Kauai Whale Watching Tips – How to Get the Most Out of Your Trip
- By Dwayne Goerges
- Published 10/23/2011
- Travel
- Unrated
Every year as many as fifty percent the world’s Humpback Whales migrate more than 4,000 miles from Alaska to mate in the tropical waters of Kauai. For this reason Kauai has become one of the most popular whale watching locations in the world. If you are planning a trip, here are a few things to do and keep in mind in order to have the best experience possible:
Visit During Peak Months
The peak months for Humpback Whales are from February to March. They are most active during these months mating and giving birth to their calves, so this would be the best time frame in which to visit and whale watch.
Before Setting out to Sea
Foods absorb the acids that make you sick on an empty stomach, so even though you might cringe at the thought of going out to sea with a full stomach, really one of the best preventative measures to help avoid sea sickness is to eat a good breakfast. If you aren’t very hungry, snack on things like crackers, ginger snaps, and other starchy foods that will absorb stomach acids.
Most whale watching companies that you go out to sea in will allow you to take food and drinks out with you (as long as they are not glass bottles or alcoholic beverages) so pack drinks and food to take along so as to avoid getting dehydrated and hungry.
What to Wear
Because of the rocking of the boat, you want to take along some shoes that have a decent tread on them, like sneakers or some other rubber soled shoes.
There is quite a lot of ocean spray and wind on the whale watching boat, so you will want to dress in layers (and maybe even bring a blanket) to avoid getting chilled
during the few hours you are out.
What to Take
What whale watching expedition would be complete without a camera or camcorder to document the day’s events? There will be plenty of action to catch as you watch the whales jump and spout about.
Sunscreen and sunglasses are a must if you don’t want to get sunburn and a headache. Even on a cloudy day it is a good idea to have them.
Since it takes some time for the boat to reach the whales, you may want to bring a book, or some cards, along. This is especially true if there will be any children along. The time it takes to find a whale varies, from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, so kids are likely to get bored and want something to do in the interim.
For the Perfect Photograph
With the boat rocking around at very inconvenient moments, it’s easy to go through many unusable shots before you get one with a decent angle and setup. I’ve been known to take up 20 pictures before getting one with the whale jumping out of the water just so, or catching one as it spouts water. If you are going to be using a digital camera, make sure it is charged, has an extra battery and that there is plenty of room on its memory card. On the other hand, if you are more old school, bring extra batteries and rolls of film.
Whales like to play a wet game of hide and seek, popping in and out of the water just in time for you to miss them, making it just a little difficult to catch them. But, as with most games, there is a cheat. Watch the direction that the whale is moving in, rather than where he went under, by keeping track of his spouts. He will spout as he swims, giving you a way to follow and anticipate his movements and snap the perfect shot to a perfect whale watching experience.
Visit During Peak Months
The peak months for Humpback Whales are from February to March. They are most active during these months mating and giving birth to their calves, so this would be the best time frame in which to visit and whale watch.
Before Setting out to Sea
Foods absorb the acids that make you sick on an empty stomach, so even though you might cringe at the thought of going out to sea with a full stomach, really one of the best preventative measures to help avoid sea sickness is to eat a good breakfast. If you aren’t very hungry, snack on things like crackers, ginger snaps, and other starchy foods that will absorb stomach acids.
Most whale watching companies that you go out to sea in will allow you to take food and drinks out with you (as long as they are not glass bottles or alcoholic beverages) so pack drinks and food to take along so as to avoid getting dehydrated and hungry.
What to Wear
Because of the rocking of the boat, you want to take along some shoes that have a decent tread on them, like sneakers or some other rubber soled shoes.
There is quite a lot of ocean spray and wind on the whale watching boat, so you will want to dress in layers (and maybe even bring a blanket) to avoid getting chilled
What to Take
What whale watching expedition would be complete without a camera or camcorder to document the day’s events? There will be plenty of action to catch as you watch the whales jump and spout about.
Sunscreen and sunglasses are a must if you don’t want to get sunburn and a headache. Even on a cloudy day it is a good idea to have them.
Since it takes some time for the boat to reach the whales, you may want to bring a book, or some cards, along. This is especially true if there will be any children along. The time it takes to find a whale varies, from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, so kids are likely to get bored and want something to do in the interim.
For the Perfect Photograph
With the boat rocking around at very inconvenient moments, it’s easy to go through many unusable shots before you get one with a decent angle and setup. I’ve been known to take up 20 pictures before getting one with the whale jumping out of the water just so, or catching one as it spouts water. If you are going to be using a digital camera, make sure it is charged, has an extra battery and that there is plenty of room on its memory card. On the other hand, if you are more old school, bring extra batteries and rolls of film.
Whales like to play a wet game of hide and seek, popping in and out of the water just in time for you to miss them, making it just a little difficult to catch them. But, as with most games, there is a cheat. Watch the direction that the whale is moving in, rather than where he went under, by keeping track of his spouts. He will spout as he swims, giving you a way to follow and anticipate his movements and snap the perfect shot to a perfect whale watching experience.
Dwayne Goerges
For more Kauai travel ideas visit Kauai Vacations on the Kauai North Shore
View all articles by Dwayne Goerges