Humpback Whales in Maui

June 23, 2012 | By Merri Lou Martin

I helped my clients Loring and Lisa plan a trip to Maui in March 2012, part of which included a whale watching expedition.  With their permission, I will share their feedback here:

Thank you for helping Lisa and I plan our vacation in Maui last month.  We had a BLAST!  And, since our VERY NICE condo had a view of the ocean, we saw humpbacks from our balcony! I brought my binoculars and that helped a lot.

We also took the Trilogy whale watching tour, meeting them in Kaanapali on the beach.  We got a discounted rate because we paid and booked in advance.  The tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours and was worth every penny!  Two humpbacks came up alongside our catamaran, then under it, then right under my feet, then in front (I was standing in the middle of the catamaran with only a net below me).  Then they came up out of the water about 15 feet away and looked at us, delighting everyone including the catamaran crew!! They were HUGE whales and it was awesome!!  The crew warned us not to touch them as it is a $25,000 fine if we did.

Lisa learned how to surf in Lahaina.  We took a dinner cruise one night, also out of Lahaina, and saw more whales.  We went to church on Sunday nearby our condo, then ate lunch at a gazebo restaurant near the ocean and saw even more whales!