We came to Maui in March in particular to see the humpback whales. They migrate from Alaska which takes anywhere from six to eight weeks. They can go as fast as 9 mph. Even though there is no food for these whales in Maui, they come for the warm waters to mate and breed.

The peek months of their Hawaiian existence is from mid-January to the end of March. However, a few have been seen as late as June. They live on their body fat until they reach Alaska to feed. While in Maui, the young calves drink mom’s milk, which is 40% fat.   These humpbacks can grow up to fifty feet.

Estimates say there is anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 whales in the entire world. Of course, it really depends on what scientist you are reading. I have read where these whales can live up to 80 years, but the typical life expectancy is from 40 to 50 years.

At the beginning of our whale watching trip with Trilogy Tours, this was the view of the beautiful old harbor of Lahaina, Maui, once the ancient capital of Hawaii.

It is hard to imagine that at one time sailors butchered the Humpback in the ten’s of thousands around Lahaina.  Today, millions of people come to Maui to see the whales, i.e. Marty & Kathie Bielicki

We witness 6-7 males in competitive challenges for one female. There was plenty of splashing and breaching out of the water. It was so exciting,

We even had a whale go under our catamaran. He  obviously was not getting the female attention.  He looked pretty bloody from the fight and was trying to get away from the other male whales. When they roll over to show their white underbelly, it looks “teal” under Maui’s blue ocean waters.

What was fascinating was to see a whale swim on its back, flapping its’ very large pectoral fins which can extend 15 feet in length. We saw 15 footer!

The fluke, or back tail of a Humpback, can be as much as 18 feet in length. It is with a Humpback fluke that these gentle giants can be identified.