A Bad Case of Wanderlust: Whales and Volcanoes

Thursday was an exciting day as we got to go whale watching aboard the Alii Nui. This luxury catamaran had very few passengers for an optimal experience. Furthermore, there was food and drinks galore! February is a prime season for this activity as around 15,000 humpback whales migrate into the Hawaiian shores to have their babies and mate. What is unique about them being down here is that adults don't eat at all. They come here for the safe shallow waters that are predator-free. Throughout the boat-ride we witnessed 5-6 competition groups. These are groups comprised of one female with her calf and a group of males. The males target the females with babies as they are obviously fertile, and compete to be her mate for next season. They engage in spectacles of breeching, pectoral fin slapping, and diving. We saw a spectacular sight of huge males breeching, and competing. We also saw mothers teaching babies how to breach. The mother would show her baby, the calf would try, the mother would show her baby again, and the cycle repeated until the mother had enough. When the whales would dive, this was when we saw the famous tail shot, as they would lift them above the water for increased momentum. Last time we came to Maui in March, we did the exact same boat ride, but saw no breeching. Even the crew were amazed by how much we got to see! This is definitely the highlight of my trip so far.

Friday we decided to drive up the Haleakala volcano. It was a very interesting drive, as the scenery around the volcano was vastly different to coastal Maui. It was similar to an Irish landscape, with green pastures filled with cows and horses, and lost of cloud and moisture. The roads were very similar to those in Ireland as they wound up the volcano and were rather narrow. By the time we reached the top, we had hit a little over 10,000 ft., and were above the cloud. It was a spectacular view, and also the sight of deep space telescopes. Some people were biking up, and there was even a place to park your horse! Strangely enough, I was expecting a crater closer to the one I saw in Costa Rica, a circular shape with a prominent sulphuric smell. This one was very different as you can see from the pictures below.