Whale watching in Maui...

[watergal]

Would appreciate any advice re whale watching excursions in Maui. In the past, we have used the Pacific Whale Watching Foundation boat and there was one lonely whale the boat followed with the microphone in the water to pick up its mournful sounds but alas, it never surfaced. Are there others out there any of you would highly recommend? We're sailing on the Island Princess Nov. 20 and perhaps this is entirely the wrong time to expect to see many/any whales.

[lois1112]

I went last september and did the princess whale watching excursion and we saw many whales up close. we also saw many from our balcony on the ship (just high above). If the whales are not around there is nothing the whale watching company can do. You should see them.

This is a wonderful cruise, you will loce it.

[nets33]

Early spring is the best Whale watching times in Hawaii - the whales migrate to Hawaii to have their young in late fall / winter and the spring is when there is a lot of activity.

 

I did an excursion through the Pacific Whale Foundation and loved it. Sounds like you had a bad day for whale watching.

[Beach4me]

I have done several whale watches in Maui and have found PWF to be the best. Early and late in the season, it can be a crap-shoot as to the number of whales. Report back on what you end up choosing and what you thought of the trip. We'll be on the Island in January but are opting not do do a whale watch in Maui this time around. Just too much else we want to do. And, I'm REALLY hoping that we see our share of whales from the ship. (Fingers and toes crossed!)

 

Have a fab trip! (And please post a full report upon your return!)

[spleen93]

I agree - I think Pacific Whale Foundation is one of the best whalewatching outfits on Maui ...

 

Spleen

[daWoods]

Another vote for PWF. Great value for the money, but even they can't guarantee whales, especially this time of year. We did it in Feb/March and saw at least 10, many in a competition pod, and one that swam right beside the boat about 10 feet under water. What a sight.

[zelker]

January is when you start to have a pretty good chance to see more of them on a regular basis. February and March are "whale soup" -- they're everywhere! Then it dies down again in April and by May, you might get a mom-calf pair with an escort.

 

According to the PWF web site, the first whale of this season was spotted in October. Also, don't know what day(s) you'll be on Maui but PWF is offerring a special welcome the whales back cruise on Nov. 25th.

 

We like Captain Steve and Maui Adventure Cruises which both take out large inflatable rafts where you get right up next to these big giants. What a hoot!

[yogi]

Do you nrrd to make reservations with Pacific Whale watching? Thanks

[zelker]

Do you nrrd to make reservations with Pacific Whale watching? Thanks

 

If you're going to be there over Thanksgiving, I'd suggest it especially if you want to go out at a particular time. Their web site is:

 

http://www.pacificwhale.org

 

Hope you see some whales!!! THere's nothing more spectacular!

[deekay205]

My granddaughter (16) and I had dreams of doing some whale watching when we are in Maui Dec 22 and 23. The only problem is that we dock in Kahului, while I have been noticing that Lahaina is the port mentioned to access these tours.

Does anyone know how we could get on an excursion that would allow us to see whales. One imp. thing - neither of us drive.:o

Dee and Kelsey

[Beach4me]

You will really enjoy whale watching in Maui. It will be an unforgetable experience...I hope you do it!

 

You have a couple options. First, the ship will probably offer a trip. Otherwise, you can give Pacific Whale Foundation a call. If you can't make it to Lahaina, you can take one of their trips out of Ma'alaea harbor (in the town of Wailuku). Ma'alaea is between Kahului and Lahaina. I don't know if PWF will offer a shuttle but you could also contact the Maui Ocean Center (phone number 808.270.7000). It is at Ma'alaea harbor. They may offer a shuttle and you can just walk over to the PWF boat. The website for PWF is noted in a prior post. You can get their number from there.

 

I don't know if Maui offers shuttles from Kahului harbor to Lahaina or not but I wouldn't be surprised. When I visit Maui, I always stay on the Lahaina side of the island so I can't help you with that.

 

Enjoy your whale watch!

[deekay205]

Beach4me - Thank you for your prompt and informative reply. I will start looking for an excursion based on the info you gave me. We are on the Pride of Aloha, and I do not see that they have a Whale watching trip as such. I will call NCL in the morning just to make sure. The last time I was in Maui we docked in Lahaina and I was disappointed to learn that POA does not dock there. I loved walking along the beach near the port and was priviledged to watch the Festival of Canoes ceremonies.

[beachchick]

It's highly unlikely that Pacific Whale Foundation (or any other tour operator) will offer a shuttle from Kahului to Lahaina. It's almost an hour's drive and would be quite expensive in both time and fuel. There have been some posts in the past couple of months about independent shuttle companies that do go across the island. A taxi from Kahului to Lahaina would be prohibitively expensive, well over $100 r/t. A taxi to/from Ma'alaea would probably be about 1/2 that. Best bet will be to do an advanced search for "maui shuttle" and/or "maui luau" (at least one was in reference to transportation to/from luaus) and/or "maui transportation." Go back only 3 months, and make sure to scroll over to the "Forums to Search" and select "Hawaii" even though it will already be highlighted (don't know why, but this helps the search engine). I'm positive there was specific information on shuttle options.

 

I think now that the three Pride ships are in service that a shuttle company could rake in the bucks by doing routes from Kahului to Lahaina/Kapalua/Kihei/Wailea/Makena all day and into the evening, especially for those going to luaus who also want to imbibe. The excursion operators do not (and almost certainly are not going to start) offering pickup at the pier and many pax don't want to rent a car or take a ship's excursion. Hm, maybe DH and I should rent a van on our PoH this winter and recoup the cost of the cruise by offering cross-island rides to fellow pax (at a discounted rate, of course). We'll just have been on Maui for 5 days (only 5, sigh; usually 7 is our absolute minimum) and don't have anything much planned except going to Iao and then lounging around the ship. DH knows the island very well and is an excellent driver. Must ponder this idea....LOL.

 

Edited: Just ran across this posted by lrn376 today on the Oahu shuttle thread:

Hi Marcy, Check http://www.hapapapastours.com (for Maui tours), and http://www.hawaiitravelnetwork.com. I think they will pick up at the dock. Don't know about them trying to sell time shares. I agree, it is very difficult to find tour guides to do pick-ups and drop-offs at the docks. Keep me posted and I'll do the same for you. What ship and when are you travelling to Hawaii? Thanks, Lois

 

beachchick

[deekay205]

Thanks beachchick - It seems that NCL offers a bus ride from Port to Lahaina, but not sure how convenient it will be to connect to any whale watching tours in Lahaina. Also, it is so far that I would worry about any complications that may make us late for debarkation in Maui. Will speak to NCL about this. Aloha. Dee