WHALE WATCH

They are one of nature’s most beautiful creatures, and for 5 months a year, Maui calls them “ours”. They are one ton for every foot they are in length. Beautiful and graceful, yet powerful beyond belief; their scientific name is well suited, Megaptera noveangliae which fittingly means “giant wings” but we know them as Humpback Whales.

Seeing these gentle giants in their natural habitat is a very unique experience. I have no idea why we got the deal we did but we definitely capitalized on it. On the brochure, there was a rate of $79.95; luckily for us we were charged $15.00. The boat we were on wasn’t all that glamorous, especially considering people were paying $80. It was small with very limited room. There were maybe 50-55 passengers on board with us and the best viewing seats fit maybe 15 people on a good day. There was an observation deck that the emcee was narrating on that would have been wonderful if we had access to but unfortunately, we didn’t. On the upside, the crew was great. They were very informative. The marine naturalist gave us a ton of Maui nautical history when whaling ruled Maui’s waters. Everyone was friendly and very attentive to our needs. If there was a way that we were able to have this crew on a bigger boat, that would have been prime. Sigh!

 

THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURES ARENT THAT GOOD BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO ANTICIPATE WHEN THE WHALES ARE GOING TO BE JUMPING.. nonetheless IT'S STILL AMAZING

Before we hoisted the anchor, there were 2 whales putting on a small show. They were breaching and flapping their pectoral fins which made us antsy to get out there. Once we did though, the 2 whales were splashing, jumping, breaching, and frolicking around; what you see in magazines and on TV is what they were doing. We were told by the naturalist that because they’re heading closer to the shore, odds are their show will be coming to an end. And in a matter of minutes, it did. As we ventured on, we saw quite a few breaches at a far distance. As we sailed up to them, we noticed a pod of Humpbacks to our left. Growing up in Hawaii, we had the luck of going on a whale watch cruise. I’ve come to learn that Humpbacks don’t like the sound of a boats engine and how they either go under or go away from it. These lessons popped in my head as we got closer because once we got to a certain distance, the whales never breached beyond taking their necessary 7-20 minute breaths. After receiving such a great performance at the beginning of the cruise, from the halfway point to the end, the whales all seemed to want to be below the surface. I don’t think any of the passengers seemed to mind one bit with what we were lucky enough to see.

 

For the readers: If you’re ever in the Hawaii from December 15 – April 15, take a few hours out of your schedule and book a boat ride. Whether it’s a snorkel cruise, a dinner or cocktail cruise, or a whale watch tour like we did, witnessing these creatures in the grand Pacific is amazing. Those postcards that you were sent of the whales when your family came here; it’s so much better being in the picture than receiving it.