Seasonal· Oahu· Hawaii
Humpback Whale Season (North Oahu Sanctuary Unit)
21° 43.2′ N · 158° 3.0′ W · approximate
Each winter North Pacific humpbacks return to Hawaii to breed and calve, and the waters off Oahu's North Shore from Haleiwa to Kahuku are a unit of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Practical
Position is a representative offshore point inside the North Oahu sanctuary unit (PacIOOS sanctuary layer: about 231 sq km spanning roughly 158.14W-157.84W, 21.56N-21.76N). Whales are present roughly November-April (Noodle's Notes). Sanctuary rule (15 CFR 922.184, reproduced in Coast Pilot 10): no approaching within 100 yards of any humpback whale by any means; aircraft must stay 1,000 ft above. Post a lookout, slow down in whale areas and give mothers and calves a wide berth. The same winter months bring the big north swell, so whale-watching from a yacht here is usually a day trip from Haleiwa in a lull.
Best for
Whale watching on winter passages and from North Shore lookouts
Season
About November-April
Nearby
- Kawela Bay Anchorage (Turtle Bay)2.5 NM away
- Ted's Bakery (Sunset Beach)2.7 NM away
- Turtle Bay Resort3 NM away
- Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline3.3 NM away
- Shark's Cove (Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District)4.2 NM away
- Foodland Pupukea (Waimea Bay)4.4 NM away
- Three Tables4.5 NM away
- Puu o Mahuka Heiau State Historic Site4.7 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).