Maui's Peak Whale Season

January is drawing to a close as peak whale season approaches. Humpback whales migrate in throngs from their cold Alaskan feeding grounds in the summer to our warm Hawaiian waters in the winter. Although the first sightings of the year are often in October or even as early as September, different whales arrive at different times. For example, pregnant females and mothers tend to arrive around the same time while adult males arrive at another time. It's almost like regulated traffic, but when is the whale rush hour on Maui?

Peak whale watching months are February and March, which is why we mention it now at the end of January. If you are deliberating on your travel dates and Maui whale watching is on your to-do list, you might want to plan accordingly. Around this time of year, there are numerous whale-related events and celebrations going on around the island, but nothing is quite as thrilling as getting out on a whale watch tour and seeing these amazing giants in their natural habitat.

We're confident that you'll see whales on our tours, especially over the next two months. So confident in fact, you get our money back guarantee on whale sightings, while many other charters will only give you a voucher for another cruise with their company. While we're on the subject of our special deals, booking online on our website also saves you 10% of your ticket price.

Our cruises feature expert whale narration from our Captain and crew, free use of binoculars and even the use of a hydrophone so you can listen to the whales calling and singing, depending on water conditions and whale proximity. Buying souvenirs from our onboard gift shop will directly support some of Hawaii's finest marine scientists whose efforts aid in conservation, policy decisions and education, among other benefits.

If you have any questions about our whale watch tours or any other cruises we offer, we'd be happy to help. Meanwhile, click either one of the above links to go directly to our whale watch tour page where you'll find more details on all the wonderful things that we provide for you when you come out with us. We look forward to seeing you out on the beautiful blue Pacific soon! Mahalo!

Five Animals to See on Maui

Maui's unique biodiversity can enrich the vacation of any visitor who appreciates wildlife. The isolation and size of the Hawaiian islands made them an ecological hotspot for speciation ever since their formation, and despite the human impact influencing the populations of these animals, many can still be seen by those looking in the right places. Here are the top five animals you won't want to miss seeing on your Maui vacation.

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle (Honu) - This beloved marine reptile is a favorite among visitors, residents and Native Hawaiians. The honu can be spotted at many popular snorkeling spots around Maui, and sightings are common on many of our boat tours. You'll often find them grazing on algae and seaweed near coral reefs. It's important to give these animals their space. Chasing, touching or trying to ride these animals will cause them stress and sometimes result in a painful bite. Just sit back, relax and enjoy watching them from a respectful distance.

Spinner Dolphin (Nai'a) - Spinners are common sightings off Maui's shorelines, and they will sometimes pop up in large pods on our Molokini Snorkel and Lanai Snorkel Tours while traveling to or from our destinations. These are relatively little dolphins, named for their tendency to fly out of the water while spinning like a top. Sometimes they'll put on a really great show. This is a sighting you won't want to miss.

Nene Goose - Small groups of Nene can sometimes be seen at Haleakala National Park. With about 2,500 birds left, they are the rarest goose in the world, which definitely merits a sighting. Currently listed as a threatened species, keeping a respectful distance is important. While we're on the topic of birds, you might just have enough luck to spot one of Maui's rare honeycreepers at Hosmer's Grove.

Humpback Whale (Kohola) - When humpbacks fill the waters off Maui's shores, they're quite hard to miss. You will often see spouts, breaches, spy-hopping and other acrobatic maneuvers right from shore. That's why our Maui Whale Watch Tour is so exciting. There's nothing quite like seeing these aerial displays up close from the vantage point of one of our decks. We hope you'll take advantage of these sighting opportunities now while the whales are in our waters for their seasonal migration before returning to their summer feeding grounds.

Hawaiian Monk Seal (llio holo I ka uaua) - As far as Maui animal sightings go, the endangered Hawaiian monk seal is what you might call the unicorn of the group. Only 1,100 individuals are believed to exist, and it's hard to know when or where they might show up because of their scarcity. That's what makes these sightings so special. Since they sometimes lay out on the island's beaches, great care is taken by officials to guard them, and when such a sighting is made, cones or other markers are laid out to indicate your allowable proximity, which an officer will enforce. That doesn't mean you can't snap some great photos with a good zoom feature.

We hope you'll have the opportunity to see as many of these animals as possible during your Maui vacation. If you spot them while out on an ocean tour with us, then so much the better! We look forward to sharing that special experience with you. Mahalo!

Maui Vacation Activity Journaling

Keeping a travel journal is one of the best ways to remember your vacation experience and share it with others, even down the generations after time has changed the world. The technology that's always at our fingertips makes it easier than ever. While being glued to your smart phone snapping pictures can distract you from being in the moment, those images can be used to enhance your journaling, especially if you do it digitally. Regardless of your technological immersion or lack thereof, there are some strategies that you may find useful for making your journal the best it can be.

1. Set time aside to do it. This means actually planning your schedule with a block of time to log your reflections. Since you're on vacation, each day is likely packed with memorable moments that you won't want to forget about over time. As the years go by, those special little details tend to slip away. For many of us, even a few days will blur the memories, so try to be consistent and get some journaling done each day of your vacation.

2. Focus on your theme. What matters most to you about your vacation? It could be the natural beauty that you discover, the feeling of togetherness you experience when sharing your adventures with friends and loved ones, your special encounters with wildlife that you can't find at home, the qualities that make the surrounding culture so fascinating, or even the dynamic way that food enhances your vacation experience throughout the day. So what is it that stands out most to you? Focusing on the answer will give your journal a cohesive flavor that makes it all the more compelling.

3. Leave room for later additions. This is a useful technique for hand written journals in case you forgot a certain something about your day that occurs to you later. It happens, and if you don't leave yourself any space, working the information in can be awkward. If it's too late and you already forgot to leave yourself some space, a little humor can help you weave the forgotten details into your current entry.

4. Hold onto those little things. Years and years down the line, your boarding pass will be quite the novel item. A napkin from that swanky hotel bar might just make you smile. Your Maui boat tour tickets may remind you of what the adventure was like. The business card from that charming little shop where you found your locally crafted souvenirs can remind you of the treasures you found, and who you found them for. This is a central technique among savvy scrapbookers.

5. Make notes. A great way to keep track of all the details that make your day special is to note them down in your phone or on a notepad. At the end of a whirlwind day packed with exciting adventures, wonderful company and delicious food, your mind could be so overwhelmed by your experience that you might forget the name of that beach you found, or that performer you met. This also helps to make your later journaling faster and easier.

Check back next week for our next five journaling tips! In the meantime, if you need assistance with your Maui ocean tour booking, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. We hope to be part of your journal soon! Mahalo!

Hawaii Humpback Whale Migration

The humpback whales that migrate to Hawaii seasonally have always been a source of interest among both visitors and residents. For those who keep an eye on that blue horizon, they can put on quite a show with their acrobatic antics. Their great size and charismatic behavior are just a couple of reasons why our Maui whale watch tours are so popular. Although there are still some mysteries remaining as to the lives they lead below the waves, scientists have discovered many fascinating things about our humpback neighbors.

Humpbacks are found throughout the world's oceans, although their numbers dipped dangerously low as a result of whaling in the 1800's. It's estimated that as few as 1,000 were left in 1965. Now, there are an estimated 6,000 North Pacific Humpbacks alone. One of the interesting things about the humpbacks is the somewhat distinct populations they form. For example. In the North Pacific, there are three populations. The eastern stock migrate between Northern California in summer and Mexico in winter. The western stock summers in the Aleutian Islands and moves on the islands south of Japan in winter. The central stock can be found here in Hawaii in the winter, after spending their summers in southeast Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska in summer. The whales aren't too strict about their migrations though, as some mixing on the breeding grounds has been observed in all of these groups, which probably goes a long way to keeping the gene pool nice and diverse.

Hawaii's waters provide such an important habitat for these whales that Congress designated the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in 1992, where the whales would be protected as an endangered species by both federal and state law. Luckily for us, one of the two most popular places for whales to congregate is in the waters of Maui County, meaning the area between Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kaho'olawe. Their other popular spot is to the southwest of Molokai. As their numbers continue to strengthen, they have made progress spreading out toward the other Hawaiian islands.

Our whales from Alaska leave their feeding grounds in the fall and swim almost non-stop until reaching their breeding grounds in Hawaii, which can take between 6-8 weeks. At about 3,000 miles each way, it's one of the longest mammal migrations, which is why it takes them so long despite their epic size.

Marine scientists have made some interesting discoveries about Hawaii's arriving whales. Namely, who arrives when. Nursing mothers arrive around mid to late November, generally being the first on the scene. The next to arrive are juveniles and newly weaned yearlings, followed by a surge of adult males, and then adult females. The last to arrive are pregnant females, who feed in Alaska as long as possible before beginning their migration.

If you'd like to observe these awe-inspiring giants in their natural habitat, you can book your tour at our Maui whale watch tour page. If you need our assistance, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo!