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Tours · December – April

Three ways to meet the whales

Every trip runs two hours on a fast, low, twin-engine raft with a certified naturalist and a hydrophone aboard. What changes is who is on the boat with you and where you leave from — off the sand at Kaʻanapali, or from Mala Boat Ramp in Lahaina for the sunset charter.

Which tour is right for you

The whales are the same on all three. What differs is who else is aboard, where you walk to, and what time of day the light is doing something. Read down the column that matches your situation.

 Public Whale WatchPrivate Whale WatchPrivate Sunset Charter
PriceFrom $79 per guestFrom $1,350 per boatFrom $1,250 per boat
Who is aboardUp to 20 guestsPrivate charter, up to 20 guestsPrivate charter, up to 20 guests
Leaves fromKaʻanapali Beach, behind Whalers VillageKaʻanapali Beach, behind Whalers VillageMala Boat Ramp, Lahaina — behind Safeway
Time on the water2 hours2 hours2 hours
Youngest guestAges 2 and upAges 2 and upAges 2 and up

Two of you, first trip to Maui

Take the public tour. At $79 per guest it is the least you can pay to be on the water, the group is capped at twenty rather than the hundred-plus a large catamaran carries, and you are close enough to the surface that a whale coming up beside the raft is at eye level rather than three decks below.

A family, or anyone who wants the boat to themselves

Take the private charter. The boat is the same and so is the crew; what you are buying is the absence of strangers and a captain who can answer your questions rather than twenty people's. Worth doing the arithmetic — for a group of eight or more the private charter is close to the public fare per head.

An anniversary, a proposal, or photographers

Take the sunset charter from Lahaina. Late light is the difference: a breach backlit at golden hour is a different photograph from the same breach at eleven in the morning, and the water off Mala is usually flatter by then. See whale photography for what the low, open raft does for a lens.

What every trip includes

One boat, one crew, one standard. Whichever of the three you book, this is what you get.

  • A hydrophone in the water. Humpbacks sing below the surface, and on a small boat you can hear it through the speakers rather than only read about it afterwards.
  • A certified naturalist aboard, narrating what the animals are actually doing — why a calf is rolling, what a pec slap means, whether that is a competitive pod.
  • A fast, low, twin-engine raft. Low matters more than fast: your eye line is a few feet off the water instead of up on a third deck.
  • Boarding without getting wet. Kaʻanapali departures board by shuttle boat; the Lahaina charter boards at Mala Boat Ramp. Either way you step aboard dry.
  • Ages two and up, on every tour. See whale watching with kids for the honest version of what a two-hour trip is like with small children.
  • Whale-watching rules that are not optional. How we hold distance and why we sometimes shut the engines down is on responsible whale watching.

When to come

The season runs December – April. It is not evenly distributed: the channel fills through December, peaks in the middle of the season when mothers and calves are resting in the shallow water between Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, and thins again in spring as the animals start north. Any trip inside the season is a whale trip — the difference is how many, and how much surface activity you are likely to see.

The whale season guide walks it month by month, so you can match the trip to the week you are actually on island.

Not sure which one, or when to come? The whale season guide walks the migration month by month, the FAQ covers boarding and what to bring, and you can always call (808) 707-5751.

Staying in Lahaina? Where the boats leave from now. Bringing children? Whale watching with kids covers the age minimum, seasickness and what to pack. Shooting the trip? Whale photography covers the boat, the light and the kit.