Pacific Whale Foundation, Eco Adventures Whalewatch

We booked a 2-​hour whale watching cruise with PWF because if you don’t see whales, they’ll let you rebook. We went in March which is towards the end of whale season in Maui. But we saw tons of whales the first trip, so no need to rebook. We were lucky to happen upon a mom and baby, and the baby was pretty frisky. It was fun to learn about how to spot whales and some interesting facts about them. The employees are not just minimum-​wage kids trying to live in Hawaii, they are real naturalists and one of our crew had just published a paper on sharks. I was surprised the boat offered drinks, but I’m sure some people like that feature. It was easy to find and easy to board. The boat was large and not crowded at all. We thought the price was decent and would probably use this company again.

Excellent whale watching cruise! The captain and his helpers were great at explanations. We saw so so so so many whales in the channel. The captain cut the motor several times which was awesome because we were able to hear the whales.
My only con was the fact that as soon as everyone stood up, we couldn’t see from our bench which was right on the starboard side.

Great whale experience today with Captain Ben. Two whales came up to the boats after being stopped faraway… Amazing experience on the adventurer raft boat. Thank you

My husband and I took our 4 and 8 year old children on PWF’s whale watching trip. They were fantastic with kids. We were lucky enough to see several whales and at one point be surrounded by whales and actually could not move the boat. The staff were great about making sure kids had a front row spot to view from. They were friendly, the boat was roomy and clean. They provided several facts about humpback whales throughout the 2 hours and answered every question thrown at them. They sold snacks and beverages on board for a very fair price. $ 5 for beer and I think $ 1 for snacks. The walked around with water the entire 2 hours to make sure you were hydrated.

We did the two-​hour whale watching tour on the double-​decker vessel this morning. Definitely the highlight of our trip and was, hands-​down, the best dollars spent on the vacation so-​far. We purchased our tickets online — total for two adults was around $ 80. In Maui, that is equivalent to a nice meal out sans drinks.
We witnessed a female Humpback whale and her calf swim 20 yards from our boat. The closest the boat can legally get to the whales is 150′, so we lucked out that the curious calf swam up to the boat. If you are the adventurous type and you like to snorkel, dive, etc., then you might be bored on a tour like this. I have an irrational fear of being eaten by a shark, so snorkeling and diving are not on my to-​do list. This whale watching encounter felt very natural and for those of us that don’t want to snorkel/​dive, it is a great way to experience the magnificence of the ocean creatures.

WHAT NOT TO DO ON MAUI. If I could give this company zero stars I would! I work in conservation and several dive companies on Oahu and I was extremely appalled by watching how PWF interacts with the whales. You would see a blow hole in the distance then these huge, monstrous, loud boats charge after them. I have footage of them breaking the law by getting closer than 100 yards from whales. The boats would even trample over the «footprint» of the whale. Google search ‘Pacific Whale Foundation hits whale’ and you’ll see the proof for yourself. This company is NOT for conservation but clearly for money and greed. If you want to be environmentally conscious choose a smaller boat or even better kayak out yourself if you’re up for a workout.

Eco adventure snorkeling trip
We just had a great trip today with captain gabe, Laura and Jules. The crew were fantastic, we got educated and had fun… heck if I could go back to school again I would become a marine biologist. We stopped in 4 locations to snorkel, each was different from the next. We even got to see whales along the way. Highlights were stopping behind Molokini and seeing a reef shark and a manta ray then going to the front and hearing the whales crooning to each other.
As for the crew, they were fantastic. We couldn’t ask for more… and heck they even gave us lunch. Definitely worth the money

Today we experienced the best whale watch cruise we have ever had. Capt. Anna and ecologist Christy took us to a spot where a mother and her calf were being courted by 4 – 5 males. The experience on the 28 person raft was fantastic. Best way to do a whale watch. We recommend the Pacific Whale Foundation as the choice cruise.

First, I’ll start off with the ‘bad’. We were actually coming off of the Carnival Miracle in Kahului that day and were renting a car and driving to Lahaina (about a 45 min drive or so). We did not want to book anything with the cruise ship, since they always inflate prices so much. Since we had a luau in Lahaina that evening, I thought it would be best to go with the Lahaina options for whale watching. (Side note — it turned out that was a really good idea because we were in Lahaina as a brush fire started on the highway that closed access to Lahaina for several hours — might just want to consider that if you are also on a cruise). Anyway, since we weren’t going to be going back to the boat before /​after the whale watch, I called Pacific Whale Foundation the morning of the excursion to ask about places to change. The Lahaina Whale Watch Raft Tour says that you should wear a swimsuit in case of splashing. The ladies at Pacific Whale told me yes, there were places to change on site and that there was a restroom on the boat. OF course, I was a little leery of any restroom that fits on a «raft», so I was banking on changing on site. We get to the office and I ask about changing rooms and was very rudely told that the restrooms are down at the dock. (Please note that Pacific Whale Foundation actually sells clothing and has a changing room in the ‘store’) We go down there and I get all changed, but my dad was not so lucky as this was a public restroom at a harbor and it wasn’t very clean — you know? Like urine on the floor and all that (lovely, right?). Anyway, so we’re a little miffed at this point because I did call and ask and hey why can’t we use that changing room right there? Other bad thing — parking is not cheap. If you park behind the store, it’s $ 18 for the amount of time of the tour, and it doesn’t give change either so use a credit card or exact change — not a $ 20 (Yea, it had a sign that I failed to see until afterwards HA!). Parking is not their fault though — there is other parking available that isn’t as convenient but is a bit cheaper. Just keep that in mind.
Okay that was long-​winded. On to the good. Our tour guides /​naturalists were very nice and seemed to know a lot about the whales. I was very excited to learn some facts that I didn’t know (and I’ve actually been whale watching in Hawaii before). Unfortunately, I don’t remember their names, but the captain said that he piloted the cruise ship that morning (wow!). I think we were there on a very good day because we actually didn’t get splashed, the water wasn’t choppy — very smooth especially for a raft tour, and we saw a LOT, I mean a TON, of whales! We followed one for a little while at first and then he/​she seemed to dive down so we moved on to the next area. We watched a baby and it’s mother breech for a bit and then they seemed to leave. We kinda just tooda-​looed for a little while and then the captain got a tip from another captain that there were several whales where she was, so we moved over that way. This is where this tour got even better! We got to see 5 full grown whales ‘playing’ around (They actually said they were probably trying to show off for a female in the vicinity) and then they left and a yearling showed up and waved at us constantly for about 20 minutes until we had to leave and go back to shore.
Everything from the moment we got on the tour was awesome. The guides were funny, nice, informative. The whales were nice enough to show off for us. The water was smooth sailing, and we got to see views of Lahaina and the other surrounding islands (including Big Island). All in all, I was happy with the excursion.

If you want to support the whales then donate to the organization, if you want a great whale watch with your kids then avoid this tour and use another service. Too many rules and regs makes it impossible for your children to view the whales. I’m sure they have the best of intentions but it was a lot of money for a really sub par tour.
Go to the San Juan islands and see the Orcas!!! much more fun laid back experience.

Enjoyed my whale watching tour very much thanks to the amazing tour guides. From the start of the tour to the end, the guides were entertaining, interactive and full of fun facts about humpback whales, etc. You can also tell that they are very passionate about marine life conservation which was very inspiring. We took the 9am tour and we were very lucky to see a hand full of humpback whales pretty close and personal. I was mesmerized by seeing the whales, learned a lot about them and of course enjoyed the boat ride around the amazing island. Definitely a must do while in Maui! Not to mention it all goes to a great cause.

As I write this review I am currently on the pacific whale watching tour– which should be a good indication of the excitement level of the tour itself.
My experience may be different than yours, so don’t let my opinions persuade you one way or the other– instead, ask yourself the following questions prior to going on this adventure?
1. Do you like occasionally glancing and grey specks of what appear to be fins from 300 yards away?
If you said yes, proceed to checkout and buy your tickets immediately! If not, read on and ask yourself:
2. Do you enjoy common knowledge whale facts such as «whales are big,» or «whales are mammals» that are anounced repeatedly over the speakers to fill 2 hours of time?
3. Do you enjoy the company of the elderly?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the adventure for you! If not, you may want to consider spending these 2 hours on a beautiful beach or snorkeling. As it stands the part I am most excited about is getting back to land.
For the record, the one whale I saw breech was exciting, but that was an hour ago and since then all we’ve seen are some fins and a bunch of blowholes spouting mist at us.
To be fair, the employees were very nice and obviously I understand they don’t control the amount of whales we see or do not see. But the ads make this seem a lot more exciting than it actually is, sorry.

Snorkel Tour (Maalaea) + Whale watching tour (Lahaina)
Snorkel Tour: Coming form two novice young adult snorkelers– wonderful experience! Absolutely worth the price! Small, intimate boat. Excited naturalists gave informative facts and made sure that we found the two best snorkel spots. It was nice to have a naturalist on hand to ask about the flora and fauna. The weather was lovely, and we were even given the option of doing a «blue water» swim over 900 ft of water while lunch cooked! Lunch was plentiful– enough to have a second plate. I get a bit woozy on the water, and the staff was helpful in providing tips to keep me staying stable. Experience highly exceeded my expectations!
Note; if you do not bring a wet suit, you can rent the top on the boat for $ 10/​per person. Water is chillier than the water along the shore. After half an hour of being in the water, even with a wet suit, I was shivering and needed to warm up! Bring a towel, and a light jacket! Towels not provided on boat. Also– bring waterproof sunscreen. Saw a few other snorkelers who forgot to apply sunscreen get fried to a crisp.
Whale watching tour: Again– awesome price for the sights. We saw around 20 whales, and some playful spinner dolphins can right up to the boat. This experience matched my expectations. You have the option of renting binoculars. I brought my own small pair, but found that I didn’t really need them.

A first class experience out on the water while supporting the higher cause of marine research and conservation.
There are plenty of options for whale watching but these guys are #1 for a reason.
We joined their 2-​hour 9 am tour on Dec 31 to hopefully see some whales up close. The day prior we could see lots of whales far out from Kaanapali beach jumping and frolicking so we knew they were out there waiting for a visit.
We started seeing whales spouting within the first 30 minutes then got to see several groups of whales closer and closer as we went further out. Clusters of whales could be seen all around us in every direction. At one point a solitary whale was swimming parallel to our boat then turned and came slowly right toward us so the captain immediately stopped the engine. The whale dived below the boat and swam back and forth for 10 minutes making sure everyone got a good look (what a ham!)
It was perfect sunny weather an a wonderful time out on the water.
The price was very reasonable.
The only negative was that this was a huge boat-​140 passengers — but once things got going, there was plenty of room to move around and get a look at the whales while their naturalist narrated and helped in the locating of the whales.
Recommended.

SUNSET CRUISE
This was a fantastic way to spend an evening in Maui. We boarded the sailboat shortly after 5 pm and enjoyed some cheese and fruit. Don’t linger — head up to the deck of the boat (in the front for the best views) right away.
The staff were very nice and helpful — constantly coming around with drinks and appetizers and even offering to take our pictures for us from multiple vantage points on the boat.
You can order beer, wine, or cocktails. The Mai Thai was one of the stronger I’ve had on the island. The wine (chardonnay) was cheap, but didn’t taste bad. They were very generous in coming around to offer more drinks and appetizers. I remember having stuffed mushrooms, shrimp with spicy cocktail sauce, pork quesadillas, and strawberries/​chocolate chip cookies.
Oh, and the ukelele player was great and a perfect live music backdrop to the amazing sunset over the Hawaiian islands.
They even offer dramamine if you get seasick…
The quality of the food and drinks are just okay, but the views, the environment, and the staff make it all worthwhile. Definitely a memorable night out!

**LANAI SNORKEL & DOLPHIN WATCH**
I am not a strong swimmer, but how could I visit Hawaii and not try a water excursion? Excitement and apprehension were the little angel and devil on my shoulders all up until I got my gear working in the water.
THE CREW:
It’s not a typical tour crew. The team were the real deal; many being marine biologists. And, I’m not talking about Big Bang Theory, socially awkward types like Sheldon, this team was great! Conservation is their main goal, but it definitely did not detract from the experience. Their knowledge and passion about their work enhanced the experience. Also, we had a shark expert on the boat, so that made me feel better, even though the waters we were heading for rarely if ever see sharks.
They were pleasant, friendly, and they kept us informed throughout the whole trip. This was especially appreciated when we were getting into the water and when we were actually in it!
FOOD:
They provided pineapple, orange juice, and banana bread in the morning. For lunch it was grilled chicken, hot dog, I think burger, macaroni/​potato salad, etc. The chicken was a little dry, but it was good for boat food.
SNORKELING:
The captain offered a short, but very helpful beginners instruction session on how to use the gear, and what to do if you got water in the snorkel and the goggles. The excursion included snorkel, goggles, fins, flotation devices (belts, noodles, boards, vests). You could rent underwater cameras, etc. back at the store as well, and you could rent a wetsuit top for a few dollars. They said the water could potentially be cooler than comfortable, but not necessarily. I wore a top and it was great. I also wore a flotation belt and grabbed a noodle. They recommended a belt and a noodle, but really you could grab whatever you felt was comfortable. Most of the snorkelers had some form of floaty; I think my nephew was one of the very few that just jumped in without one. At the back of the boat you walk down stairs, fins in hand, to the swim platform that is just right at the level of the water. There is a bench for you to put your fins on, and you lower yourself to the platform and slide into the water. The captain said the most important thing in snorkeling is to relax, but if t was a little bit disconcerting at first, even with my floaties. They gave a free reef tour. One of the crew is on a surf board and you follow them while they identify fishes, etc. for you to look at. Honestly, this is the best thing to do if you want to get used to the water. It’s a like a security blanket. :) It was so much fun! I had trouble with my goggles, and the guide helped me. It seemed like everyone was bumping into each other, but you eventually got used to maneuvering. Seriously, I didn’t want to get out of the water. Someone even got to see a sea turtle, but we had to go back to the boat before we made it that way.
DOLPHINS:
We were lucky that day! We ran into a large pod of spinner dolphins that they hadn’t seen in a few days. They swam right next to the boat! It was amazing! They were playful, and so much fun to watch. The duration of the trip one of the crew explained what we were seeing, and provided great information on the islands, the bodies of water we were in, dolphins, etc.
The whole experience was AH-​MAZING! When we were heading back to Lanai we stood in the front of the boat, enjoying the waves and the breeze, and when we were almost back to land, we ran into the dolphins! Perfect ending to a fabulous day! If we had more time we would have booked another tour with them. Highly recommended!

We took the Molokini Express tour. Wow, I just have to say, I’ve gone on other excursions (other islands and other tour groups) and this one is by far one of the best!
These folks LOVE what they do and it shows. They worked together as one well oiled machine. From check in, all the way to when the tour is over, a smooth ride!
Lunch is served (grilled dogs, chicken and veggie burgers) with an assortment of salads and cookies for dessert!
I plan to return to do a longer tour — maybe the 6.5 Lanai/​Molokini tour which includes BOOZE! Count me in!

Yes, I know — low review on such high review place.
I will start off by saying I didn’t actually go on any of their sailings — I had no choice. It wasn’t their fault either, weather caused to be cancelled.
However, the water was really rough the 3 days prior to our dinner cruise and the day of I called to see if it was still going on since we hadn’t seen any boats leave Lahaina the past couple days. The lady on the phone was semi-​rude and sarcastic and said, «Wellll — nothings been cancelled yet so I would assume it’s still on.»
We headed down to check-​in and as we were walking up saw a sign that said Cruise Cancelled. We thought maybe we would have gotten a call to let us know (I’m sure some people drive all the way from other parts of the island) so we asked and the lady said it has JUST been cancelled. Understandable, but the weather had been the same for the past three days.
The next cruise we could go on was booked and we were leaving before being able to go on another one. When asked if we could get a voucher or even a discount on a future cruise for another time we came back, the lady said no but if we called in and explained what happened they might be able to do something. No thanks.
Employees were rude and since we weren’t getting dinner, it was hard to find a good place that had open tables since reservations are almost required to nice restaurants on the island. Luckily we found Pineapple Grill that wasn’t busy and had a nice dinner.
Maybe in the future my review will change if we ever get to go on what is supposed to be a good sunset dinner cruise.

This was one of my favorite excursions I took while visiting Maui, the sunrise whale watch. Although you have to drag yourself out of bed early, it is well worth it. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The boats are modern and very clean. They offer coffee and other beverages during the ride.
Its such a beautiful time of day, watching the sunrise over the coastline and seeing whales surfacing at the same time. Whenever whales were spotted the captain would take us as close as allowed to so we could get great photos. A staff member was on mic giving out information on humpback whales and pointing out whales for everyone. They even dropped an underwater mic so we could hear the whole song, which was amazing.
And, you can’t beat the price.

Get here in January. We went out and saw every type of whale activity you can imagine. Whales flapping flippers, breaching, going under the boat upside down, four and five together ramming into each other. We got so close a few times. The foundation makes this an educational cruise too. Add in the $ 5. drinks and for $ 30. It is a great experience.
If you come to Maui a lot and enjoy whale watching join the Whale foundation and you can get some good free stuff, even additional cruises. This is our second time and the staff is young, intelligent, friendly and informative.