Right around Thanksgiving, humpback whales start arriving in Maui. Humpbacks migrate from their Alaskan feeding grounds each year to give birth, raise the young whales, mate, and return to Alaska in April. The waters around Maui are teaming with whales playing, courting, raising their young, and just having a warm respite from the freezing waters of the arctic.
Humpbacks don't eat anything in the warm Hawaiian waters - krill, their favorite food, don't live in warm waters but only in arctic oceans. So while they spend winter in Maui they lose about one-third their body weight.
Early December is an ideal time to visit Maui -- just before the busy holiday season and when fellow tourists are just starting to shovel snow back on the mainland. Airline tickets cost less and hotels charge much less than they do in January.
The Honua Kai Resort & Spa is the place to stay and you can see whales from your villa's lanai, if you have an ocean view. The Honua Kai is the latest and hottest 5-star resort on Maui located on the #1 beach in the world Ka'anapali Beach in northern Maui. The reviews are in and they are just fantastic.
I've taken whale watching trips for 10 years and my recommendation is to find excursion companies that specialize in Zodiac boats. A Zodiac is the only way to get up and personal with a whale the size of a school bus. Pregnant women and folks with back problems or recent surgery are not allowed to ride on Zodiacs.
The best bang for the buck activity on Maui is a Zodiac ride for two hours searching for whales. Every one of our trips has been breathtaking and fun. We have met lots of folks who actually go whale watching every day while on Maui! If you take a number of trips with the same adventure company you will get Pre-Boarding status and snatch the best seats.
Bring a hat and sunglasses - polarized sunglasses are far superior to normal ones - you can see the whales swim under the boat with polarized ones. Also, put suntan lotion on any exposed skin as the UV rays will burn even on cloudy days.
Show up about 30 minutes before the boarding time and when you do you will be given a numbered ticket - the lower numbers are allowed on the boat first. This activity does have a great discount which basically has adults buying tickets priced for kids prices if you buy your tickets from the right excursion company.
Shane Canty, the author, can be found at Honua Kai Cafe writing articles about the Honua Kai, Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, and Maui. Shane also writes articles for Maui Tours a website that offers rock bottom prices for tours and excursions for Maui and all the Hawaiian Islands.
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