If a trip to Hawaii sounds like the vacation of a lifetime, you can step up the excitement another notch by adding a whale watching trip to your itinerary. Like tourists, whales love Hawaii and visit the warm waters off the islands every year. In fact, you can often begin your whale watching experiences from the beach, where you can see the giant sea creatures cruising off the shore. Boat tours will bring you close enough to respectfully visit with the whales and dolphins and to share the joy and mystery of their world.
A holiday in paradise
Just because it sounds like a cliche doesn’t mean it isn’t true. And it’s difficult to think of any other definition of paradise, if it doesn’t include turquoise waters, swaying palm trees of brilliant emerald green, fragrant tropical flowers, and those gentle, playful creatures of the sea in the distance. Hawaii, as you’ve probably heard, is an island. To be more precise, it is a chain of eight major islands, surrounded by atolls, islets, and coral reefs, in the Pacific Ocean.
The largest island is called Hawaii, and gives its name to the entire group as well. But each island has its own name, character and reasons for visiting. Oahu is the third largest island, and is home to the majority of the population. It’s also known as The Gathering Place, and attracts a large number of travelers every year as well. Kauai, the fourth largest island in the group, is also called The Garden Island and receives around 87,000-120,000 visitors every single month.
Things to do in Hawaii
From bustling cities on Oahu to the pristine calm of the beaches on Kauai, you’ll run out of time on your holiday long before you run out of things to do. Lighthouse, restaurants and laid back surf towns all beckon, and then there are the beaches. The beach is the most popular destination for holiday travelers, with almost three out of four or 74% listing it as their favorite. Oahu’s rich culture is mixture of traditional Hawaiian along with both Eastern and western cultures that have made the islands their home.
Kauai is the northernmost of the islands. It is also the oldest, with a landscape of jagged mountains spires and valleys covered in verdant tropical green. Rainforests, rivers and waterfalls provide a spectacular backdrop for hikers and zip liners. Water sports like kayaking and snorkeling will bring you even closer to the natural world of the island. From both Oahu and Kauai, you can book whale watching tours.
Whale watching in the islands
You can sometimes see the majestic, gentle sea creatures from the beaches, and boat tours can bring you up close. Whale and dolphin tours led by expert guides take you to their playgrounds. These are also their breeding grounds, and the giant humpback whales come to Hawaii each year to give birth and raise their young ones. From December to May each year, they live in the warm tropical waters before heading north for the summer.
Whale watching experiences are an unforgettable chance to witness the playful social life of the gentle giants. You’ll see them blowing spouts of water in the air, fluking or flapping their tails or fins in the water, and sometimes surfacing for spectacular leaps. Whale watching experiences are awe-inspiring, and the sea creatures must be treated with respect. Boats are not allowed to get closer than 100 yards of a whale, but that’s close enough if a whale decides to playfully send a soaking wave your way with the slap of a flipper on the water.
Whale watching experiences in Hawaii will create magical moments that will live in your memory for ever. They take you close to the world of these majestic, mysterious creatures for a small glimpse of their lives. What you will take away is the awe and the sheer playful happiness of their lives, which gives you some perspective on our own lives here on earth.
