Fun Facts About Maui

Did you know that Maui has more miles of accessible beach than any other island in Hawaii? It's true. Not only does Maui boast over 80 beaches spanning 30 miles, but they include white, black and the rare red sand beaches. That's just one of the many interesting qualities that make Maui such a favorite among vacationers and residents, not to mention an amazing place for ocean tours. How many of the following facts did you already know? Read on to find out.

1. The Hawaiian alphabet includes just 13 letters. There are five vowels and only eight consonants. One of them is known as a glottal stop, or 'okina in Hawaiian.

2. The road to Hana is 45 miles long, featuring no less than 59 bridges and more than 600 hairpin turns. Its lush jungles and countless cascading waterfalls have dazzled many a photographer, but those who get carsick are less appreciative.

3. Anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 humpback whales migrate to Hawaii from Alaska each year. The 6,000-mile journey is one of the longest of any mammal. Hawaii is one of the best whale watching destinations in the world. To see for yourself, book a Maui whale watch tour with us.

4. Lahaina was the original capital of Hawaii until 1850 when it changed to Honolulu. It's a good thing, too, because the natural beauty is much more preserved here, and that is important to us, especially since we operate our Maui ocean tours out of the scenic Lahaina Harbor.

5. While Lahaina and Ka'anapali get around 10 inches of rain each year, Pu'u Kukui nearby in the West Maui Mountains gets around 365 inches per year.

6. Haleakala is the world's largest dormant volcano, standing at 10,023 feet from sea level. The Crater at the summit is 21 miles across, making it almost the size of Manhattan.

7. The Banyan Tree in Lahaina Town is 60 feet tall and spans an entire city block. Its sprawling canopy provides shade for the many gatherings that take place beneath it.

8. Maui has sixteen golf courses, some of which host professional tournaments.

9. Honokohau Falls plunges a total of 1,100 feet, making it one of the highest waterfalls in the world.

10. The tiny crescent island of Molokini off Maui's South Shore is home to around 250 marine species, some of which you can see on our Molokini Snorkel Tour.

There's nothing like experiencing the wonders of Maui yourself, and we hope that you will! If you need our assistance booking a Maui ocean cruise, you'll find our contact information at the top of the page. Mahalo!

Book a New Year's Maui Ocean Cruise

Maui is an amazing place to welcome a new year full of possibilities, so if you're lucky enough to be here for the celebration, you've made the right choice. There are plenty of exciting ways to bid farewell the old and ring in the new. For example, if you find it convenient to reach the historic beach town of Lahaina, there are plenty of possibilities.

Lahaina is a great place for shopping at charming little boutiques, or trying some delicious Maui cuisine on just about any budget, or grabbing a few drinks surrounded by outgoing folks from here and abroad. If you feel like doing something extra special, you could always make your way down to the scenic Lahaina Harbor for an ocean activity.

Whether you prefer to do most of your celebrating on the last day of December or the first day of January, you can spend your holiday celebrating while surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Pacific Ocean, off the tranquil coast of Lahaina. The silky blue water stretches as far as the eye can see, punctuated by the regal shapes of Molokai and Lanai islands off to the west, in the direction of the sunset. Whether billowing or lacy, the clouds turn a lovely shade of pinkish orange when they dot the sky overhead. All the while, the verdant green West Maui Mountains stand tall and steady over the ocean, often capped by a crown of its own mist.

You can soak up all this natural beauty on our Maui Whale Watch Tour or our Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise. Of course this all depends on when you'd like to go and how fast we get booked up, but if you check soon, you might get just what you're hoping for. The dinner cruise is ideal if you prefer a celebratory evening of delicious food and drink followed by a night of dancing under the stars with fellow revelers. The whale watch will be best suited to those who want a memorable daytime activity that reminds you just how awe-inspiring the world can be, if you know where to look. Just don't be surprised if seeing these gentle giants in their natural habitat ends up shifting your perspectives a bit. On that note, it seems fitting to spend New Years Eve on our sunset dinner cruise, followed by a whale watch on the first day of the new year.

Conveniently, we are currently offering 10% off all our activities if you book online. This offer could change in the future, so make sure you check if its still available by the time you get to this blog. Otherwise, if you need our assistance or you have any questions for us, you'll find our contact number at the top of the page. We will be happy to help start your new year off the right way. Mahalo!

Why Morning Maui Ocean Activities Are the Best

If you want to make the most of your ocean activities here on Maui, it helps to learn some of the island's nuances. If you've ever lived in a coastal area, then you probably realize how important it is to know what to expect from the ocean in the areas you might visit. A lot can change, depending on tides, the weather, the temperatures, and more. Here on Maui, most of the ocean conditions change based on the time of day. This is especially important if you plan to actually get in the water, unlike cruises, which can be amazing at all hours.

Once in a while here on Maui, you'll get a calm ocean from dawn until dusk, when the water just laps at the shoreline lazily. Those days make for amazing swimming, cruising and snorkeling adventures, not just because the water is calm, but because it tends to be clearer when there's less wave action. On most days, however, the weather conditions tend to kick up in the afternoon, and sometimes even in the late morning.

If there are any storms around the island, it's safest to expect that the wind and waves will get stronger earlier, and sometimes even abruptly. That being the case, the first thing to do is check the weather report for clear skies and low winds. The second thing to do is plan early morning ocean activities.

Why aim for early mornings for your ocean excursions? Not only does the weather tend to be calmer and the visibility clearer, but many marine animals are up and about bright and early. Almost all of us are familiar with the term "nocturnal," which means active at night, but its daytime counterpart "diurnal" is not said as often. Even less so is the term "crepuscular," which refers to animals most active at both dawn and dusk. In the early mornings, you get to see a burst of activity among marine animals, including both the diurnal and crepuscular species.

All these factors are reasons behind our morning Maui snorkeling excursions. Luckily for those interested in a Maui whale watch tour, humpbacks tend to be equally active throughout the day, but our early-bird special is nice anyway because you still get calmer conditions, and we're currently providing a discount because the tours are less full. That could change at any time, so you may want to take advantage while you can! We hope to see you onboard soon! Mahalo!

Online Booking and Availability Calendar for Maui Ocean Cruises

Some of our Maui ocean cruise guests are on the fence as to whether they want to book by phone or online. Some of us like talking to a person when we schedule an excursion, while others prefer the efficiency and ease of online booking. If you fall into the former category, we'd like to share some of the conveniences of our online booking system with you, so you can enjoy an easy and reliable process that will let you focus on the other elements of your Maui vacation that need your attention.

Whether you plan to hop on one of our Maui Whale Watch Tours, a snorkel outing, or a Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise, we provide you with the option to reserve your space from our website. Conveniently, each tour page features an availability calendar. Simply click on the "Check Availability" button and enter the number of adults and children you intend to book for. Just below, you'll see a calendar icon. Click that to see which days are open and which are too full for the number of tickets you will need.

The odds of finding space on one of our excursions depends on how early you are booking, along with how large your group is. One of the nice things about the availability calendar is that you can look at dates a year out into the future. This gives you the option to plan your trip way in advance. That way, you're free to focus on other things and you have something fun to look forward to.

Another benefit to booking online is that we are currently offering 10% off all our activities if you do. This could always change in the future, so check to make sure the deal is still current when you read this. For now, it covers everything from our whale watch tours to our dinner cruises. You may also want to keep an eye out for any deals we might be offering in the future. For that, we recommend signing up for the Hawaii Ocean Project Maui Newsletter. If you need to reach us for any questions you might have, you'll find our number at the top of the page. Mahalo!

What to Expect from Winter Maui Weather

Discussions about the weather can get a whole lot more riveting when it comes to your vacation. After all, these plans often include spending quite a bit of money, taking time off work, and sometimes even brainstorming for months on activities, sights and accommodations to experience. That's why checking into the weather at your destination is such an important step.

As a Maui ocean tour company, the weather matters to us as much as it matters to you. That's because we're happy when you're happy, and if you aren't very familiar with Maui's winter weather patterns, that's where we can help. We operate on the vast majority of days out of the year, because the weather tends to be calm enough to do that. Our tours include Molokini and Lanai Snorkeling Trips, Whale Watching Tours, and Sunset Dinner Cruises. As you might imagine, outings like these wouldn't be possible in rough weather. Fortunately, there are advantages to operating here in Lahaina.

On Maui, the prevailing winds, known as the Trade Winds, come from a northeasterly direction. That means North Shore and East Maui tend to get the most rain and the highest winds, while the opposite side of the island, including South Maui and West Maui, are much more sheltered. The West Maui Mountains and Haleakala both do a lot to break up small storms and slow the wind. This is considered to be one of the main reason why humpback whales tend to congregate in their thickest number on this side of the island. Not only is the weather calmer above the surface of the water, but below the surface as well. Naturally, mother whales tend to prefer the calmest possible waters when they are giving birth to their calves here in Hawaii, so we see a lot of the youngsters in our area.

A rule of thumb that's worth keeping in mind is that the weather on Maui tends to be calmest in the early hours of the morning, with the wind and waves picking up more toward the end of the day. On the really good days, things are mild from sunrise to sunset, but it's still a good idea to plan to take advantage of the early morning calm. That's why most of our tours operate in the morning, with a few in the early afternoon.

As for the winter months, you can generally expect temperatures in the mid to high 70's and sometimes up into the 80's, if you're at sea-level. Although Hawaii is often referred to as a tropical paradise, we are technically in a sub-tropical latitude, which means we're further from the equator than some might assume. For that reason, we do get some seasonal weather variation. The big tropical storms tend to form around the month of August, when the ocean's surface is particularly warm and able to feed big storms. By the winter, the waters cool off enough to make those storms less likely. Instead, the winter months tend to see smaller but more frequent storms. Luckily, they tend to come and go quickly. In fact, at one point or another, most long-term Maui residents have noticed it raining on one side of the house and not on the other.

Of course these are just the general trends in terms of Maui weather, and it helps to keep them in mind. However, it's worth checking various weather reports when you make your plans, or at the very least, you can benefit from keeping an eye on the sky. If you book a tour with us, we'll let you know what we expect from the weather, as long as you ask. We hope we'll see you onboard soon! Mahalo!

6 Days Until Our Maui Whale Watch Tours Begin

The excitement is building here on Maui as we prepare to begin a new season of whale watching tours, which may be the most popular Maui activity during the winter and spring months because it's such an amazing experience. In just six days, we will begin taking our wonderful guests out onto the silky waters off the coast of West Maui to see these gentle giants in all their regal splendor. Later in the season, we look forward to greeting some new baby whales that will be born in the sheltered waters surrounding the island.

Whales demonstrate such a strong preference for the area where we tour that we're able to provide a money back guarantee on whale sightings. Most tour operators don't, and will usually just give you a voucher to try again. We understand that it isn't always convenient for our guests to do so. That being said, we're confident that you will get some wonderful whale sightings when you come with us on our tours.

Some of the perks of the trip include free use of binoculars, hydrophone to listen to the whales when their proximity and water conditions allow for it, and expert whale narration, conducted by our experienced Captain and crew members. In addition, we have beverages and snacks available for purchase, and we even have an on-board gift shop, so you can commemorate your experience with a fun bit of memorabilia, with all the proceeds going directly to a carefully selected group of accomplished marine scientists.

We'll depart from the north end of Lahaina Harbor, which is especially convenient to those of you who are staying in West Maui accommodations. All we need is for you to arrive 30 minutes before departure time so we can be sure to get underway right on time. The sooner we get going, the sooner you get to see these majestic creatures on your two-hour tour. The following is a handy guide to the current departure times of our tours. They may change in the future, so be sure to check for the current times if you book in the future.

Dec. 1-14:

Dec. 15:

Last but not least, we want to encourage you to book your Maui whale watch tour online, because you will get 10% off your ticket price when you do so. Our prices are currently as follows, but may change in the future like the departure times. You can rely on our whale watch tour page for up to date information.

Pricing:
Online Booking Adult - $38.53
Online Booking Child - $20.20
Children Six and Under - Free!

If you need our assistance booking your tour, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have, but remember that if you want the 10% discount, you'll need to book online. We hope to see you soon! Mahalo!

Celebrate Thanksgiving on a Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise

Planning to be on vacation to Maui around the Thanksgiving holiday? What better way to give thanks for the abundance that you enjoy than by going on a gorgeous Maui dinner cruise off the picturesque coast of Lahaina? If you have other plans for Thanksgiving day, you can always join us in the spirit of thanks before or after the holiday. After all, it's up to you how you want to celebrate! Also, it's easy to be grateful when you're surrounded by the resplendent beauty of Maui.

This time of year, it's not unusual to see turtles on our cruises, or maybe some early arrivals among the migratory humpback whale population. The ocean is stunning at sunset whether marine life makes an appearance or not. Maui is gorgeous in the evening light, and so are the neighboring islands of Lanai and Molokai in the distance. When the sun gently sinks below the horizon, cloudless nights reveal a myriad of twinkling stars, and you can enjoy the caress of Hawaii's clean, balmy breezes through it all.

If you attend this cruise, you will be joining us aboard the Maui Princess, which is the most stable and the largest yacht on the island, measuring in at 120 feet. This vessel features all premium seating on the upper deck, where you can enjoy unobstructed sunset views and musical entertainment that inspires our guests to dance the night away. We will depart from Lahaina Harbor at 5:30pm and ask our guests to check in sometime between 4:45 and 5pm. We'll have you back on land at 8pm, just in time to enjoy the charms of lively Lahaina Town at night.

As for the menu, the following is a list of our usual options, although we may tweak the menu depending on availability.

Entrees:

Prime rib (carved on board)
Roasted chicken
Macadamia nut encrusted mahi mahi fillet with buerre blanc sauce
Vegetarian patty with marinara sauce

Sides:

Garden salad with croutons & papaya seed dressing
New potatoes
Carrots
Dinner rolls
Cheesecake with seasonal fruit glaze

Beverages:

Unlimited soda and juices
Full Bar – 3 alcoholic beverages included
Additional alcoholic beverages are available for purchase at $4.00 – $6.00 each.

If you need more information, or you'd like to book your tour, see our Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise, which also features an availability calendar so you can easily find out if one of our cruises is full or not. If you need further assistance, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. We look forward to whisking you off for a delightful and memorable evening! Mahalo!

Marine Life Spotlight - Reef Triggerfish

The reef triggerfish is one of the most iconic Hawaiian fish, particularly thanks to its name, which is one of the longest words in the Hawaiian language. When literally translated, humuhumunukunukuapua'a means "triggerfish with a snout like a pig." It's true, the snout is long and sometimes a bit on the pink side in hue. Like most other triggerfish, the reef triggerfish has a football-shaped body, with its head comprising more than a third of its total size.

Another way you can easily recognize this particular fish is by its colors and markings. Its snout is the palest part of its body, which is divided from the gold tones of the top of its back by a large band of black that dominates its underside. Then of course there's the bold yellow outline near its tail that looks like an arrow pointing toward its eye. It really is quite the remarkable fish, in both name and appearance.

The reef triggerfish is a common sighting on our Molokini snorkel tours. Of course we never know which species are going to show up on any given tour, but that's half the fun! Molokini is a small crater island off Maui's southern coast, and its beautiful coral reefs attract many species, including the reef triggerfish, which typically feeds on invertebrates hiding in the sand.

This species features close-set teeth that help it capture its small prey, and you will often see it spitting out sand as it sifts through the substrate. It can also blow jets of water from its mouth to clear the sand away and make its hunting strategy a bit easier. Triggerfish are named for their spines, which they use to lock themselves in crevices so that predators have a hard time removing them. The reef triggerfish will sometimes make grunting noises when fleeing predators, which may have contributed to early Hawaiians finding them to be pig-like. Marine scientists believe these noises act as a warning call for other triggerfish.

If you do spot the reef triggerfish, you will usually find it alone, as they prefer the solitary life, and will often act aggressively toward one another if they cross paths. You may also notice that this fish can rapidly alter their coloration, like their other triggerfish relatives and many other marine species. They are known to "turn their colors off" and assume a drab appearance while asleep or submissive, helping them to fade into the background to avoid confrontation. When a triggerfish is healthy and confident, you will see those vibrant colors.

We hope you'll get to see at least one of these magnificent fish on our Molokini snorkel tour. If you need our assistance identifying the fish that you see, don't hesitate to ask, and our knowledgeable naturalists will help. Mahalo!

Maui Marine Life Spotlight - Raccoon Butterflyfish

The raccoon butterflyfish is one of the easiest Hawaiian fish to recognize, with the black eye "mask" that they have in common with their namesake. While many Hawaiian butterflyfish feature bright or pale yellow hues, the raccoon butterfly is more of a rich gold color, which gives it a deep, dusky look when combined with its contrasting black and dark brown markings. When they make an appearance on our snorkeling tours, they're hard to miss because of their bold coloration and their moderate size at 8 inches in length.

This fish is referred to as Chaetodon lunula in the scientific community, while its Hawaiian name is kikakapu  kap. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is its broad distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific, East Africa, Micronesia, Polynesia, southern Japan, and even Australia's Lord Howe Island. This was partly made possible because its diet consists of many types of soft-bodied invertebrates like worms, sea anemones, nudibranchs, and sometimes algae and coral polyps, which can be found in many marine habitats.

If you spot the raccoon butterflyfish on our Maui snorkeling tours, it will usually be traveling in pairs or aggregations in shallow reef flats, but Scuba divers can see them in waters as deep as 75 feet. It is often seen during the day, but has also been found to be active at night.

When you snorkel in Hawaii, you'll find that there are many types of butterflyfish, and they generally share some combination of yellow, black and white coloration. However, not all of the fish with these colors are butterflyfish. The common exceptions are the schooling bannerfish and the Moorish idol, which are often mistaken for each other as well as butterflyfish. Generally, butterflyfish will feature an oblong disc shape to their bodies, while the schooling bannerfish and Moorish idols can be likened to an almost crescent moon shape.

If you're interested in learning about the types of fish that you see on our snorkeling tours, don't hesitate to ask our knowledgeable guides! They can tell you all about the many colorful members of the coral reef ecosystem that has delighted so many snorkelers and Scuba divers over the years. On that note, if you need our assistance booking your snorkeling tour, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo, and we hope to see you soon!

Book Your Maui Whale Watching Tour Early

Summer has flown by this year, and we have about one more month of Autumn before the winter months arrive. Here in Hawaii, the winter season isn't just about the holidays, it's about celebrating the arrival of the whales. While the magnificent humpbacks tend to arrive in small numbers throughout November, the month of December is when things really start to pick up. We're looking forward to December 1st, when we can begin our Maui Whale Watch Tours.

For many Maui vacationers, whale watching is a source of great anticipation. In fact, it's the primary reason that some choose the winter months for their vacation. That and escaping the cold weather of their state or country of origin. Why stay at home shoveling snow when you could be soaking up the sun and watching whales on the upper deck of a luxurious yacht or a charming catamaran?

The whales give even our large craft a run for their money on size. These gentle giants can reach up to 45 feet in length. For reference, our Maui Princess yacht is 120 feet long, and our Kaulana catamaran is 70 feet long. If you book a whale watch tour with us, we'll bring you aboard one of these two remarkable vessels, which feature some of the finest stabilizing technology, so you can enjoy the smoothest possible ride.

Maui whale watching is a joy for people of all ages and all walks of life. Whether you're on a family vacation with kids, a romantic getaway, or you're here on business with colleagues, the whales are truly a marvel to witness. As the most acrobatic of the baleen whales, they are known for giving us quite a show, with all kinds of aerial behavior to amaze their onlookers. Sometimes it seems like they're showing off on purpose! But this isn't so far off from the truth. The whales come to Hawaii to breed and give birth to their calves. Their courtship typically involves a number of males vying for breeding rights with one female, and they'll go to great lengths to get ahead of the rest of the pack in this ritual chase. Singing is also one of the typical behaviors of the males. If you take a dip ocean during the winter and spring months, you can usually hear their songs if your ears are in the water.

If you're interested in going on a Maui whale watching tour, we strongly suggest that you book your excursion early! Since this activity is so popular, it's important to get your spot reserved on the day of your preference, since you probably have many plans to consider. If all goes well and you book early, you may find that your vacation activities end up seamless, and who knows? Maybe your whale watching trip will be the highlight of your trip, as it has been for so many others. We would love to help ensure that for you, so if you need our assistance, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo!