Why Not Just Watch The Whales From The Shore?
Don’t Miss The Gravitass
Most of you will be able to see some whale activity from your Lanai, so why even go on a whale watching tour?For those of you perflexed by the first sentence, a porch or balcony is called a”lanai” here in the islands. You may not be able to truly understand the difference until you actually get out there on the water up close and personal. It is hard to guage the actual size from shore, one may think they are like a giant dolphin. The actual size of an adult humpback whale is actually more like a school bus, and this is very clear when one swims under our raft.
Don’t Miss the Drama
The large puff of breath from a humpback is easily visible from shore and not an uncommon sight. You will quickly discover that this breath is no mere puff when it emits from a giant 10 feet from the raft. This breath is rumbling bass with a force of air that is shocking in its power. Going out on a whale watching tour allows you to experience the intricate relationships between mother and calf, bulls and escorts. The competition pod is turbulent and grand as a group of males compete for a mate.
Don’t Miss the Intimacy
You may also witness the tenderness as a mother lefts her calf to the surface as a reminder to take a breath. The experience that really touches most of our guests is the “mugging”. A “mugging” is when a whale takes a break and comes over to check us out, and the often pop up beside the raft and look us right in the eye. One of our favorite things to do is turn off our engines and drift. We put a hydrophone in the water so you can hear the whale songs being sung below.
Check out this recent review from Tripadvisor: “We went out with Sean and Lydia on July 28 for the half day snorkel trip to and from Lana’i." The snorkelling was fantastic on the other side of Lana’i. We saw dolphins (spinner and bottle nose) at three different locations! Sean and Lydia were excellent guides. This was actually our ninth trip out with Hawaii Ocean Rafting (we have been coming to Maui every summer for the last eleven years). Our first year on the island we made the mistake of going out on one of those large boats (too many people, too far above the water, felt like cattle etc.) With this Hawaii Ocean Rafting you get to interact and meet everyone on the boat and you are so close to the water that you can even put your camera underwater for pictures of dolphins. Looking forward to coming back next year and may even do the full day trip. Thanks Sean and Lydia for a great day out.” Watch The Whales From The Shore? no!!
Our tours leave throughout the day from Maui’s Lahaina harbor. Book direct at www.hawaiioceanrafting.com or give us a call at 808-661-RAFT.