Having trouble choosing your Maui vacation activities? If you’re interested in whale watching, but you don’t want to get on a boat, there are a number of stunning places along Maui’s coastlines where you can look out over the ocean and taking the blissful views. Whale activity can be high around some of these places, making it likely to see a breach or tail slap, or at least spouts as they surface for air. To enjoy an outing like this, you only need two things.
First, you need transportation. Some of Maui’s most amazing ocean lookout points are far apart from each other. If you want everyone on your trip to enjoy the sights, you may wish to contact us about our custom Maui tours. We can work with you to create a tour to meet your preferences. If you explore our Maui transportation fleet, you’ll find that our vehicles were designed to maximize both comfort and unobstructed views, making them ideal for a tour like this.
Second, you will want a good pair of binoculars. Even if you can see whale activity easily with the naked eye, a magnified few can turn an amazing scene into a spectacular one. The serious wildlife enthusiasts often use a spotting scope on a small tripod, but you can get a great look by using a camera with a powerful zoom. While you’re at it, you may wind up taking the most exciting wildlife photos of your life!
The South Maui and West Maui coastlines tend to see the most whale activity, as humpbacks favor Ma’alaea Bay and the surrounding waters. Papawai Point, often confused with McGreggor Point, is widely considered the best lookout on these coastlines because of its position along Ma’alaea Bay, and because of it’s perch atop one of the cliffs along Honoapi’ilani Highway. If you felt like really getting a spectrum of coastal sight seeing, Ho’okipa over on the opposite side of the island sometimes gets whale sightings, and if not, it’s always nice to watch the tumbling waves roll in below the lookout, along with the intrepid surfers who ride them.
It’s worth keeping in mind that nature is fickle, so you can never really guarantee whale sightings, but they are very common along the south and west shores of Maui during the winter and spring months. February is one of the best months to see them, because it’s toward the middle of their season here in Hawaii. They come to breed and give birth to their calves during the cold months, and return to northern Pacific waters during the warm months to feed. Even if you don’t happen to see the whales, Maui’s coastlines are breathtaking!
