travel north america united states hawaii island of maui lahaina whale watching


As opposed to 2011 and 2023, in 2019 we played tourist and took a Princess excursion for humpback whale watching out of Lahaina, Maui.
There was no shortage of whales, both all along the horizon at a distance and fairly up close.
According to the guide, the whales we saw breaching were part of a ritual the mothers put the young calves through.
Most of the breaching we witnessed was at a distance, but one young humpback swam by quite close to the boat.
In addition to the whales, it was fun to see the antics of the dolphins as they jumped and rode the wakes of the boat.
One of the disadvantages of being on a mid-sized tour boat is that the crowds, and the adjustments made by the captain to give everyone a view,
almost made it impossible to capture good photos without obstructions even with a decent telephoto lens.
For those who want good photos I suggest doing it with video or a camera set to a rapid shooting sports mode.
The tour itself was well run, the guide was quite knowledgeable, and the captain did his best to get us to the active whales.
If you don't take a tour and choose to spend the afternoon onboard, keep an eye out on the port side where we have seen whales breach quite close to the cruise ship.

LINK TO WIKIPEDIA'S PAGE ON MAUI

LINK TO WIKIPEDIA'S PAGE ON HAWAII

TRAVEL: 2019

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This location has earned a three-and-a-half star (good+) rating from
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***1/2

unless noted otherwise all images copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc



Our boat and guides, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.



Breaching whale, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.



This young humpback surfaced right next to our boat, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.



This young humpback was waved goodbye to us with his fluke, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.



Watching the dolphins play off the bow of our boat, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.



This whale was performing for the cruisers who stayed aboard ship, Whale Watching Tour, Maui, Hawaii, USA, 2019.




copyright d. holmes chamberlin jr architect llc
page last revised april 2023