Maui Snorkeling Trips

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Archive for the 'Watching' Category

Best Time to Whale Watch in Hawaii

Author: UnderwaterFun, 9 23rd, 2008

whale.jpgWhale watching is one of the many unique opportunities afforded by the Hawaiian Islands. But the Humpback Whales are not visible year round, so it is best to plan your trip accordingly.

While most islands offer a glimpse into the life and migrations of the humpback whales, Maui is one of the best locations. Not only are the whales a spectacular sight, but the coast of Maui is particularly stunning. It makes for a perfect combination.

If you travel all the way to Hawaii in order to see whales, you want to make sure you’ll actually see something. The best way to ensure that you’ll see whales in force is by going between December and May. The best months remain those from January to April.

Not only is the time of year important in Hawaii whale watching, but so is the actual time of day. Although they can be seen at any given time, they tend to be particularly playful at sunset. For this reason, many people prefer this time of day.

The Blue Whale

Author: UnderwaterFun, 8 18th, 2008

The blue whale is one of the most majestic creatures in the ocean.  At an average of 110 feet and 200 tons, the blue whale is thought to be the biggest animal to have ever existed.  It is a marine animal in the suborder of baleen whales.  As with other baleen whales, the diet of the blue whale consists of crustaceans known as krill, small fist and sometimes squid.  It is the biggest jokes in nature that the biggest animals in the wild have a diet consisting of one of the smallest.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, blue whales were in abundance in all the oceans, able to travel extraordinary distances to complete their breeding cycles.  They truly were the world’s first globetrotter.  Then for a period for 40 years, the blue whales were hunted almost to the point of extinction.  With better regulations, this trend reversed itself, but the blue whale is only at a few percent population of what they once were.  Whale watching in Hawaii is a popular tourist activity.  Some folks come from all over the world just to see the birthing and mating grounds for the 5th largest whale in the world.

Sea Turtles On Maui

Author: UnderwaterFun, 7 28th, 2008

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Green sea turtles are a phenomenally unique oceanic creature.  Though they were around millions of years ago at the Mesozoic Era, around a quarter of a billion years ago.  They are one of the only reptiles with a hard shell.  Their magnificent shell is actually made of hard bone and covered with scales called scutes.  This gives them a certain level of protection as well as comfort in the ocean waters.  According to the experts, they are called ‘green turtles’ due to the chlorophyll in their diet (they eat mostly seaweed) turning their fat layers very green.  They were a very important part of the ancient Hawaiian diet.  Historians tell us that only the chiefs were allowed to eat green turtle, upon penalty of death if the rule were not followed.  Sea turtles were collected and raised in fishponds at the water’s edge.  They were fed and tended for, making it quite easy to collect if the chief and his family chose turtle for a meal.

The most dangerous time for a sea turtle is at its birth.  The mother turtle leaves the water to give birth to hatchlings on the beach.  Interesting to note:  cold sand temperature dictates more males will emerge, warmer sand temperatures will bring more females!  Predators are aware of this annual event and wait for the turtles to hatch.  When the turtle is out of the its birth shell, there is an all-out sprint to make it to the water before they are captured, and, even when they do make it to the water, a number of them are eaten by fish, birds and crabs.  Researchers believe than only 1 in 10,000 survive to adult hood.  How amazing that the green turtles numbers in Hawaii have allowed them to be removed from the Endangered Species list and placed on Threatened.  Still protected by law, no touching, riding, or attempting to feed is allowed, punishable by a stiff fine and possible jail time if caught, and we all know how many cameras are out there these days!  We need to all do our part to ensure these animals are left alone.  They belong to us all. 

Lucky travelers snorkeling on Maui get to see the sea turtles in their natural habitat.  The sea turtles may live for up to 100 years, although researchers are not certain, and have been recorded to grow to over 500 pounds.  How do you determine males from females?  Green sea turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least 20 years of age.  At this time, males will grow a long and thick tail.  Females maintain a cute and petite tail all their lives.  Seeing a sea turtle in the water is a quick testament to its grace and wisdom.

Click HERE to see a very interesting video of a green turtle eating a jelly snack!