Whale Watching Adventure: Humpback Whale Behavior

Embark on a deluxe whalewatch sail in Ma’aleae and discover the fascinating social behavior of humpback whales. Enjoy a delicious lunch and an unforgettable experience with certified Marine Naturalists.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Maalaea Harbor - Depart from Ma’alaea Harbor on Maui’s Top-Rated whale watch to view our visiting humpback whales that journey from Alaska every year to Maui’s protected waters to find and mate and breed. You’ll be aboard Ocean Spirit, our luxury sailing catamaran that offers the maximum in space and comfort.
    You’ll have plenty of room to roam…
What's Included
  • Lunch
  • Professional guide
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
  • Beverages
  • Local taxes
  • Surcharges on fuel
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off services are not available.
Additional Information

This special three-hour informative and fun whalewatch is led by a team of Pacific Whale Foundation’s certified Marine Naturalists and Marine Biologists, who explain and interpret the social behavior of humpback whales. Listen to whale songs through underwater hydrophones, watch mothers and calves interact, and see males compete for females.
Every trip…

Location
192 Maalaea Rd
Maalaea Road
You will check in at our Pacific Whale Foundation Ocean Store located at the entrance to the Harbor Shops complex adjacent to the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(45 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Jerzy
Feb 26, 2025
Fantastic!! - Fantastic Whale Watch experience! The boat and crew were wonderful, friendly, well-informed, knowledgeable, and professional. The lunch was very good and plentiful. Best part of the day - watching a baby whale jump out of the water all along the coastline. We saw plenty of other whales, too. Would highly recommend this company to all!!
Review provided by Viator
Conniec965
Jan 27, 2025
Fabulous morning sail! - It was so worth getting up early for a beautiful sail and lots of whales! lovely crew that took good care of us and shared good information about the humpbacks and their little ones. Perfect morning sail - highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neal_d
Jan 3, 2025
Fun family whale watch and sail - Crew was really great. We saw quite a few humpback whales and a few breaches from a distance. Elise and Desmond were great.
Review provided by Viator
H6699qvdavida
Dec 19, 2024
The best whale watching anywhere! - The best whale watch tour I have ever been on. I know it is partly luck but we lost count of all the whales we saw. The crew was great too! Pacific Whale Foundation is a great cause also!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christine_r
Nov 27, 2024
Score! - What an awesome experience. We saw 6 whales with a baby! The crew was amazing. They were attentive, funny and extremely informative. I would recommend them to all. The luncheon was delicious. If you had trouble navigating the boat, they brought you your food.
Review provided by Viator
604christianey
Mar 27, 2024
Great Whale Watching Experience - Great trip. The boat was comfortable, and at only about half capacity, there was plenty of space to move around to get the best views. The crew was very friendly and knowledgeable. Right out of the harbor a mom and calf and an adult male approached the boat and interacted with us for at least 15 minutes. Soon after they left, we encountered a competition pod of 9-10 males that did a circuit around our boat--quite a remarkable sight. There were also at least a half-dozen other whales we spotted at a distance. All-in-all it was a fascinating and exciting experience, I would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C4423ttdebw
Feb 15, 2024
Peak Whale Season - better than imagined! - Our 3-hr cruise had lots of whale sightings, plus a nice lunch. Sufficient room to move around catamaran for best views of whales. We saw lots of mother/calf groups, some with male escort. Also saw competition pod behavior (group of rowdy males following close behind leading female). Knowledgeable staff, environmentally conscious group, respectful of whales and Ma'alaea Bay.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gaberttom
Jan 24, 2024
Great day with the whales - Excellent Captain and staff. Des, the naturalist, was knowledgeable and engaging. One in our party had mobility issues and they were weary helpful. The whales cooperated with a triple jump and numerous mom-calf pairings! Worth the price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrsrice
Mar 6, 2025
Just Okay - The tour was underwhelming. Not many whales even though we were in the middle of prime whale watching season. We saw more whales from the balcony of the condo we were staying at. Food was okay. Crew was excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pernd
Feb 25, 2024
that had nothing to do with sailing - There were lots of whales to see, but there was no sailing at all, even though it was advertised as a sailing tour and there was enough wind. We chose this tour specifically for this reason... one of us wanted to see whales, the other wanted to have a sailing experience!... Why is something like this falsely sold as a sailing tour?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $167
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).