Maui Whale watching season is fast approaching. Some seasons we actually begin to see a few whales arriving as early as late October. The height of Maui whale watching tends to occur between the months of December and May. When the season is in full swing we offer trips throughout the day. If you find yourself in Maui’s waters during these months it is sometimes possible to hear their songs while you snorkel near shore. A much better way to listen to their songs is a hydrophone. Each of our vessels is equipped with this underwater listening device. It is an amazing experience to witness these gentle giants many different social interaction while listening to the sounds from below the surface.
Humpback whales are the noisiest and most imaginative whales when it comes to songs. They have long, varied, complex, eerie, and beautiful songs that include recognizable sequences of squeaks, grunts, and other sounds. The songs have the largest range of frequencies used by whales, ranging from 20-9,000 Hertz. Only males have been recorded singing. They sing the complex songs only in warm waters, perhaps used for mating purposes. In cold waters, they make rougher sounds, scrapes and groans, perhaps used for locating large masses of krill (the tiny crustaceans that they eat).
