Late November to mid-March is peak humpback whale season in Hawaii. Every year thousands of them migrate from waters off Alaska to the Hawaiian islands, where they give birth, mate, and nurse their young until they’re strong enough to make the journey back to rich feeding grounds in the cold waters of the North Pacific. While in Hawaii, mother whales often don’t feed at all, but sustain themselves and their calves entirely off of the blubber they were able to accumulate during the summer.

One of the most popular spots for whales to congregate is the Maui Nui area, the area west of Maui, and bordered by Maui, Lanai and Molokai. From the shores of Maui, it is typical to see numerous whales spouting, tail or fin-slapping, or even breaching, literally every time you look out to sea.

Despite that, I still didn’t expect to HEAR them so clearly.

I put on a snorkel and fins to check visibility on the reef just off Ka’anapali beach on Maui’s western shore. The visibility was AWFUL, but the whalesong was clear, and loud. It’s hard to tell just how many whales are calling in this clip – layers upon layers – and how far away they are. My wife told me there was one clearly spouting maybe a half-mile away from me during this recording, but the rest? Who knows.

During the second half of the clip, I dove to maybe 15 feet, away from surface splashing. You can start to hear the clicking of shrimp and other animals on the reef, in addition to the distant whales.

Looking forward to getting closer to these magnificent animals!

Get Out There!