Status of whales this week??

Question

Aloha!

For those on island this week…Is it still “whale soup” (ie. are there still whales to see from shore) or are most gone? 🐳 We arrive this Saturday, April 5 (late at night) and are hoping that many are still around to see? We do have a snorkel tour booked for August 8 and hope to see whales along the way. :)

Mahalo for any updates! 🙏

Answer

Aloha — great question! Yes, you’re arriving right at the tail end of whale season on Maui, so whether you’ll see a lot really depends — there are still whales around, but not nearly as many as during peak season.

Here’s the current situation and what you can realistically expect:

Maui’s official humpback whale season runs roughly mid-December through April, with the peak months being January–March.
By early April, many whales begin migrating back to Alaska, so the overall number of whales declines.
That said — according to the 2025 Great Whale Count, about 307 whales were still observed in late March around Maui.
On-the-ground (and on-water) reports from recent visitors confirm this:
- Some Reddit commenters (as of April 1–7) say whales are “still here,” though “thinning out.”
- Others note that dedicated whale-watch tours are still running, but the action isn’t as intense now compared to peak season.
According to Maui’s whale-watch tour operators, sightings are still possible in April, especially for mother-calf pairs or lingering whales — but there’s no guarantee.

Bottom Line: There’s a decent chance you’ll see whales from shore or on a boat early in your trip, but don’t count on “whale soup” like February. Think of any whale encounters now as a bonus, not the main event.

Tips to maximize your chances:

Bring binoculars (or use a zoom camera) — with fewer whales, spotting from land helps a lot.
Try to take a morning boat tour — seas are calmer, and whales sometimes linger near shore early in the day.
Watch from known whale-watching viewpoints such as Maʻalaea Bay or the west coast (Kāʻanapali / Lahaina area) — these are good spots for shore-based sightings.
Ask your snorkeling tour operator if they might be in whale-sighting areas — even if whales are fewer, they sometimes show up for a quick spout or tail slap.

Wishing you the best of luck spotting whales — even late in the season, a whale sighting is still magical. 🌊🐋