Top Whale Watching Hawaii Cruise Operators, Rates and Best Times For Guaranteed Sightings
Picture this...you're on a whale watching Hawaii boat with a cold beverage in your hand, deep blue sun drenched sky stretching forever overhead, calm green ocean all around and suddenly you hear a huge humpback whale surface nearby and blow a plume of misty vapor high into the air.
Read on and I will tell you how you can experience this by using the top whale watching cruise operators in Hawaii, what you can expect to pay for the privilege of spending two or three hours with these giants of the deep and what the best times are to get guaranteed sightings.
Trip reports and travel reviews are excellent indicators of successful whale watching cruises so I have used all the nuggets of information available in them to help you plan your trip to find these massive creatures. Maui in Hawaii is a great place to start because it is considered to be one of the best areas in the world to see humpback whales as approximately 3500 of them congregate here every year to feed, mate and raise their young. Here is a list of the best travel operators (in no particular order) used by thousands of people yearly to go on successful whale watching Hawaii cruises...
Top Three Whale Watching Operators in Hawaii
- Pacific Whale Foundation
This company has been active since 1980 and because they are a non profit organization they are the only Hawaii cruise company to donate all their earnings towards protecting the whale in their natural environment by means of conservation programs, education and marine research.
They operate using modern, well equipped catamarans powered with bio diesel fuel produced on Maui and make use of trained and certified naturalists for informative commentary about the whales.
- Ultimate Whale Watch Company
Making use of yellow, aluminium hulled boats (the company claims they are the fastest boats in Maui) which are favored by photographers because they allow photography close to water level and accommodates 14 seated passengers.
They have been in operation since 1982 and a portion of their ticket sales goes towards whale conservation. Tours start in Lahaina Town, Maui.
- Body Glove Hawaii
This tour departs from Kona so they approach the whale rich Maui waters from the opposite side.
The Body Glove boat is a 51 foot vessel that has a spacious upper sun deck to give unimpeded views and an onboard bar because whale watching can be thirsty work. Also has an onboard naturalist and uses an underwater hydrophone to track the giant ocean inhabitants down.
How Much Will A Whale Watching Hawaii Cruise Cost You?So how much would you pay for the privilege of seeing humpback whales in their marine habitat?Well, the going rate in Maui and Kona is for spending between two and three hours out at sea and includes a naturalist on board who shares lots of interesting information about the whales. Some of the whale watching Hawaii tours include refreshments in the price and some don't and many of them guarantee whale sightings from Dec 1 to May 15 which means that if you don't find any you are entitled to a refund and/or a free trip at some other time to try again (make sure you confirm the details beforehand). Here's what you can expect to pay in USD...- Adult: Between $29.95 - $66
- Child (ages 6-12): Between $15 - $44
The Best Time To Go Whale Watching in HawaiiThe peak whale watching Hawaii season is from January through April every year as this is when the bulk of the humpback whales have made the journey from the cool waters of the North Pacific to warmer waters (including Hawaii, the Soccoro Islands of Mexico, the islands south of Tokyo and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marinas) to mate and give birth.The first humpback whales begin arriving in Hawaii in November but whales are commonly seen in Maui from December through early May and the best times are from January to April (as evidenced by the guarantee that operators are willing to give at this time for whale sightings).Add Your Whale Watching Hawaii Trip ReportHow was your experience when you went to see the fifth largest whale in the world in Maui or Kona? Share your whale watching Hawaii travel report here... | 
