Frequently asked questions

Humpbacks are in Maui waters from roughly November through April, and our own season runs daily from December 15 to April 12. February and March are the peak — that is when the greatest number of whales, the most surface activity and the highest concentration of mothers with calves are all in the channel at once.

In peak season, almost certainly. We back it with a whale sighting guarantee: if we do not find whales on your trip, you can come again for free or take a full refund. No arguing about it.

Federal law sets the minimum at 100 yards from a humpback in Hawaiian waters, and we hold to it. What we can do is shut down the engines and wait — and whales regularly close that distance themselves out of curiosity. Because Hoku sits low to the water, a whale that surfaces beside us is genuinely at eye level, which is a very different thing from looking down off an upper deck.

Whale activity is fairly steady across the day, so pick the conditions you want. Early morning is the calmest water and the softest light. Midday gives the clearest blue water for spotting whales under the surface. The 3:45 pm golden-hour trip is the photographers’ choice. Competition pods are often liveliest in the afternoon.

A maximum of 20, and often fewer. Hoku is a 37-foot rigid-hull inflatable with outward-facing seats, so everybody is on a rail with an unobstructed view. Large catamarans on this coast run 100 to 150 passengers.

Yes, from age 3 and up, and children’s pricing runs to age 12. A rigid-hull inflatable is a livelier ride than a big catamaran, which most kids love. If anyone in your group is prone to seasickness, take medication an hour before you board and choose an early departure when the water is flattest.

No, and neither can anyone else legally. Approaching a humpback within 100 yards by any means — boat, swimmer, drone or paddleboard — is prohibited in Hawai‘i under federal law. Any operator offering to put you in the water with a humpback is breaking it.

We run in most conditions, and some of our best sightings have come on grey days. If the captain judges the sea state genuinely unsafe we cancel and you are rebooked or refunded in full — we will not take a boat out in conditions we would not put our own family on.

Less often than people expect. An inflatable moves with the swell rather than rolling against it, and being outdoors with a clear horizon helps a great deal. Take medication an hour ahead if you are unsure, stay on deck, and look at the island.

We check in at 1223 Front Street, Lahaina, near Mala Wharf and Baby Beach. There is parking in the small lot in front of the shop, overflow along the road opposite, and more at Lahaina Cannery Mall a block away. Please arrive 30 minutes before departure.

Sunglasses, a hat that will stay on, reef-safe sunscreen, a camera and a light windbreaker for the early and late trips. We supply filtered water, cups and rain ponchos. Leave the plastic water bottles at the hotel.

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Inside 24 hours the trip is non-refundable, except when we cancel for weather or fail to find whales.

Two: guests must be at least 3 years old, and we cannot carry pregnant guests. Both come down to the ride quality of a fast rigid-hull inflatable.

Yes — and you should try. McGregor Point Lookout, Papalaua Wayside, Ka‘anapali’s Black Rock and the Ma‘alaea shoreline all produce sightings in peak season. What shore watching cannot give you is scale, or the sound. A humpback a mile offshore is a distant splash; the same animal 100 yards from a low boat is 40 tons of whale.

We donate $1 from every guest to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, which runs direct-action campaigns for marine wildlife. Beyond the donation: we run low-emission engines, we have taken single-use plastic bottles off the boat, we require reef-safe sunscreen, and we do not crowd animals to manufacture a closer photo.