Whale Watching from Makapuu Point

It's whale season here in Hawaii. From December to April thousands of humpback whales can be seen frolicking in the warm coastal waters around the Hawaiian Islands. After several months of having babies and cavorting together, they start the long swim back to their feeding grounds in Alaska each spring.

If you plan to visit Hawaii during the winter months, one thing you won't want to miss is the chance to see these beautiful animals in action. You can get up close and personal with them on a whale watching tour available on all of the main islands. Or you can sit back and relax at one of the many overlooks found along the Hawaiian coastline, and just watch them from shore.

I've already mentioned the breathtaking scenery of Oahu's southeastern coast. As it turns out this area is also quite popular for whale watching.

Makapuu Point is a popular walk and whale watching spot along highway 72, just a half hour from Waikiki. The trail climbs high above the Pacific Ocean and on a clear day you can see all the way to Molokai, the next Hawaiian island in the chain. Several lookout points along the way give fantastic views of the water below, so you can easily see the whales swimming along the shoreline here.

The path at Makapuu is entirely paved: you can "hike" it in flip-flops while pushing a stroller. Just remember to bring a hat and lots of water, since there is no shelter from the full force of the sun overhead.

The easiest way to spot whales is by watching the surface of the ocean for sudden poofs of misty air, as they exhale after a long dive. Occasionally you may also see them slapping their tails, pectoral fins, and even their heads against the water's surface, to announce their arrival from the depths. Most spectacular of all is the breach: the whale springs straight up out of the water, does a half-turn in the air and flops back down with a huge splash.

The day I visited Makapuu, I was lucky to see about a dozen whales in three or four different groups, cruising by the point in both directions. Funny, even they looked small in that great expanse of ocean.

Note the little line of puffy clouds way out in the distance, hovering over the island of Molokai:


A closer view of Molokai, with a pod of humpback whales in the foreground:


Makapuu Lighthouse:


Looking up the Windward Coast from Makapuu Point. To the right are Rabbit and Turtle Islands, both bird sanctuaries: