BEST OF MAUI WHALE WATCHING

Maui's favorite wintertime visitors are the humpback whales that migrate from Alaska to Hawaii each winter. This population of whales was once near extinction due to large-scale whaling by many nations.

At its lowest point scientists estimated the North Pacific population of humpback whales at less than 2,000 animals.

Then, over thirty years ago, many members of Maui's ocean activity and environmental communities banded together to create a new way for human visitors to Maui to become enthusiastic supporters of protecting whales, other marine animals and the world's oceans. 

These pioneers reasoned that exposing Maui's human visitors to these magnificent marine mammals, in their natural habitat, would create a "conservation consciousness" that would enlist individuals from around the world in a campaign to save the whales.

This was the beginning of Maui whale watching cruises, and the beginning of a major conservation success story.   Scientists now estimate there are in excess of 10,000 whales in this population. Although still officially listed as "Endangered" it now appears that our humpback whales may be making a major comeback from the brink of extinction.

Whales are also often easily visible from the side of a beach-hugging highway and many of Maui's resorts and hotels. For those less inclined to sign up for a boat ride, many of these beachside locations have established whale watch activities, including expert naturalists to explain whale behaviors.