On January 5th, 50 volunteers joined Trilogy’s first Blue’Aina trip of the new decade. This first trip of 2020 coincided with the beginning of humpback whale season on Maui and Trilogy decided to make this Blue’Aina trip an educational whale watch. The charismatic and very knowledgable, Flip Nicklin, co-founder of Whale Trust was on board to share humpback whale facts and insights with our volunteers.

Recent rain storms and strong winds from an unfavorable direction have been affecting Maui’s south and west shores, and unfortunately Sunday was no exception. Our group of 50 volunteers and sponsors huddled into the cabin of Trilogy 2 in Ma’alaea Harbor and discussed a plan for the afternoon. The rain had cleared and there were hopes of finding a lee in the wind. Our Captain promised, “it will be an adventure” and we set out too brave the winds and search for humpback whales.

About 30 minutes into the trip and no lee in sight we made the decision to turn back towards the protection of the harbor. After taking some splashing waves over our bow, resulting in a handful of people getting wet, there were no complaints. Despite the poor luck with weather, our January Corporate Sponsor, Aloha Dollar Store was proud to present their $1,000 donation to non-profit Whale Trust Maui.

Aloha Dollar Store is located in Lahaina and is your go-to stop for almost anything. Their employees truly love to give back, participating in multiple Blue’Aina trips with Trilogy. Their strong connection to the environment and whales led them to choose to make a donation to non-profit Whale Trust Maui.

A leader in the humpback whale research community, Whale Trust Maui’s mission is to promote, support, and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment. The group continuously conducts research on the whale’s song, male & female interactions, and female whale behavior in particular, as well as overseeing ongoing photo and video research.

Whale Trust co-founder, Flip Nicklin is widely regarded as the premier whale photographer of the world and is an accomplished contributor to National Geographic. With more than 5,500 dives in his repertoire, he helped co-found Whale Trust Maui in 2001 with Meagan Jones and Jim Darling, all sharing the same belief that scientific research is what truly lies at the heart of meaningful marine life education and conservation programs. 

As a well-known and respected part of the Maui community, Whale Trust holds an event each year for local residents and tourists alike called Whale Tales. This year’s event will take place on February 14-17 at the Ritz Carlton, and we can’t recommend it enough!

In the words of Whale Trust Maui, “Whale Tales brings together marine experts and thousands of residents and visitors from around the world each year. Since 2006, world-renowned presenters have joined the Whale Trust research team on Maui to collaborate and share the latest findings on humpback whales and their environment. Over four days, scientists, photographers, filmmakers and conservationists join the public for a memorable weekend of engaging talks, receptions and exciting whale watches.”

All of us at Trilogy and on Maui look forward to whale season each year and extend our appreciation to the local Maui humpback whale researchers for joining us on board this month’s Blue’Aina trip. Trilogy runs Blue’Aina reef cleanups the first Sunday of every month year-round, so don’t forget to check our website for availability and featured sponsors and non-profits for 2020!