Whale Watching in Lahaina, Maui

Luckily I was pointed in the right direction for this shot. I whipped up my camera, and 400mm lens, and pushed the shutter right at the apex of this whales breach. We had several breaches this afternoon, but this was the best. The island of Maui can be seen beyond the whale.

This is the time to be in Maui! January through March is peak whale season here in the islands. And of all the Hawaiian islands, Maui is where you can find the most. They are here to breed and to give birth. What makes them so much fun to watch, is that they spend so much time at the surface. They are the acrobats of the whale world. They raise their fins and tail, slamming them back down. The males fight for the females in elaborate courtship competitions. Newborn baby whales swim right alongside their very proud, and very tired mothers. And if you are extremely lucky, you might get to see a breach, where the whale launches its entire 80,000lbs body out of the water.

Today we were off the coast of Lahaina, Maui. It really feels like an archipelago out here. Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kohoolawe are all visible. These are the waters of the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. We got to see lots of different behaviors, but perhaps the craziest thing was a military submarine, with a bunch of sailors standing on top of it, watching the whales. They were getting a show, too! Once we got close, one whale breached over a dozen times. I was able to get a few good photos. The sun set behind Lana'i, bringing our amazing whale watch day to an end.

This whale was doing a headstand and slapping its tail on the water, causing a loud smacking sound.

We got lucky on our whale watch with this guy breaching not too far away. The late afternoon sun lit up the water splashing off the leaping whale.

Even a nearby military submarine, probably out of Oahu, couldn't resist the urge to get some fresh air and watch the leaping whales.

Water streams off the 15ft tail of this humpback whale.

Spinning as it jumps, this humpback whale shows off its ventral pleats on the underside of its head. These pleats expand, creating a massive area that the whale can fill up with food and water while gulp feeding.

The rake marks on the tip of the fluke shows that this whale had a run in with orca at some point. Most likely up in Alaska.

A tail slapping humpback whale, in the late afternoon sun.

More breaching!

Our whale watching platform...the Safari Explorer. It is a 34 passenger expedition cruise ship.

After whale watching, we stopped here, off the cliffs of Lana'i for a snorkel at that shark fin shaped rock.

You really have to get lucky, or really put in your time to get a shot like this out here. Beautiful Humpback whale in a massive breach.

What an honor to be surrounded by these amazing creatures. Put it on your bucket list. I know Maui is far from just about anywhere, but it is worth it!