Whale Season Is Here

By Joe Flanagan

The first whale this season was spotted off the west coast of Kauai on September 16, 2014.

Whales have begun migrating all the way from their homes in Alaska down to the warm coastal waters of Hawaii.  The official start of the whale season begins in late December and lasts till about May, with the peak season being from January to March.  Around 7,000 humpback whales come to the Hawaiian islands every year to mate and give birth to their newborns.

Many tour companies will be offering trips out into the open waters to see these massive creatures in their natural habitat.  Maui is the island known to have the most whale activities with the Maui Whale Festival sponsored by the Pacific Whale Foundation.  They’ll have a marathon run for the whales in January, the Parade of Whales in February, along with many other activities.

Back on our own island of Oahu, there’s many places from the shore you’ll be able to spot the humpback whales:

• Ka’ena Point
• Halona Blowhole Lookout
• Hanauma Bay
• Shark’s Cove
• Makapu’u Lighthouse
• Turtle Bay Resort
• Lanikai

If you see any, feel free to reply back here.  It would be great to get some feedback on potential places to see whales this season.

 

The North Shore Tours

From our tour guide Cliff

We load up the van by 10:30 in the morning, and get out of Waikiki. Since I’m driving and don’t know some people’s names, everyone introduces themselves, says where they are from and a little about themselves. Backpackers who haven’t met each other yet often find new friends sitting next to them on the ride up.

The ride up to Haleiwa takes about an hour, depending on traffic. Haleiwa is a scenic country town on the North Shore famous for surfing, garlic shrimp and shave ice. We stop there for 45 minutes, everyone grabs snacks, does a little shopping, maybe try a shave ice or poke (Hawaiian raw fish) and then we are on our way to the beach!

There are a lot of great beaches on the North Shore, too many to see in one day. I try to pick the best ones where we will have the most fun. There is Waimea Bay, where we can jump off a cliff into the ocean, and maybe see manta rays .There is Lani Kea beach, where we almost always see turtles and is a great snorkel spot when the conditions are good.

For lunch we go to my favorite shrimp truck on the North Shore, the owners are very friendly, the kitchen is very clean, and the garlic shrimp is the best in town. There is also a great coffee bar that serves smoothies made with local fresh fruit, and a dish called the Marley Bowl, a huge fruit salad that everyone raves about!

After lunch we head back to the beaches: Sharks Cove and Three Tables are great for snorkeling and seeing marine life in the tide pools. Many people say that they enjoy snorkeling Sharks Cove more than Haunama bay because they see more fish! Pipeline can be a lot of fun when the swell is not too huge; we take boogie boards along in case the waves are just right. Everyone enjoys watching the sun set from Sunset Beach; chances are good we’ll see a green flash as the last of the sun dips below the ocean. Or maybe we’ll go to a secret spot I know where everybody can stroll through a jungle and get some peace and quiet on a deserted beach.

It’s a fun day and a long tour, about 9 hours start to finish, and most people are tired and sleep on the ride back to Waikiki. We get back around 7:30 or 8 pm, just in time to take a shower, rest up and get ready to go out on the town, or relax in a hammock at the hostel for the evening.