All of our snorkeling tours and whale watching trips leave from Lahaina harbor on the island of Maui. The harbor is right there on Front Street which is probably a place that you wanted to visit anyway. Why not grab lunch at one of the myriad and diverse eateries, browse the shops, then hop on a whale watch (Dec-May). You could also hop on one of our snorkeling tours from Lahaina in the morning and spend the rest of the day exploring this historic gem of a town. Once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early nineteenth century, Lahaina was also an historic whaling village during the whaling boom of the mid -1800’s. Up to 1,500 sailors from as many as 400 ships took leave in Lahaina. Once known as Lele, which means “relentless sun” in Hawaiian, Lahaina is a historic town that has been transformed into a Maui hot spot with dozens of art galleries and a variety of unique shops and restaurants.
Today, Lahaina is on the National Register of Historic Places. You can still get a feel for old Lahaina as you stroll down lively Front Street and visit historic stops like the U.S. Seamen’s Hospital, Hale Paaho (Lahaina Prison), the Pioneer Inn and other sites on the Lahaina Historic Trail. Approximately 55 acres of old Lahaina have been set aside as historic districts.