Free Whale Talks in Lahaina 3 Days Each Week

Humpback whale. Photo courtesy NOAA/HIHWNMS.

Visitors and residents can get the latest scientific updates and trivia on Maui’s 45-ton visitors during free Whale Talks at the video theater in the Old Lahaina Courthouse, located at 648 Wharf Street.

The Whale Talks are presented by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary staff and volunteers and is sponsored by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

The talks are now offered three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon.  The courthouse is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.

The talks include informative facts, photos and videos about the North Pacific Humpback whales that return to the islands of Maui Nui every year from December through April.

Audience members will hear tales about whales and get answers to questions like: Why do they make that long journey from Alaska to Hawai‘i? Do the males really sing to communicate? Also, learn about their behavior; discover how much milk a whale calf drinks each day; and find out how researchers identify the whales that visit Hawai‘i’s calm seas.

Before or after the lecture, those in attendance are invited to browse the NOAA Exhibits displayed throughout the courthouse. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation provided financial support for the Old Lahaina Courthouse video theater, displays on the second floor landing and the Always Lahaina exhibit in Lahaina Heritage Museum.

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation also announced that Hale Pa‘i (Printing House) Museum, also in Lahaina, is again open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Admission is free. The archive center is available by appointment with 48 hours’ advance notice. To make a research appointment, call LRF Director of Programs Chris Conley at (808) 446-7613.