How to Take Pictures on a Maui Whale Watch

There is nothing more fun to do on a vacation in Maui than to go whale watching. The key is being there when the whales are actually there. The tourist information says the Humpback Whale Migration begins in November and ends in April. The first time we were there was during Thanksgiving, 1988 and we could hear the whales when we were diving, but our dive master said they were at least 300 miles away. We went back in February, 2003--and boy did we see a lot of whales. We saw our first one driving to our condo from the airport. We saw them while walking along the beach and while lunching at cafes. Seeing a whale is one thing--but taking their picture is another. The best way to see the whales is to get off the land and onto a boat. In this article we will explore how to take pictures on a whale-watching trip.

Things You'll Need

• Digital Camera with Telephoto Lens
• A Boat or charter
• Patience

Instructions

1. 

   The first thing you are going to have to tackle is finding a guided whale-watching tour. You could rent your own boat, but the people who specialize in this know where to go find whales and have the right equipment. If you are in Maui between Christmas and St. Patrick's Day, you will see lots of whales. They are only on the surface for a short period of time and then they dive. At first, when I saw them while walking on the beach or eating lunch, I would dive for my camera--and then after a while I realized I would never be fast enough. We went on a boat that carried maybe 50 passengers and combined it with a snorkeling trip to Turtletown. If you really want to get close to the whales, I would choose a Zodiac boat charter. These are steel-hulled rubber inflatable boats that can get closer to the whales because they are quieter and only carry about 20 people. You can find tours at your hotel, on the Internet or in the many free tourists magazines.

2. 

   We chased down some whales and got close, but the boat was rocking so much that this is the only picture we got of a whale, although I did capture some video. Next time I will not go out on such a windy day and take a Zodiac boat, which will have fewer people and get me closer and eye level with the whale. You cannot take a tripod on a whale watch, and although you will be close to the whales, you will still need a telephoto lens. Hand-holding a telephoto lens in 4-foot swells can be challenging.

3. 

   If you go between January and March, your chances of seeing whales is excellent, but the rest of the trip will also provide you with some great photographic opportunities. Pictured is a dive location called Turtletown that you can only get to by boat and where we snorkeled with giant Sea Turtles.

4. 

   Anytime of year you will be likely to run into spinner Dolphins. They came right up to our boat and performed almost on cue. We didn't have to throw them fish or anything; they just seemed to want to hang with us.

5. 

   Photograph the dolphins in burst mode. They move fast, but it is so bright in Hawaii you will have plenty of light to freeze action and see creative opportunities while editing, like this one in the picture, which I call "Dolphins at Play."

6. 

   While you are traveling out to sea and back to port, don't put your camera away. You will see some vistas of Maui that you can't see by car. Black sand beaches that you can only boat to and views of places like Haleakala that you can't see by car.

7. 

   Look around the boat while traveling and see if the anything strikes your creative muse. After all, a lot of us don't get aboard ship that often--and we might see something colorful or different just because it is fresh to us. I loved the artificial colors of the noodles against the natural background of sea and shore.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be disappointed if you don't take a great picture of a whale the first time out--just be glad you saw one.

• Be courteous to other passengers and share the view.

• There is always something fun to photograph when at sea--just look around.

Resources

• Pacific Whale Foundation Tours
• Pride of Maui Tours
• Trilogy Sail Tours