Maui is your gateway to some of the best whale watching in the world. The waters off of west Maui are shielded by the West Maui Mountains and Haleakala, creating calm and clear waters for high visibility. Humpback whales are also drawn to the area’s shallow waters, less than 600 feet deep, making Maui an ideal spot to start your voyage during the winter whale watching season from December to May.
Treat yourself to scenic ocean views as expert Captains and crew take you to the best spots to observe whales playfully surfacing, tail slapping, or blowing spouts in the air. Regulations prohibit boats from approaching within 100 yards of a whale and you should never swim with or touch whales or any other marine mammals. Sometimes a whale will surface closer than 100 yards, in these cases we shut down and drift as the whales often come very close.
Maui is home to a wide range of whale watching tours. From charter boats to passenger rafts, a stroll past the whale watching kiosks lining Lahaina harbor reveals a variety of whale watching options. Many of the options out there take very large groups aboard large vessels, some even featuring gift shops. We take a different approach and focus on taking only small groups aboard a variety of vessels. You can choose you vessel and then create you costom tour.