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When you travel to hawaii, whale watching is more than an adventure. this can be a very memorable experience. Hawaii whale watching season normally lasts from late November until early May.

On the beautiful island of Maui, each year during this time, approximately 1,000 humpback whales migrate south –thousands of miles from their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. Scientists estimate that this swimming trip takes them from 80 to 100 days. Hawaii whale watching, Hawaii photos

The whales seem to favor the calmer bays and wide bank areas between the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Here they mate and bear their “calves” conceived the previous winter.

A mature humpback whale weighs approximately 80,000 pounds. Their calves weigh around 3,000 pounds at birth and feed off their mother’s high-fat milk for six to eight months, consuming 100 to 130 gallons per day. Strangely enough, the adult whales do not eat while in Hawaii and can lose up to one-third of their weight during this “vacation” period.

For protection, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback WHale National Marine Sanctuary was created by congress in 1992. The sanctuary area includes the waters between Molakai, Maui and Lanai as well as a small section off Kauai around the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.

The opportunities for whale watching from land are extensive. A good vantage point for seeing whales from land is basically anywhere you get a pretty good — and wide — ocean view. Maui Whale Watching Tours, for instance, McGregor Point and Lighthouse on the west side of the island is a well-known whale watching place.

Off the coast of Kilauea, Kauai, groups of porpoises and sea turtles, as well as humpback whales, are often spotted during the winter months within 100 yards of shore. Maui whale watching, Hawaii travel

Look at the horizon for a cloud of spewing water that rises from 10 to 20 feet over the ocean’s surface. At times whale watching requires patience. Watch for a good half-hour or so; whales need to breath every 7 to 20 minutes, and their spray is simply water vapor that they exhale from their blow hole. Once you see the tell-tale spray of water, focus in on the area for another one. Binoculars can become very helpful at this point.

At times the whale will also play a little game with you, he might poke his head just a little above the water’s surface to “check out the scene.” That kind of behavior is actually called a “spy hop,” meaning it’s his way of showing off (if he feels so inclined). He’ll then leap completely out of the water. If he’s only in the mood to exchange nods, he’ll slap his tail or wave his side fins at you — that’s the humpback whale’s way of saying “Hi!”

But the best way to see humpback whales is out in their domain — and you can book a whale-watching cruise for that. Maui is the home of the Pacific Whale Foundation. In addition to providing education and research, they offer the best of Hawaii whale watching.

Hawaii whale watching tours leave Kona daily during the winter months. In addition to humpbacks, pilot whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, melon-headed whales and “false” killer whales can often be seen there.

Whales communicate underwater through mysterious “songs,” forming a perplexing series of sounds. Most Hawaii whale watching charters have a hydrophone on board, which will enable you to hear and enjoy the complex sounds of these majestic creatures.