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Hawaii
(Whale Watching on Maui) (Lava Watching on Hawaii) February, 2008 |
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 Whale Watching Tours Maui: If you plan to stay a week or more, ask if they have any special discounts for taking more than one tour. We found out too late they had a package for 5 tours @ $20/trip. Valley Isle Resort (Condo units in Kahana, Maui) Island Hoppers--Hilo, Hawaii
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High on my "bucket list" (that's the list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket) was whale watching in Hawaii. It was one of the most fascinating and rewarding things I have ever done. Each fall hundreds of humpback whales
leave the cool Alaskan waters where they have fed all summer long to
travel the thousands of miles south to Hawaii where they mate and have
their young. The basin between the four islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai,
and Kahoolawe is the area where most congregate. The area is rather
shallow--only about 300 feet deep and is protected from harsh weather by
the four islands. The perfect whale bedroom and nursery.
The whales can be seen from shore and if you are at the right place at the right time, they will even come very close to shore. With a good pair of binoculars though, and a little patience, you can watch the antics most anywhere along the coast of Maui--McGregor Point being one of the favorite observation spots. The Pacific Whale Foundation stations a naturalist there to answer questions and hand out literature to visitors during the whale season which runs from December through March. Our favorite times to watch from shore were early in the morning and just before dinner time. The water was usually calmer then because the wind is quieter in the morning and evening. Also the sun is at such an angle that the water spouts you seek are much easier to spot. The truly close encounters however came on
our whale watching boat trips. We took a total of four trips. Each one
became more fascinating with our last outing leaving us breathless. During
the whale season, boat captains are required to stop engines when a whale
gets close to a boat. The reason is obvious: no moving propeller means
less chance of injury to a whale. On our last morning on Maui, we took another two hour whale watching tour which started out relatively slow. About an hour into the tour, we were surrounded by whales. A small group at one o'clock (whale spotting is relative to a clock with the bow of the boat being 12) were slapping fins and flashing tails. At six o'clock there was a mom and baby showing off. The baby was learning to breach. Then at eleven o'clock someone noticed a "competition group" headed for the boat. Competition groups we learned were made up of a two or three males who were competing for the affections of one female. The previous tour we had watched some torpedo through the water stopping on occasion to slap a fin or tail. We figured we were in for a good show but they barreled past us. Our two hours almost over, the captain decided to head for the harbor--slowly, in case we met up with a few more performers along the way. We had barely moved when someone shouted, "Five o'clock! Three whales!" All of a sudden, the motor stopped and the captain announced that the whales were so close to the boat that we would have to cut the engines and wait until they moved on.
The whales were like puppy dogs swimming up to the boat underwater and then turning over as if they were hoping we could scratch their tummies. When they turned over under the water, the white underside was easier to see and we could tell how truly big they were. Think yellow school bus. Now imagine something that big jumping straight out of the water. On the day we went diving, we were on our way to the dive site when all of a sudden a whale breached within a couple hundred feet of the boat. Straight up! Twice! Later, under the water we had the privilege of not only encountering a pod of 25 or so dolphins but we were able to hear the whale songs. Since sound carries so far underwater, it was difficult to tell where they were but what an amazing experience! I know I'm supposed to cross things off the bucket list but I think I'll pencil this trip in again. ©Karen Robbins All text and photos on this page are copyrighted in my name. Please obtain permission for use. 10/18/2008 |
High on Bob's "bucket list" was seeing red hot lava. When we planned our trip to Maui we did it with the intention of going to Hawaii, the big island, to see the lava flow. We were there in June, 2007, and drove down the Chain of Craters road to view the large plume of steam where the lava was entering the ocean. We didn't have time (we were there on a cruise) to hike out to where it was flowing--an all day trip. Two days after we left, a series of
earthquakes shook the area and cut off the flow of lava to the ocean. It
also created cracks in the road we had We took an Island Air flight from Maui to Hilo, Hawaii and stayed in a wonderful house right near the entrance to Volcano National Park. We learned that lava was flowing again from the Pu'u O'o crater but was only visible by air. Since we lost some dear friends a few years ago to a helicopter crash on Kauai, I refused to consider a helicopter ride. We did find a company called Island Hoppers that had air tours in a six passenger plane. It was a great compromise. Our pilot was wonderful. He flew us over the crater and circled twice to be sure we all got pictures. Then he followed the lava flows and criss-crossed a couple of times so we could see how it was flowing. While deep inside the crater, you could see the lava rushing underground, on top it didn't move as fast and the flows were more like rivulets of water you watch roll down a window. (See video--click here.) We got a good look at how randomly things are destroyed. Here and there in the middle of the lava field was an oasis of green. One such oasis surrounded a bed and breakfast which our pilot said was still occupied by its owner who refused to leave. Another barren area had new homes being built on it. The people still owned the property. It was just a lot higher than it had been a few years ago. Our rental house was so close to the park
that we were able to go to view the Kilauea crater earlier in the day than we had ever visited
before. What a difference a few hours We also made an interesting side trip to see tree molds. Now we expected it to be some sort of fungus growing on trees. But what we found were holes in old lava flows from large trees that took longer to burn when the lava flowed through. They left behind a "mold" in the lava. Shortly after our return home, the news shows were reporting that the lava had now reached the ocean and was once again flowing into the ocean where it could be observed a little more closely. Ah well, timing is everything. I guess Bob will be putting this back on his bucket list too.
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our delight they held us captive for 45 minutes while they swam around and
under the boat. Twice we were sprayed with "whale snot". One would dive
down and pop its head up about 3 feet out of the water and slowly turn
around eyeing us to see what we were doing. If the deck of the boat had
not been so high off the water, we could have reached out and pet him. His
behavior is called a spy hop. (
driven on and the road was closed. Of course our trip for February was
already planned--deposits made and all.
makes! The view was spectacular. There were no heavy clouds passing
through early in the morning. Usually as the day wears on, clouds begin to form
and visibility declines. We drove Crater Rim Drive but most everything was
closed due to a high content of sulphur dioxide gases in the air. (As I
write this, there has been an explosion in the Halema`uma`u crater and a
new gas vent is spewing even more dangerous fumes. A good section of
Crater Rim Drive is closed.)