The Hawaiian Islands are a national marine sanctuary for humpback whales — a protected environment for these amazing creatures to breed and give birth. It’s such a delight to see a humpback whale’s spout (breath) or tail break the ocean’s surface. If you’re lucky, it’s absolutely thrilling to see a whale breach by jumping out of the water and creating a big splash.
When we visit Hawaii during humpback whale season, we spend just about every spare moment whale watching. It’s truly addictive. If you want to see humpback whales on your Hawaii vacation, we’ve gathered some fantastic data and information to help you decide when and where to go.
When is the best time to see humpback whales in Hawaii?
In your research, you may have seen different timeframes defining humpback whale season in Hawaii. November, December and January are frequently listed as the start of the season with April and May usually designated as the end of the season. Of course, that means that January, February and March are the peak months of humpback whale season.
NOAA says the season runs from November to May, but there are certainly highs and lows within that timeframe. To better explain Hawaii’s humpback whale season, we’ve created an easy to read chart to help you understand how likely it is that you may see humpback whales based on when you visit.
| Likelihood of seeing Humpback whales? | |
|---|---|
| January | High |
| February | High |
| March | High |
| April | Medium/Low |
| May | Very Low |
| June | None |
| July | None |
| August | None |
| September | None |
| October | Very Low |
| November | Low |
| December | Medium |
Where are the best places to see humpback whales in Hawaii?
Where you go to see humpbacks in Hawaii is as important as when you go. The following map indicates the density of humpback whale sightings in Hawaii. From the low to high designations, you can see that the highest concentrations are:
- On the north and west coasts of Kauai
- On the north shore of Oahu and the easternmost tip
- The area between Molokai, Lanai and Maui
- The area north of Kona and up the Kohala Coast
We’ve visited all of the Hawaiian Islands during humpback whale season. When choosing a hotel or condo, from our experiences, we’ve found that the very best humpback whale action is along West and South Maui and the Kohala Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. The above density map only reinforces our experiences.
Putting it all together – how to maximize whale watching in Hawaii
So, if you really, really want to see lots of humpback whales on your Hawaii vacation, go during the peek of the season between January, February and March. It is generally believed that February is the absolute peak of the season. Stay at a hotel along the areas of high humpback density. We recommend West or South Maui and the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. See our where-to-stay guides for Maui and the Big Island for insights on accommodation selection.
More advice for humpback whale watching in Hawaii
Take a boat tour
Of course, you can observe whale activity from the shoreline, but we recommend you take a boat tour to get a closer view of humpback whale activity. All of our best whale photos were taken from a boat tour.
Several boat tour operators offer specific whale watching tours, but if you go on other boat tours, like a snorkeling tour, it practically doubles as a whale watching tour. From many snorkeling tours that we’ve taken, we’ve see plenty of humpback whales during the peak of the season.
Most whale watching tours run from mid-December through March to mid-April. If you are visiting during one of the months of low to medium humpback whale activity or from one of the islands that have less activity, taking a boat tour can help increase your chances of seeing whales.
Here are some whale watching tours and companies that we recommend to friends and family:
- On Maui, Maui Sailing Canoe is excellent. Read about our Maui Sailing Canoe experience. For a bigger boat, we can also recommend Pride of Maui which offers these tours:
- Pride of Maui Elua Luxury snorkeling tour
- Pride of Maui Maxi Catamaran snorkeling tour
- Pride of Maui Elua luxury whale watching tour
- Pride of Maui sunset dinner cruise with Hawaiian hula
- On the Big Island, we like Mauna Lani Sea Adventures and Ocean Sports.
From the shoreline, try to find an elevated view point
It’s easier to see humpback whale activity when you have a bit of elevation above ocean level. From a cliff near the ocean or even a high floor of an oceanfront condo building or hotel offers a larger viewing area for whale watching.
Try not to stress too much about getting the perfect photo
Honestly, it’s really challenging to have your camera pointed in the right spot and snap at the perfect time. I’ve seen so many fellow tourist in angst trying to capture unpredictable humpback whale actiivty. So, please try not to stress over picture taking. Make sure that you allocate time just to do some humpback whale watching with your eyes and build those memories.
Final advice
- Bring binoculars.
- Additional resources:
No matter when you go to Hawaii, we hope you have a whale of a time!
Sheila Beal
5 comments
I used to work on a sailboat in Maui for 4 years and the business whale activity times were definitely between Dec – Feb.
We have always stayed on the south coast of Kauai in January and see many humpback whales, even in close.
the first whale sighting will be 11 nov 2018
We have been watching whales (two different kinds) from my back yard in Paradise Park on the Big Island since Jan.1,2020. Watching them breach is truly amazing.
09/27/2022
We usually come in March and always look forward to a few whale watching cruises.