Photo credits

Photographs of the Maui Whale Adventures raft, its guests and the whales seen from it are © Maui Whale Adventures and used with permission.

The photographs below are from Wikimedia Commons. Public-domain images are works of the U.S. government (NOAA, the National Park Service, the U.S. Navy). Creative Commons images are reproduced under their licences with the credits shown; links go to the source page.

FileCreditLicence
breach-west-maui-coastNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
breach-cloudyNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
breach-pec-outNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
breach-sideNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
spyhop-montereyDr. Mridula Srinivasan, NOAA/NMFS/OST/AMD.Public domain
spyhop-glacier-bayNPSPublic domain
spyhop-pair-mauiNOAAPublic domain
head-lunge-mauiNOAAPublic domain
tail-throw-mauiNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
fluke-up-west-mauiNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
fluke-seabirds-alaskaDr. Phillip Clapham, NMFS/AKFSC/NMML.Public domain
blow-glacier-bayNational Park ServicePublic domain
mother-calf-underwater-1National Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
mother-calf-underwater-2National Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
mother-calf-underwater-3National Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
three-whales-underwaterNational Marine SanctuariesCC BY 2.0
underwater-blueNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
upside-down-underwaterNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
entangled-whaleNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
disentangled-breach-mauiNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
ocean-count-volunteersNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
ocean-count-binocularsNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
pec-slap-fin-raisedEric KilbyCC BY-SA 2.0
tail-slap-lobtailU.S. Navy photo by Lt. Sara WedemeyerPublic domain
papawai-point-lookoutLuke H. Gordon from Greenwood Lake, NY, USACC BY 2.0
mcgregor-point-lighthouseRick ObstCC BY 2.0
aerial-maalaea-mcgregorForest & Kim StarrCC BY 3.0
kaanapali-beachRick ObstCC BY 4.0
kaanapali-black-rockdronepicrCC BY 2.0
whale-off-maalaeaSue Salisbury Maui H…CC BY 3.0
head-lunge-closeupNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
pod-from-aboveNational Marine SanctuariesPublic domain
fluke-up-hawaii-2National Marine SanctuariesCC BY 2.0
lunge-feeding-alaskaNPSPublic domain
feeding-krill-alaskaPersonnel of NOAA Ship RAINIERPublic domain
surfacing-blowNational Park ServicePublic domain
breach-near-vessel-alaskaNational Park ServicePublic domain
arch-dive-alaskaEvadbPublic domain

Map data: migration map coastlines from Natural Earth (public domain); shore map © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Keep exploring

More of the guide

When is whale season on Maui?

Month by month, from the first October sightings to the last May stragglers.

Surface behaviors explained

Breaches, pec slaps, spy hops, peduncle throws: what you are seeing and why.

The 3,000-mile migration

Where Maui's whales spend the summer and how they find their way back.

Whale watching from shore

Ten free lookouts between Māʻalaea and Honolua, mapped.

Best West Maui boat tours

Small raft or premium catamaran? An honest comparison.

Rules and protection

The 100-yard law, the sanctuary, and what to do if you see an entangled whale.