Deluxe Whale Watching Sail on Maui

Recommended by 92% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Maui, USA

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Get an up-close look at Hawaii’s Humpback whales during this 3-hour cruise run by a team of marine naturalists and biologists at the Pacific Whale Foundation. Each trip is different, but you’re likely to watch mothers interacting with their calves, observe mating behavior, and listen to whale songs through an underwater hydrophone. A buffet-style lunch and two complimentary drinks are also included.

Observe Humpback whales on a luxury catamaran cruise from Maui
Travel with a crew of marine naturalists and biologists from the Pacific Whale Foundation
Watch female Humpbacks as they raise their calves, and observe the males as they fight for mates
Guaranteed whale sighting or you'll receive a free rain check trip within one year of your original cruise
Enjoy an included buffet-style lunch plus two complimentary alcoholic beverages

What's Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges
Fuel surcharge
Local taxes
Beverages
Lunch

Buffet lunch
Professional guide

Gratuities
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Hotel pick-up and drop-off services are not available.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA
You will check in at our Pacific Whale Foundation Ocean Store located at the entrance to the Harbor Shops complex adjacent to the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Arrive at the Pacific Whale Foundation’s Ocean Store in Lahaina in the late morning. You’ll then board the Foundation’s ‘Ocean Spirit,’ a state-of-the-art luxury catamaran, to begin your whale watching adventure.

Your trip will head into the waters near Maui in search of the numerous Humpbacks that travel each year from Alaska to Hawaii to find a mate. During your cruise, you’ll learn about whale behavior from the on-board crew of marine naturalists and biologists as you watch for these denizens of the deep as they rest and mate. Look for mothers with newborn whale calves, or observe male Humpbacks as they compete for females. You’ll even be able to hear the Humpbacks singing underwater, thanks to an underwater hydrophone.

Complement your whale watching with an included buffet lunch, featuring Kiawe smoked pork and chicken sliders served with guava barbecue sauce, fresh fruit, chips and salsa and two free alcoholic beverages for those of age. You’ll return back to Lahaina Harbor at the end of your cruise.

Maalaea Harbor

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Most travelers can participate

Children must be accompanied by an adult
Children 4 and under free (1 per paying adult)
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 49 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Neal_D

Crew was really great. We saw quite a few humpback whales and a few breaches from a distance. Elise and Desmond were great.

Reviews

4.8

based on 59 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Maui Whale Tour

Darlene_M, Mar 2026

Very enjoyable. Wear sunscreen and a sun shirt. Lots of sun and fun! Great crew and learned some great info about the whale migration.

Fantastic!!

Jerzy, Feb 2025

Fantastic Whale Watch experience! The boat and crew were wonderful, friendly, well-informed, knowledgeable, and professional. The lunch was very good and plentiful. Best part of the day - watching a baby whale jump out of the water all along the coastline. We saw plenty of other whales, too. Would highly recommend this company to all!!

Fun family whale watch and sail

Neal_D, Jan 2025

Crew was really great. We saw quite a few humpback whales and a few breaches from a distance. Elise and Desmond were great.

Score!

Christine_R, Nov 2024

What an awesome experience. We saw 6 whales with a baby! The crew was amazing. They were attentive, funny and extremely informative. I would recommend them to all. The luncheon was delicious. If you had trouble navigating the boat, they brought you your food.

Crew should have been more on top of service

Cynthia_M, May 2021

We saw lots of spinner dolphins and a few whales..from afar but it was the end of the whale season so we were pretty lucky to even see that. Lunch was good but served pretty late and the crew did not come around much to see if you wanted drinks....which was disappointing as we loaded on at 12:30 and it was 2:30 before lunch was served. I wouldn’t recommend going this late in the season and paying this price for a late lunch, only 1 drink and a whale or two.

Disappointed but it was mating season.

Butch-P, Apr 2021

The staff was excellent but the food was a disappointment. The trip didn’t really produce whale sightings. The staff this was due to mating season for whales.

Fantastic whale watching experience, well worth it!

Nicole_C, Mar 2021

Great experience, really professional, did a great job with Covid protocols, food was great and the service was fantastic, oh and we saw a baby calf sighting was amazing!!!

Response from Host, Mar 2021

Thank you so much for choosing to come out with us on our Whalewatch Deluxe experience. We're so glad to hear that you had a fantastic experience. We appreciate the support and will hope to see you out with us again on your next visit to Maui.

Best whale watching ever!

KAREN_H, Jan 2021

This was the best whale watching trip ever. Not only did we see many whales up close, we had one entertain us for about 15 minutes when we shut down for lunch. Amazing! Staff were friendly and very professional. The tour guide also provided some very interesting information about the whales throughout the trip. I definitely recommend this activity.

Response from Host, Feb 2021

Aloha Karen and thank you so much for choosing to come out with us to see the amazing humpback whales that visits our waters every season. It's truly a magical time of year and we're so glad you enjoyed the experience and were able to share it with us.

A MUST DO when you’re in Maui!

Jeffrey_H, Jan 2021

We had a wonderful experience on our whale watch day sail. Arrival instructions were clear and easy to follow. Lunch was delicious. The captain and crew were all very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We learned so much on the trip about whale research, migration patterns, and conservation efforts. They answered all our questions and then some. At one point we had 15 whales we were observing including multiple groups of males “competing” for a female, a mom and her new calf, and one even swam right up to the boat. An amazing day and we would highly recommend it. If you are only able to do one structured activity while you’re in Maui this should be it!

Response from Host, Jan 2021

Thank you so much for choosing to come out with us and support our mission. We're so glad you enjoyed the experience and that the whales provided a show. You stay safe and healthy and we'll hope to have you out with us again on your next visit to Maui.

Pacific Whale Foundation - best whale watching lunch tour with booze

Marina_Z, Jan 2021

Loved the boat, loved the crew. They found a group of 5 whales and we were following it. The seats were assigned to each group of passengers; I thought it was neat. I only wish that the people could control their kids so that they do not crowd other passengers.

Response from Host, Jan 2021

Aloha and thank you for coming out with us on our Whalewatch Sail Deluxe experience. We're so glad to hear you enjoyed the experience and appreciate your support of our organization. You stay safe and healthy and we'll look forward to hopefully having you out with us agaiun in the future.

Mama and calf came right up to the boat!

catone, Feb 2020

The entire crew was very knowledgeable and showed much respect for the whales and the passengers! A shout out to ANA,CIERA,MAKALA, and CHRIS on the SPIRIT!

Outstanding experience in a small...

PardeepKumar_C, Aug 2018

Outstanding experience in a small group. The crew was very friendly and knowledgable.

I had a wonderful experience! It was...

Gigi L, Mar 2018

I had a wonderful experience! It was amazing to see many whales in the ocean. They are beautiful!

Great food and beautiful boat. Small...

Lisa F, Jan 2017

Great food and beautiful boat. Small group and very friendly, awesome female crew except captain. Saw a couple of whales. Too early in season.

Very friendly and attentive crew...

Ara_V, Jan 2017

Very friendly and attentive crew. Extremely knowledgeable personnel from the Pacific Whale Foundation. Excellent food and wide selection of drinks during lunch. We saw many single whales and a whale family mom, dad, and calf. Easy access to the store and harbor via shuttle from area hotels/lodging. The store is very well stocked and has merchandise for all ages and tastes.