Hawaii is home to one of the most spectacular and breath-taking natural wonders and scenic beauty, and is famous for rewarding its visitors to experience priceless natural phenomena and marvels.
One such wonder is whale-watching. Humpback Whales gather to mate in the temperate waters of the Pacific around Hawaii, migrating some good 4,000 miles all over from Alaska, their summer feeding haven. Whales tend to increase their activity during mating, and that causes them to make a lot of surface appearances. Whale moves like breaching and tail-slaps provide scenes that are awaited by enthusiastic whale watchers all over the year.
As a local Hawaiian and a keen whale-watcher myself, allow me to offer five useful tips to you, which will ensure your whale watching experience in Hawaii to be a thing to remember.
1. Plan Your Trip During Whale-Watching Months
The arrival of the Humpbacks commences in the month of November, and they do not return back to Alaska before May starts. Plan your tour to Hawaii between these months, even more so in February and March, during which the activity of the whales is at its peak. You will easily spot whales, with some nice potential shots for the photographers. If you havent yet made your plan for Hawaii, remember to do so in the mentioned months.
2. Be at the Right Places
Another important factor is to be at the right places and right islands in order to get better views. Kauai, Maui and the Big Island are the favorites of whale-watchers. You can see some whales from Oahu too, but not as much as from the former three.
3. Take A Boat Tour
It is a natural coincidence that a popular tourist spot as Hawaii also serves as the natural habitat for the Humpback Whales, which actually allows visitors to witness a show arranged by nature herself. But you can get unimaginably close and of course, better views if you take a boat tour. The Humpback Whales are curious animals and always approach a boat, offering you almost a pleasant close encounter with the wonderful creatures.
You can find a lot of boat tours on the Lahaina Harbor all through the day during the whale-watching seasons. Whale-watching is also pretty organized in Kauai and the Big Island, and tours are arranged with schedules, which also feature expert guides that enrich your whale-watching experience by the relevant knowledge.
However, if youre not the boating type, you can even enjoy the whale-watching experience from the shore. But in order to get the best possible views from land, you need to choose some really good spots. Some of such locations on the Kauai island are the Kealia Lookout, the Kilauea Lighthouse, and many of the high spots on the coastline. Once you settle into a nice spot with all your optics focused, you can relish the joys of witnessing the spectacular spouting water plumes and the playful moves of the enormous creatures.
4. Take Care to Respect Their Space
Whale-watching can be a fun activity, but remember that it involves living creatures, and there are strict rules and ethics that regulate it in order to protect the freedom and safety of these beautiful creatures. Any observer is not allowed to get within a distance of 100 yards from the whale, whether by boat or by swimming. However there is no such rule that can prevent whales from getting closer, but experienced Hawaiian guides and tour leaders exactly have the idea of how to interact with and approach these peaceful creatures, and to encourage them to feel safe and come closer.
5. Take Care to Preserve the Species
Due to the unrestrained and unethical practice of mass commercial whaling during the early half of the 20th century, the Humpback Whales almost saw extinction staring in the eye by 1966. As you are reading these lines, there are roughly 30,000 to 40,000 Humpbacks around the world. Federal Legislation is made to protect the creatures, but the real difference is made if every individual understands his or her responsibility, and to help preserve these magnificent creatures, so that the generations to come can enjoy whale-watching, just like we do. You could take care of the following:
Only be a part of responsible whale-watching groups or activities
Keep the beach clean and never dispose off any debris to the beach and the sea. Support groups that work against illegal whaling & stop buying related products. Support relevant legislation, preservation programs and research meant for this purpose. Support and donate to environment friendly organizations and groups
Hawaii whale-watching is as close as you can possibly get to these amazing creatures without being a researcher or a biologist. There is one thing reading about it in books, and watching it on TV, but it is entirely different living the experience yourself. There is no reason why you shouldnt try. Its perfectly safe, is a fun-filled activity for the whole family. It could be one of the greatest reasons that attract you to the shores of Hawaii.
