Maui: A Whale of a Sun-Splashed Winter Wonderland

Just like clockwork, humpback whales migrate to the Maui Channel annually by the thousands in Earth's longest mammal migration. They arrive between late fall and early spring during their 9,600-kilometer (6,000-mile) round-trip from Alaska.

I've been very fortunate to see them breaching, fluking, spyhopping, and slapping the surface –– from my hotel room, the beach, and boats. In fact, on my last trip to Maui this past March (five months before the devastating Lahaina fire) with my wife, myself, and another couple, I swam and snorkeled, but did not scuba dive because they were all non-divers.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy seeing these leviathans every chance I got. If you’re lucky enough to visit the islands during the winter months when many of us are bundling up with knit caps, down jackets, corduroy pants, and thick gloves, there are few better places to enjoy balmy weather, cooling trade winds, the freshest seafood, a variety of water sports, and the “aloha” spirit of friendliness.

In short, it’s a whale of a winter wonderland, Hawai’i-style.

12,000 Humpbacks, 7 months, Tons of Opportunities.

Each summer, humpbacks can be found in their feeding grounds in the icy waters off British Columbia, Alaska, and eastern Russia, feasting on an abundance of krill, plankton, and small fish.
As the cold, harsh winter approaches and food begins to become scarce, humpbacks migrate to the warm, protected waters of the tropics, not to feed, but to breed. In the warm Maui Channel with water temperatures in the low-20s C. (high 70s F.), they mate, give birth, and fast before returning north.

In fact, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Hawai’i Wildlife Fund estimate that every winter, as many as 12,000 humpback whales travel up to 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) from Alaska to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

This migration starts approximately in late November and lasts through mid-May, although the best months are January-March. They also travel to Japan and Mexico, but the Maui Channel among the Aloha State’s islands is the most popular.

The Best Place to See So Many Whales.

This Sanctuary is the only place in America where humpbacks come to reproduce, so it’s the best place for tourists and researchers to see so many, so close to land, and so easily accessible via boat.
We were truly blessed in mid-March during our week-long stay in a condo in Kahana to see whales virtually everywhere we looked. Situated between the overcrowded Kaanapali Beach resorts and tranquil Kapalua Bay, all north of Lahaina, our third-floor condo –– which we booked seven months in advance –– provided spectacular views of Lanai and Molokai, as well as bright red sunsets, a rocky beach pounded by waves, and literally tons breaching humpbacks.

Though we expected to see far more whales than we did on our Alaska cruise the previous summer, we were literally blown away on a daily basis.

We could sit on the wraparound lanai any time of day and spot the spout from a whale’s blowhole as it surfaced. Then, with our naked eyes or aided with binoculars, we could watch them breach.

As we watched The Oscars on TV in the living room, one whale’s activities

caught my eye. Walking over to the windows with my binoculars, I counted

it breaching and furiously slapping the water 28 consecutive times!

Scientists suspect that humpback whales who display this particular behavior are communicating, as all the splashing sends long-distance messages to their pod, while the slapping creates sounds used to send messages. We also thought this behavior might be a sign of distress or aggression against other males.

How Big Are Humpback Whales?

Adults can reach up to 18.3 meters (60 feet) in length, weigh up to 36,300 to 40,800 kilos (80,000 to 90,000 pounds), while newborn calves can be 3 to 4.8 meters (10 to 16 feet) long, weighing 1,360 kilos (3,000 pounds).
An adult humpback’s heart weighs about 200 kilos (450 pounds) and pumps

as much as 2,840 liters (750 gallons) of blood through its body. By contrast, a blue

whale’s heart is the size of a VW Beetle and weighs more than 450 kilos (1,000 pounds).

Whale Watching By Boat.

We took three whale watching trips during this vacation. The first was a 2.5-hour premium sunset cruise with dinner out of Lahaina on a Sea Maui 65-foot catamaran. Though the food was just so-so, the drinks were potent, and the crew was very accommodating. We saw too many whales to count – breaching, fluking, and spyhopping. Quite an evening and definitely worthwhile.
The next day, my buddy and I booked the Leilani Molokini Snorkel out of Maalaea Harbor from 8am – 1pm on the Pride of Maui, another 65-foot catamaran. We didn’t see any whales on the ride out to this half-sunken volcanic crater, but did see quite a few on the way back.

As with previous trips to this popular destination, the semi-circle of the crater area was filled with “cattle-marans” – I counted at least 12 boats with dozens of people on each one. The snorkeling was quite good – pretty decent visibility and tons of Hawaiian triggerfish. The crew rented shorty wetsuits for extra warmth. They also prepared breakfast and lunch with an open bar. Many happy campers!

A few days later, we were back on the Sea Maui, this time out of Kaanapali Beach, for a third whale watch. I asked one of the crew members who’d lived on the islands for about a decade what he thought was the penultimate date for seeing the leviathans. He didn’t hesitate and blurted out, “February 26th!” Again, we were treated to a whale of a show of breaching and fluking.

A Humpback “Sound Splash” I’ll Never Forgot.

But on our honeymoon 30 years ago, we were on a whale watching lunch catamaran out of Lahaina. We saw some humpbacks, started snorkeling, and heard their hauntingly beautiful songs from about 200 meters away underwater.
Then, we actually felt the sound vibrations reverberate through our bodies. It was like getting splashed with a liquid wave of sound.
Only male humpbacks sing, but no one really knows why. Their complicated songs are composed of phrases and sub-phrases that they repeat every 6-18 minutes. However, their melodies do not repeat year after year; instead the whales pick up from where they left off the previous year.

Each whale has his own ditty and each tends to point his head down when singing, so I’ve heard suggestions that divers and snorkelers should look down when they're trying to tune in. Because about 12,000 humpbacks migrate annually from Alaska to Hawaii, there's a whole lotta singing going on.

“Fluke” – The Book.

I first read “Fluke: Or I Know Why The Winged Whale Sings” by Christopher Moore many years ago. This hilarious novel, which I happily thumbed through again on this trip, is about a Maui whale researcher named Nathan Quinn who is trying to figure out why whales sing.
One day, Nate wonders if he’s spent too much time in the sun because he took a photo of a humpback’s fluke, then zoomed in to read “Bite Me” scrawled on its tail. It’s available on Amazon and is a true joy, even the second time around.

Listen to a Hauntingly Beautiful Song by Judy Collins.

One more thing... "Farewell to Tarwathie" was recorded by this American singer in 1970. Many who have listened to this YouTube video have said that it's almost as if she's on a ship's prow, singing to the whales themselves. I love this song and sing it to myself whenever I see these most amazing mammals.

Remember to Book Early.

While Maui is the second most popular island for tourists after Oahu, especially during “whale season”, I highly recommend it to see these magnificent creatures.
But please book early for hotels or condos and especially whale watching cruises. They all sell out months in advance so the sooner you book, the better, to enjoy a whale of an experience that you won’t soon forget.