The Best Whale Watching Sea Kayaking Trip in Maui

The Hawaiian island of Maui is the winter birthing and mating area for hundreds of humpback whales. The best way to see these gentle giants is a sea kayaking trip with whales in Maui. By using your own power you can paddle into the bay to watch the humpback adults and calves cavort in calm blue waters. If you are lucky (like we were), you’ll see whale behaviors such as spouting mist high in the air, breaching by leaping out of the water, or waving a huge fin at your kayak.

Posts may contain links to products and services I love. I may make a small commission from them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

When is the Best Time for Sea Kayaking with Whales in Maui?

The humpback whales migrate thousands of miles between Maui and Alaska each year. The females come down to calf in the warm waters on the leeward side of Maui.

The pregnant females arrive first to give birth. Next come the juvenile males and the adult males. Finally, the females with yearlings arrive. The fastest migration on record is 28 days, however it usually takes 6 to 8 weeks.

The whale watching season runs from November to April. However, prime whale watching season is mid January through February.

Best Company for Sea Kayaking with Whales in Maui

The best sea kayaking company for paddling with whales is Maui Kayak Adventures. Not only does the company offer a quality kayaking experience, they are also concerned about the sustainability of the land and marine environments in Maui. Maui Kayak Adventures sponsors beach clean-ups, encourages the use of reef safe sunscreen, uses stainless steel water bottles to reduce single use plastic, and makes sure the marine animals have the space they need to thrive in nature.

The eco-tourism practices of the company were impressive. They give back to the community through numerous organizations and support 1% for the Planet. The guides have first aid training and are certified marine naturalists.

Our guide was Katie. She was the first female sea kayak guide I’ve ever had on a commercial tour.  She said the whole crew was women except for the man who owned the company. It was refreshing to be guided by a woman after all these years. Seeing the breakthrough, as the sea kayaking industry tends to be male-dominated, is heartening.

The gear they use is perfect for the conditions and type of trip. The double Ocean Kayak sit-upon kayaks with aluminum and plastic paddles were in good shape. The lifejackets were comfortable. The guide said participants could take the PFDs off during the trip. However, they were required during launching and landing. I’m a proponent of wearing lifejackets all the time on the ocean so I found this unusual.

The guide provided a free link to digital photos at the end of the trip. This was a nice perk because many companies charge for trip photos.

Info about the Whales in Maui Seen While Sea Kayaking

During our trip, we saw many tiny calves with their mothers. The mothers are fasting so they don’t expend much energy. The mothers mainly float along on the ocean surface. After giving birth, the mothers help the baby get strong enough to make the migration back to Alaska. The baby nurses on the mother whale, drinking 130 and 150 gallons of very fatty milk every day. They grow by 1 inch and 100 pounds per day.

The gestation period for a whale is 11-12 month so the mating and births happen in the warm waters of the Hawaiian Islands. The feeding occurs in Alaska, where the humpbacks eat continuously to bulk up their weight. At the end of the Alaskan season, the humpbacks migrate back to Maui, with the mother traveling with the yearling calf. The calf is on its own from after it returns to Maui. The female breeds once every 2 to 3 years.

The male whales will sometimes accompany the mother and baby pair as an escort. They exhibit showy behaviors to attract a mate.

Sea Kayaking with Whales in Maui Trip Details

The sea kayaking trip started at a roadside beach near Olowalu on Maui’s west side. The trip runs 7 AM to 10 AM. There were six participants and the guide on our trip, although the company will take 10 total participants out.

Maui Kayak Adventures also has sea kayaking with whales in Maui tours that start in Makena to explore “Turtle Town” on the south shore of Maui. The whale watching tours don’t have snorkeling, however, the company has plenty of other snorkeling tours. We chose the Olowalu site because it was more remote and the whale sighting map we consulted showed more whales in this area.

Sea Kayaking Guide

Our guide, Katie, was knowledgeable and competent. She started off by explaining the Hawaiian language and how to pronounce Hawaiian words. The language was coming back as people had been forbidden to use it for many years. Like many Hawaiians, Katie is committed to bringing it back.

Then, she explained reef-safe sunscreen in detail and talked about the company’s commitment to preserving the ocean and the surrounding lands.

Next, we had the paddle lesson. Katie is a good teacher who used excellent examples to solidify our learning. It was the first time I heard the idea of having a puppy in your lap when you paddle that you don’t want to squish. That image is a great one to remind paddlers to keep their hands out in front of them. Finally, Katie instructed us how to enter the boat and helped us get off the beach.

Searching for Whales

As we watched the sun rise over the south side of Maui, we looked for whale spouts. When they surface to breathe the whales exhale a tall mist of water in the air. They exhale at about 300 miles per hour, so the spout is quite high. Seeing a high spot with a smaller spout next to it was very cool. That was the baby whale breathing out.

When we saw a spout, we paddled toward it. We waited to see if it would come up again. The baby stays under about 15 minutes, but the adult whale can stay submerged between breaths for up to 30 minutes. So Katie joked that it wasn’t whale watching, it was whale waiting.

As we waited for the whale to come back up, Katie showed us how to listen to the whale sounds with our paddle. You stick one blade perpendicular to the water and put your ear against the other blade where the shaft meets the blade, ensuring the blade is cupped toward your ear. After some practice, we had the amazing experience of hearing the whale singing under the water with our paddle blade.

Whale Behaviors

Whales facinate me. I’ve watched whales from a kayak or a ship over a hundred times, yet they still are awesomely surprising creatures. They exhibit behaviors that are still not completely understood by humans. We were fortunate to witness many different whale behaviors on this kayak trip.

Lobtailing

After we paddled toward another whale spout, saw a whale in the distance lobtailing. In lobtailing, the whale lifts its tail flukes out of the water and slaps down on the surface of the ocean. The whale is perpendicular to the water, bobbing up and down, and splashing its tail on the surface. Even though it was a bit of a distance, we watched the lobtailing whale perform this behavior many times.

Whale scientists speculate that humpbacks lob their tails to communicate aggression. Another theory is that the noise of slapping the water scares the fish into tighter schools so the whales can forage more easily.

The little calves breach and slap their tails to strengthen the muscles in their tail stalk in preparation for the long migration. 

Breaching

We saw a humpback breaching three times in succession. Breaching is a jaw-dropping display to see. The whale leaps straight up out of the sea and crashes back down with a huge sound and splash.

Breaching is a significant energy expenditure for the whale. Therefore, researchers suggest that a breaching whale is signaling its physical prowess in courting or dominance. A second theory posits that whales slam into the water to dislodge attached barnacles.

Pectoral Fin Slapping

Humpbacks have the largest appendage of all mammals. We saw whales waving their pectoral fins in the air. The whales slowly raise one or both fins and slaps them on the water. Again, there is speculation that pec-slapping is a form of communication between potential mates, or between a mother and calf.

Whales Singing

Humpbacks are known for their complex sounds. They depend on hearing more than sight and smell to communicate and feed. Adult males sing to attract a mate.

Our guide submerged her camera to record the songs of nearby whales. Turn up your volume and enjoy this whale karaoke!

Grand Finale of Whale Watching

Finally, as the trip was starting to draw to a close, we experienced the grand finale of whale watching. We paddled toward another spout, and saw whales surfacing and blowing. As we were watching a mother/calf pair, the sound of another spout turned our heads to see an escort whale behind us. We were precisely in the middle of a pod of whales. It’s exciting to be in a tiny boat over these huge animals.

Then, as we headed the kayaks toward shore, a group of whales swam past raising their pectoral fins and waving at us. Several times one whale raised both fins. They continued waving at us for a while and swam away. At that point, one whale started breaching by propelling its huge body into the air and slapping back onto the ocean. The whole scene was a spectacular view of so many whale behaviors.

We had such an amazing time seeing so many whales at the end of the trip that we stayed out over the end time. The paddle back to shore took about 20 minutes.

It’s difficult to gauge how many miles we paddled, but it wasn’t more than I’ve experienced on other kayak tours. There were some periods of continuous paddling, however, there were also times to rest as we waited for whales to appear. The guide made sure everyone could keep up and stay together.

Logistics of Sea Kayaking with Whales in Maui

Getting Around Maui

You will need a car to enjoy the many outdoor adventures of Maui. Besides getting to the whale kayaking put-in, we used our rental car for finding prime snorkeling spots, venturing to the top of Halakala peak for sunset, and driving the Road to Hana.

I use and recommend Discover Cars for your Maui car rental. Discover Cars works with reliable local car rental companies to give you the best price and rental experience. I’ve used them often and have always been happy with the car rental. You can also check RentalCars to compare prices. With any rental car, reserve early for the best rate.

Accommodations

Similar to car rentals, book early for preferred accommodations in Maui. Our location in Kihei was an excellent base for exploring the island.

We stayed in a lovely Air BnB, Dancing Turtle, while in Maui. We also heard great things about the Sugar Beach Resort. You can sit on your balcony with a pair of binocs and watch whales in the bay.

Communication

If you have a US phone plan, your data will work in Hawaii. Expect to find limited cell phone reception on the Road to Hana and parts of Halakala National Park.

For international visitors, I’ve become a fan of E-sim cards for communication. An E-sim card can be bought online and easily installed on your phone before you travel. When you reach your destination, you turn on the E-sim in your settings and you have data to use when you are away from Wifi.

I use an Airalo E-sim card for all my international travel. E-sims are significantly less expensive than most phone carrier’s international charges. Plus, it’s easy to top them off when you run low on data.

Sea Kayaking Gear

Related post-> The Best Gear for Fantastic Sea Kayaking Camping Adventures

Wrap Up of Sea Kayaking with Whales in Maui

Besides the whales, the views from the kayaks in the morning light were splendid. The deeply cut-in mountains with shade on them were spectacular. The silhouette of the mountains over the ocean was swathed with light and dark. 

In sum, it was a very professionally done trip with lots of excitement.  It was an amazing time with whales from the deck of a small boat. There was no engine noise, just the sounds of whales singing, spouting, or slapping. To be human-powered in the vast ocean and see so many whales was an experience of a lifetime. 

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Maui Kayak Adventures on this trip. I was not compensated or asked to write a positive review. All opinions are from my honest experience.

Pin it!

 

Looking for other Sea Kayaking Adventures Around the World?

Best Kayaking Day Trips in Europe

25 Best Kayaking Day Trips in the US

Amazing 10-day Sea Kayaking Trip in Baja

Best Kayaking in Hoi An, Vietnam

Sea Kayak Camping on the Islands of the Maine Coast

Sea Kayaking in the Whitsunday Islands in Australia

Amazing Sea Kayaking in Sian Ka’an on the Yucatan Peninsula

Kayaking and Snorkeling with the Amazing Sea Turtles of Tenerife

Amazing Sea Kayaking Adventures on Grand Manan Island

Kayaking Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in Arizona

The Most Amazing Sea Kayaking Adventures of Swan’s Island Maine

Amazing Sea Kayaking Adventures in the Cape Porpoise Islands