This was my favorite shot from the morning. This whale surfaced very close to our small boat, then rolled on its side and gave us a pectoral fin slap. We were looking up at a whale! The sunrise colors were beautiful over Haleakala volcano. This was taken with a wide angle camera. The whale was that close!
It is always a great time to be in Hawaii, but January through March is the best time to be here for humpback whale encounters. This morning I had my guests wake up early, before the sunrise, to go for a sunrise whale watch from our small boats. Almost every guests took me up on the offer...and the early birds definitely got the worms. We had amazing encounters and different behaviors with the whales. We even had some whales come so close to us that I had to switch to my wide angle lens.
Even if we hadn't seen a single whale, the sunrise itself was worth the trip. Early morning is just a wonderful time to be out on the water. Everyone was very glad that they went.
Here is the mother ship in front of beautiful Maui. Our small boats, or skiffs, can be seen attached to the back. This is what we took out this morning for our sunrise whale watch.
A humpback whale lifts its tail high in the air. This can be 15ft from tip to tip.
Water cascades off the tail of a diving humpback whale.
A whale gives us a wave with its long pectoral fin. Part of its tail can be seen sticking out of the water as well. This is called a pec slap.
Early morning is such a great time to be out on the water. The winds are usually light, and the rising sun over Haleakala volcano is a sight to behold.
We found some active whales this morning.
Another close encounter whale, captured with my wide angle, with our mothership in the background.
My guests this morning, soaking in the early sunrise vibes.
The activity continued after sunrise. It is a great time to be here.
Hope you enjoyed. As always, keep traveling and keep posting!
- Dai Mar