Just as each humpback has its own identifying features, each tour company has its own approach to the whale watch experience. Maui Princess Cruises, for example, is affiliated with the Island Marine Institute and combines recreational cruises with ongoing research. Fluke I.D. and behavioral data are collected aboard the company's whale watch excursions. Passengers can expect expert narration with the latest scientific information about humpback whales, and with the use of underwater video equipment and on-board monitors, you'll have the opportunity for a real good look.

The Pacific Whale Foundation is another well-known research organization that combines research with educational whalewatch cruises. Over the last 25 years, more than 1.5 million people have gone whale watching with Pacific Whale Foundation. Either of these tours can be booked at a reasonable price and both offer more than a peek at a whale.

There are many ways to observe a humpback whale in the wild. Snorkel cruises are a good bet. Rafting tours and fishing boats also travel humpback territory, and now you can go looking for the big guys on the Hana Coast with a new company called Hana Bay Charters. Or you can get out there with a kayak and paddle and try for an upclose encounter of a thoroughly unforgettable kind. Expect to have a marine naturalist as a guide and it's likely you'll find underwater equipment on board that allows you to hear whales vocalizing from the deep.

Maui's waters are teeming with humpbacks, but some say the waters off Lahaina are a particularly good place to find them. Many boat companies depart from Lahaina and Ma'alaea harbors.