Maui Whale Watch

[Tutone56]

We are on the POA in March and will have 2 days in Maui, docking in Kahului.  We'd like to do a whale watch on our second day.  I haven't seen any that originate in Kahului so I was considering taking one out of Lahaina.  Any suggestions on a tour operator?   Also, what is the easiest way to get there, looks to be about 35 minutes.  I'm sure there is a ship excursion but I thought we might be able to do this on our own, thanks.

[Beachiekeen]

You would probably need to rent a car, that’s probably the cheapest option. You could have lunch in Lahaina and walk around after, it would be a fun day. We have used Hawaii Ocean Project on a land vacation, Captain Steve’s comes highly recommended if you want a raft.

[CruiserBruce]

If you read down the board, there are many threads on your questions.

 

First, the closest whale watch will be Ma'alaea Harbor, which is about 25 minutes from the ship. Lahaina is more like a minimum 45 minutes from your ship. In both ports, Pacific Whale Foundation is a good and commonly recommended vendor.

 

We like to go out of Mala Harbor, about 10 or so minutes past Lahaina, with Capt Steve's, a great small boat operator.

 

Renting a car is your best bet.

[princeton123211]

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

We like to go out of Mala Harbor, about 10 or so minutes past Lahaina, with Capt Steve's, a great small boat operator.

Capt Steves is a great recommendation-- we've tried a bunch of operators over the years and he's the best. 

[Beachiekeen]

3 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Capt Steves is a great recommendation-- we've tried a bunch of operators over the years and he's the best. 

 

I always want to point out that this is a raft which is not the best option for some people:  elderly, people with back issues, etc.  But a great rec if that's not an issue.

[FritzG]

We've taken the Pacific Whale Foundation whale watch several times over the last few years, and we highly recommend them.  There is a naturalist onboard who is a wealth of information, and we've seen lots of whales each time.  We've already booked them for 2 tours on our B2B cruises on the Star Princess in Feb. and March.