According to NOAA, more than 10,000 humpbacks winter in Hawaiian waters every year, traveling to the islands to mate and calve. Peak viewing typically begins in late December and runs through sometime in March, with February often described as the high point.
And as anybody who’s done a little whale-watching in Hawaii will tell you, the humpbacks generally seem pretty happy to be here. It’s common to see adult whales jumping completely out of the water or performing a range of mating behaviors, such as pectoral fin or tail slaps. On the right day, visitors can often see whales breaching from the shore — even occasionally off the coast of Waikiki.
Some of the best viewing happens, of course, on Maui, where relatively shallow waters between the Valley Isle, Lanai, Molokai and uninhabited Kahoolawe tend to attract the largest number of whales. In late January and February, in fact, it’s not uncommon to hear residents refer to the surrounding Pacific there as whale soup.
A number of larger operators, such as the Pacific Whale Foundation and Trilogy, offer solid whale-watching tour products on Maui, but more adventurous travelers might be keen for a more intimate experience onboard a smaller outrigger canoe. Companies such as Hawaiian Paddle Sports or Maui Paddle Sports offer outings onboard the smaller canoes during whale season that, depending on the day, may get clients extraordinarily close to humpbacks.
It’s important to remember, however, that whales visit all of the islands during Hawaii’s humpback season, so if clients have a destination other than Maui in mind, there will still be opportunities for them to see the majestic creatures in the wild.
And folks shouldn’t forget that the western Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, which again is home to some relatively shallow water, draws a great many humpbacks impressively close to the coastline each year. Travelers will also typically find fewer boats out looking for whales each day on the Big Island compared with what can be a relatively crowded ocean around Maui during peak viewing periods.
For those interested in a destination that offers whale watching and all-inclusive resort amenities Puerto Vallarta is a great destination. Whales can be seen in Banderas Bay.
During the beginning of the Puerto Vallarta whale watching season we typically encounter only adult Humpback whales. At this time of the whale watching season there are new whales arriving every day, males and females. Typically early in the season we see more females that are not pregnant and males Humpbacks competing for the females attention – in the hopes of mating. Once a female has mated and knows she is pregnant, she often leaves the area.
By January we typically start to see new born baby Humpbacks whales. This is really wonderful! When the baby whales are young, they struggle to swim, but soon learn and gain strength. As January moves into February we start to see baby Humpbacks becoming stronger and more active. So if you want to see happy, active baby Humpback whales in Puerto Vallarta, we recommend visiting us in February and March.
CONTACT TRAVEL FOR YOU TO CONFIRM YOUR WHALE WATCHING ADVENTURE!
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