The whale watching blog

Everything worth knowing before you watch humpbacks in Maui — written from Lahaina, by the people who take the boat out.

Whale Watching in Maui in November: What to Expect Early Season

The first humpbacks reach Maui well before the season officially opens. Here is what November actually delivers — and what it does not.

Boat size is the single biggest variable in how a whale watch feels. Here is what changes between a 20-guest RHIB and a 150-guest catamaran.

What a close encounter really looks like, which behaviours to watch for, and the rules that govern how near a boat may come.

Everything worth knowing before you book: seasons, boat types, what to pack, and how to tell a good operator from a crowded one.

Maui is one of the few places on earth where you can watch humpbacks from a beach chair. These are the spots that actually work.

Why a 40-ton animal throws itself out of the water, what the singing is for, and how to read what you are watching.

Whale watching is not free of impact. Here is how the rules work and what separates a careful operator from a careless one.

Not all of Maui's coastline is equal for whales. These are the stretches where they reliably gather, and why.

A 3,000-mile crossing, made on empty stomachs, to water with almost nothing to eat in it. The reasons are stranger than they look.

Twenty seats, a marine naturalist on every trip, and whales guaranteed. Daily from December 15 to April 12.