Friends , this article was written before the devastating fires on Maui and the destruction of Lahaina . I am truly heartbroken . My thoughts and prayers are with the Hawaiian people who have been such gracious hosts to me and my family for many years . If you feel moved , like I do , to help the Maui community , please visit : https :// hawaiicommunityfoundation . org / maui-strong .

Whale season in Maui is from December through April where 10,000 to 12,000 whales migrate from the cold waters of Alaska , where they feed all winter , to the warm waters of Hawaii where they breed , calve , and nurse their young . The best viewing and most whale activity are in January and February where on a good day it might feel like you are in a bowl of whale soup .

Imagine it is early January , you are up early , some of the family is still sleeping in the hotel room , and you are heading to Lahaina harbor for a 6:30 AM departure of your 2-hour tour . You get to the harbor and find the slip where your boat is moored . It ’ s a yellow 28 ’ zodiac with a bimini top that only holds 12-14 people . It ’ s about 68 degrees outside and the warm sun is starting to come up over the West Maui mountains .

The captain gathers everyone for a safety talk then you put your slippers in a cubby that is on the dock , and you board the vessel . Where should you sit ? On a zodiac , unlike some larger vessels , there is good visibility all around . Usually there are 3 people on each side , in front of the console , with 4 or 5 in the back but there is one seat on the bow . You know the ride is a little better on the sides but if you have a camera with a long lens , you are going to want to take the seat that is on the bow .

By being on the bow by yourself you have a much greater range of motion and visibility with your camera , and you don ’ t have to worry about accidentally hitting someone with your camera if a whale suddenly appears . Then you learn that the seat on the bow is called “ the ejection seat ”. But you know that it is the best spot because your goal is to capture the beauty , acrobatics and playfulness of these 50 foot long , 60,000-pound gentle giants as they interact with each other in the warm waters of the Au ’ au channel between Maui and Lanai .

The captain this morning is Amy . She slowly guides us out of the harbor and into the channel and heads toward the island of Lanai . As you get out into the channel Amy puts a little more throttle into the dual outboard motors and the zodiac picks up speed and starts hopping across the water . A fair amount of spray starts hitting your face from the gorgeous blue Hawaiian water . It ’ s early morning so the seas are pretty calm still and you haven ’ t been ejected yet by going over big waves . The captain

Maui No Ka ‘ Oi

and passengers are on the lookout for spouting , breaching or other whale activity in the distance . Suddenly someone yells “ Whales at 3 o ’ clock !”

Way out in the distance toward Molokai there is some whale activity . Amy turns the zodiac to the starboard , cranks up the dual outboards and heads toward the whales . They are way out there . The zodiacs are quick and agile , even so it takes a few minutes to get to the whales . They ’ ve gone under , no one has seen them for a while , and you don ’ t know which way they were traveling . Amy turns off the engines and you sit and wait to see where they reappear . After sitting for a few minutes one of the passengers says , “ Coming right at us .”

You look to the left and here comes a humpback slapping her pectoral fin on the water heading right for the boat . You raise your camera with your 70-200mm lens and start shooting . The photos are good but now she is getting too close , and your lens is too big for this close action . She is still coming and slapping . She ends up hitting the boat and moving it about 10 ’ in the water . It was a mom with her calf and she probably wasn ’ t happy we were there . Some people had GoPro ’ s in the water , others shot videos with their phones .

That is the story behind this photo . What the story doesn ’ t convey is the adrenaline and excitement that was experienced when a 60,000-pound upset mother is slapping her pectoral fin and heading for your boat . I invite you to scan the QR code in this article to see a short 1-minute video of this great experience and visit my Instagram page for more whale images .

Jeff Bentz is a travel and landscape photographer in Gilroy . Instagram @ jeff _ bentz _ photography / jeffbentzphotography . com

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