is available for purchase, and there is a cash bar for beer, wine, mai tais and other mixed drinks, as well as soda and juice. Note:Pride of Maui also charges a $3pp fuel surcharge on all
tours.
The
Pride of Maui operates their afternoon whale watch from January 4th to the end of March every day except for Sundays.
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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. This kind of raft isn't for everyone though; they don't allow anyone
with neck or back injuries or anyone pregnant as the ride can
be bumpy at times.
Spirit of
Lahaina is a great choice for those looking for a larger, more
stable vessel. Two great things about their tour; first, they
don't crowd this boat so there's lots of room to move around.
Second, they grill up some VERY tasty gourmet hot dogs topped
with their special pineapple salsa. YUM!
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.
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.
