Consolidated "Whale Watching in Hawaii - Questions & Recommendations" thread
 

It's a little early from humpback whales in Hawaiian waters, but I did see one the other day off of Keahou on the Kona Coast of the Big Island. Maybe this will be a very busy year for whale watchers...

I see your location has changed... Is this a permanent relocation? ;)

Humpback whale sightings always make for great stories and even incredible pictures! Thanks for sharing.

aloha

Ah, thanks, I'm only here for a few more hours and then back to the Mainland. :( Sorry, no pictures, we were out on a 13' Boston Whaler and there's not a lot of places to safely store a camera. I'm sure the charter boats got a kick out of us yahoos trolling for marlin on such a dinky craft...

What's best time of day to whale-watch in Maui?
 

We'll be in Maui the latter part of February and plan on taking a Pacific Whale Foundation's whale watching cruise. Does anyone have an opinion on the best time of day to go? Thanks!

I'd probably go in the morning before the breeze freshens later in the day and makes the water choppy.

Early in the morning is smoother and you do not have to worry so much about the sun.

I recently renewed my membership in the Pacific Whale Foundation for three more years. I really support their efforts. However, I rarely take their whale watches because the boats are large and so many people get bored mid-cruise. The PWF introduced a cruise in 2004 that uses a small raft or zodiac type of boat; the number os passengers is limited.

My favorite whale watch cruise is offered by Ultimate Whale Watch. They have a website at www.ultimatewhalewatch.com. We took fifteen cruises last March with them. You get an excellent discount after your first trip. The zodiac boat is small (16 passengers max) and moves really fast; a female humpback is actually larger than the boat. You can cover a huge amount of territory. When you spot whales (and you will), you can see them from water level.

The captain and naturalist change from day to day but all of them are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Amy is the absolute best naturalist; her love of the whales makes the trip so much better.

Warning - you may get wet and there are no restrooms on the boat (you can drop off the side of the boat into the water if you really have to go). Drinks and snacks are included.

Another really good company is the America II sailing ship. They also give great discounts for return trips. The best seats are on the bow. They also provide snacks and drinks. There is a marine toilet below deck. This boat was not operating in the spring of 2004.

Every whale watch is different. On some you may just observe whales surfacing and swimming. On others you may get to see three whales breaching over and over again. A boat that can get you to the whales quickly and has an enthusiastic crew can make even the most minor sightings a real adventure. You will not be disappointed.

Whale-watching in Big Island
 

going back to Big Island on mid March, is it still possible to catch a bit of whale-watching? We were there on June 2003, but stayed mostly at the beach and volcanoes park. Any good boat tours you'd reccomend? We're staying on the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel for 3 days only.

Thank you kindly ^

FR

Try Dan Sweeney's boat. (or McSweeney) (sp.). Also go to www.konaweb.com and click on "Visiting the B.I. Forum". Whales should be around til mid-April.

Phil

I concur!
 

I second the recommendations! Dan McSweeney's whale watch is fantastic! We were there in late November, which isn't really whale seeing time, yet Captain Dan found a humpback, some false killers, and an oceanful of spinner dolphins. His keen insight as an oceanographer was much appreciated by our trip. Go to www.ilovewhales.com for information and reservations. Be sure to say Hello to Claudia for me!


www.konaweb.com is a terrific resource as well.

Enjoy the island!

Opinions of Pacific Whale Foundation sunset cruises
 

I'd appreciate any feedback anyone might offer who has taken the sunset cruise offered by Pacific Whale Foundation. Thanks.

The PWF is a full and total rip off. They take in millions and millions of $$$$$ and basically do little research and publish few scientific papers. where does the $$$$$ go? Many locals have wondered for years why the IRS does not investigate their charter.

There are many nice cruises departing Maalaea. Try one.

MisterNice

Oahu - Whale Watching Tour
 

We'll be there later in Feb, any recommendations? We'll have a 3 yo in tow. Also we have purchased a 2006 Entertainment Book.

Nothing beats the Navatek. If you do a google search for "Navatek whale watching" you'll see what I mean. :)

Not to mention their whale-guarantee: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/s...7/daily41.html (though check to see if the info provided is still current).

I've been on the Navatek whale watching at least five times over the years (and seen whales countless other times while deep-sea fishing). The Navatek is a good experience, great on confort and ride, which can be an issue in the choppy coastal waters off O`ahu.

I will say that most of the humpbacks you will see will be in transit, so you will likely see them spouting, you will see their backs, and you may see a fluke or a tail. You will most likely not see a lot of breaches, which is when they "leap" out of the water. They do most of that behavior off of Maui.

You may also encounter a pod of dolphins here and there which is fun as they like to play in the bow wake and you can get a nice view of them.