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West Maui · December – April

Whale watching in Lahaina

If you are staying in Lahaina and looking for a whale watch, the first thing worth knowing is where the boats actually leave from — because it is no longer Lahaina Harbor.

Where the boats go from

Lahaina Harbor has not been a working departure point for commercial whale watch boats since the 2023 fire. The West Maui fleet moved north to Mala Boat Ramp, at the top end of Front Street behind the Safeway — which is where most Lahaina whale watch tours now board, ours included.

Our private sunset charter leaves from Mala. It is a two-hour charter for your own group, timed so the last of the light is on the water while the whales are still active — the West Maui Mountains behind you and Lānaʻi across the channel.

Our public tour leaves from Kaʻanapali Beach instead, about ten minutes up the coast. That is a deliberate choice rather than an inconvenience: boarding is by shuttle straight off the sand, so there is no harbor to drive to, no parking structure and no queue on a dock — and the whales in the Auʻau Channel are the same whales either way.

Humpback whale breaching at sunset off West Maui

Leaving from Lahaina, or from Kaʻanapali

Both run through whale season, december – april. Peak weeks in January, February and March book out first — theseason guide breaks the migration down month by month.

Getting to the boat

Mala Boat Ramp

At the north end of Front Street, behind the Safeway. Boarding is at the ramp, a short walk from the parking area — no wading and no surf to climb through.

Kaʻanapali Beach

Behind Whalers Village, ten minutes north of Lahaina on the Honoapiʻilani Highway. A shuttle boat runs you from the sand out to the vessel.

What to expect on the water

Two hours, a certified naturalist aboard, and a hydrophone so you hear the song as well as watch the surface. We hold the federal 100-yard line —how we run our tours.

Whale season runs December – April

Questions about which departure suits you? Call (808) 707-5751, or look at all three tours.

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