Moral of the story:  Leave the ocean life to itself.  Maui has some incredible life in the ocean, but it’s best to enjoy from a safe distance.  This ensures everybody’s safety.  Going within 10 feet of a sea turtle on purpose is against the law.  Sea turtles are protected by law because they can become overstressed and possibly drowned by human interaction.

If you’d like to see more about snorkeling, check out these Maui snorkel maps, or read this information about snorkeling Maui.

“She’s looking right at me.  I know it.”

I leaned back slightly and slid myself left along the side of the boat.  The big eye followed me.  I grinned and slid myself to the right.  The big eye followed me back.

“What must you think of me?” I whispered to the whale.  “Do you wonder about me the way I wonder about you?  Are you old enough to remember when there weren’t so many humans riding on boats?  Are you able to remember at all?”

A giant splash to my right startled me out of my revere.  Another whale was slapping his shining white pectoral fin over and over against the surface of the water.  Then he rolled onto his back and began slamming the back side of his tail on the surface.  Bang, bang, bang.  One more splash, a big breath, and then he dove, sinking out of sight.  I turned back to the water, but the first whale was gone too.

“Well ladies and gentleman,” the Captain of the Kai Kanani said into his mike.  “That was quite a show but it’s time for us to be heading back to shore.  Please check for any loose clothing or trash, and be careful of your hats as I pick up speed.  The whales aren’t looking for any donations.”

On the trip back I thought about what I’d seen.  The breaching and splashing were very exciting, and I had some great photos to share with my friends.  But I was moved by what I had seen looking into the eye of the whale.

“Humans aren’t so special,” I thought to myself as we neared shore.

By Megan Edgar, Staff Writer

Read more about our fascinating visitors from up north at Maui Whale Watch Tours. There you’ll see photos, videos, in-depth information about Humpback Whales, as well as illustrations of the various Humpback surface behaviors.

All of the photos seen here have been taken by Natalie Brown Photography.  All Rights are reserved on these copywritten images, and we thank her for the use of them.

Humpback whales mate and give birth in the same season? Sometimes, but most often they come to mate then return the following year to give birth.  The gestation period of a Humpback Whale is 12 months, which forms a perfect cycle.

Why Hawaii? Humpbacks travel to Hawaii as well as south of North America for the warm, protected waters.  Hawaii, and specifically Maui, offers shallower areas to perform their mating habits as well as give birth away from deep ocean predators.

If Hawaii is ideal for mating and giving birth, why don’t Humpback Whales live there year round? They have to make this long trek, back and forth, every year because plankton (Humpback’s primary food source) doesn’t thrive in warm waters.  Each year, Humpbacks feed and store fat while living in the Pacific Northwest.  They then make the journey and the stay in Hawaii without any food.  This is particularly hard on the mothers nursing over 100 gallons of milk to their calves each day.

For more humpback whale information, including recognizing surface behavior, migration, and birth, visit Whale Information.

Founded in 2002, Skyline Eco-Adventures now offers two locations for ziplining on Maui, Hawaii. The Haleakala Skyline Tour is phenomenal with views of the South and North Coast as well as the West Maui Mountains and the Central Valley. You’ll zip across 5 lines while learning about the ecology of upcountry Maui. Each zipline becomes increasingly more exciting with longer distances, bigger heights, and much more speed. Before each crossing, you’re given some insight into the endangered bird that the Maui zipline is named after. A portion of your ticket goes to preservation of these birds as well as other Maui conservation efforts.

Safety is the primary concern of your 2 zipline tour guides of whom personally hook each person up themselves. For those worried about equipment and cables, the lines you cross are strong enough to hold a full-sized car. All of the equipment has been tested for safety.

The last crossing is by far the most fun. Each time you zip across a gulch, or over waterfalls, you’ll find that you want more. You finally get it with the last run when you’re hurled at incredible speeds over a long forest gulch. Besides the adrenaline rush of the Maui ziplines, taking a walk through Eucalyptus forests with incredible views makes this a journey worth making.

The Kaanapali Skyline Adventure takes twice as long with 8 ziplines. You’ll experience views of West Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Lahaina, and some gorgeous waterfalls. A step up from the Haleakala Tour, ziplining in Kaanapali is a half-day trip you’ll never forget.

Make sure to wear good shoes and something warm. Long pants and a jacket are very nice to have when upcountry, especially while zipping at high speeds.

This Maui Zipline Video was taken at the Syline Eco Adventure Kaanapali Course. The terrain is different than the zipline discussed above, but just as fun. You’ll see below!

She explained that many of the euthanized cats at the Maui Humane Society are put down because of their health, not because they’re homeless. The Maui Humane Society is responsible for countless free spay and neutered cats.

Here at THE MAUI GOODNESS we’re glad to see people like Candy give us more information on the topic. Please read about how the Maui Humane Society is helping to remedy the Kitty Crisis on Maui and also how you can help.

See Candy’s Kitty Comment.

Some of the statistics claimed are:

• There are anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 homeless cats on Maui.
• As many as 250 cats are euthanized EVERY MONTH at the Maui Humane Society.
• The organization of 9th Life Hawaii is expected to have reduced kitten births over the next 5 years by as much as 50,000!

Our previous stance was that people should be giving money to Maui Humane Society to help. We now realize that donations would be better put towards organizations like 9th Life Hawaii that are actively working towards “No-Kill” solutions to the kitty overpopulation. If you’re in favor of non-lethal neuter/spay programs, please contribute a few bucks to 9th Life Hawaii by calling (808) 572-3499. Phyllis Tavares is the executive director and can be easily reached if you’d like to donate, volunteer or just learn more.

Mahalo Phyllis and everyone else involved for putting so much time, energy, and love into reaching out to our troubled feline friends.

Donations can also be mailed to: 9th Life Hawaii P.O. Box 476 Makawao, HI 96768

Please read the comment from Candy Aluli.  She has some very insightful information on the Maui Humane Society.

COMMENT:

Humane Society had no advice, help, suggestions and rarely answered the phone when a pit bull attacked me in Lahaina and I phoned for help.

The only result is when I phoned the owners landlord and made her aware that this attack had happened and that she was being officially made aware of this dangerous dog in her house.

She would now be fiscally responsible of any future attacks.

We knew of 3 other attacks by this dog. The owner of the dog

felt it was his right to have a pit bull but eventually gaave the dog to another neighbor.

Jean

Is there actually a place where turtles congregate in large groups?

Yes, but there is a bit of misleading going on.

Is there one single place that is known as turtle town?

No. Tour operators refer to Turtle Town to help sell tours.

Do they go to places with lots of turtles?

Yes.

The bottomline:

Green sea turtles are everywhere in the waters of Maui and Hawaii in general. Some areas more than others. Captains of tour boats generally know areas that have more than others, and will take you there. Commonly, some of these spots are turtle cleaning stations. Sea turtles know where to go where certain fish live that will eat the algae off of their shells, cleaning them. These cleaning stations are wonderful spots to view turtles. Also, areas with less people often have more turtles. Turtles generally don’t like a lot of human attention.The next time someone mentions a magical place called Turtle Town, keep in mind that there might be another turtle town even closer to where you are staying. The best thing to do is to ask a local, or someone who works at a snorkeling/scuba shop where to find the largest concentration of turtles. Most likely, you’ll find a couple right in front of your hotel.

Important: Sea turtles are protected and it is illegal to touch them!

This law was not put into place to just keep from bothering them. humans touching sealife can often cause harm due to the oils and bacteria in our skin. Also, when people come into contact with turtles, they can become quickly exhausted leaving them in stress with less defensive strength. The main reason it can be detrimental to their health is because of all the movies people see of riding on sea turtles backs. With the over-exertion, turtles can drown. They need to breath at the surface just like us. Respect all sealife, and don’t touch anything. When we touch things in the ocean, we put ourselves at risk of being hurt as well as possibly harming what we touch.