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17TH ANNUAL
WHALE TALES
RETURNING TO THE RITZ-CARLTON MAUI, KAPALUA
FEBRUARY 17-20, 2023
Join us for the 17th Annual Whale Tales on Maui, at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Mark your calendars and join the Whale Trust research team and international experts for a weekend of world-class talks, whale watches, education opportunities, and special events. Stay tuned for more information including program details and opportunities to get involved.
WHALE TALES 2023
Whale Tales is hosted annually by Whale Trust, a Maui-based nonprofit organization dedicated to whale research and ocean education. Whale Tales is both an educational event that bridges the information gap between scientists working in the field and the public and a means to raise funds to support whale research in Hawaii. All proceeds from the Whale Tales event are distributed to selected organizations and students to support whale research in Hawaii through the Whale Tales Beneficiaries Program.
Whale Tales returns to Maui in 2023, hosted by The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua. Program details and registration coming soon!
2022 Keynote and On-Demand Speakers
***2023 Speakers to be Announced***
- Ari S. Friedlaender, PhD, UC Santa Cruz Department of Ocean Sciences
- Jordan Lerma, Cascadia Research
- Elizabeth Henderson, PhD, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific
- Ed Lyman, MSc, Natural Resource Specialist, Large Whale Disentanglement Team, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
- Martin van Aswegen, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa – Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
- Andy Szabo, PhD, Alaska Whale Foundation
- Lisa Ballance, PhD, Marine Mammal Institute – Oregon State University
- Patricio Robles Gil, The Extinction Rituals
- Kristi West, PhD, Stranding and Health Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi
- Christine Gabriele, MsC, Hawaiʻi Marine Mammal Consortium, Glacier Bay National Park Alaska
- Brian Skerry, Brian Skerry Photography and National Geographic
- Donna Hauser, PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Ray Chin, Ray Chin Images , Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation
- Michelle Fournet, PhD, Cornell, Sound Science Research Collective
- Alison Stimpert, PhD, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
- Jo-Marie Acebes, PhD, National Museum of the Philippines, Baylena Project
- Ellen Garland, PhD, University of St. Andrews
- John Moran, PhD, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
- Marc Lammers, PhD, Research Ecologist, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
- Kiliii Yuyan, National Geographic and Kiliii Yuyan Photography
Global Check-In Speakers
- Randall Wells, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Sarasota, Florida
- Caroline Weir, PhD, Sei Whale Project, Falkland Islands
- Ted Cheeseman, HappyWhale, Santa Cruz, California
- Brijonnay Madrigal, University of Hawaii at Manoa – Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, O’ahu, Hawaiʻi
- Mariano Sironi, Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas, Argentina
- Hawaiʻi Marine Mammal Consortium, Alaska and Hawaiʻi
- Sue Moore, PhD, University of Washington
- Puta Liza Mustika, Reef Check Indonesia Foundation, Indonesia
- Julia Zeh, Bioacoustics and Behavioral Lab, Syracuse University, New York
- Laura Lauta van Aysma, University of Leiden, Netherlands
- Nick Pyenson, PhD, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
- Kate Stafford, PhD, Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University
- Tom Fitz, Schoolyard Films and Fitz Productions, Jupiter, Florida
- Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation, Hawaiʻi
- Bill Keener, The Marine Mammal Center Cetacean Field Research Team, San Francisco, California
- Magen McElligot, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa – Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, O’ahu, Hawaiʻi
Kid’s Corner
- Chris Cilfone, Kohola Film Project
Documenting an undocumented ocean - Patty Miller, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Fun Facts about Humpback Whales - Slater Moore, Adam Ernster, & Katlyn Taylor, Whalenerds Productions
Marine Life Photography 101 - Steve Grimes, Grimes Guitars
Where in the World are the Whales? Music Video - Haley Robb, Whale Trust
Humpback Whale Song - Anais Remili & Naomi Mathew, Whale Scientists, So you want to become a whale scientist? Our tips to aspiring marine mammalogists
- Douglas Hoffman, Douglas J. Hoffman Photography, Why Whales Matter
- Jana Phipps, Health & Stranding Lab, Dolphin and Whale Stranding Response
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Whale Tales be available online this year?
In 2023, Whale Tales will return to Maui as an in-person event. We are exploring live-stream and recording options to continue reaching our online community! Stay tuned for details.
Will there be any in-person events for the public this year?
Yes! In addition to the two-day program at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua (February 17-18), we will be offering benefit whale watches and other special events.
When can I register for Whale Tales?
Early bird registration for Whale Tales will open in November.
I’m an educator. Can you visit my classroom virtually or locally?
Yes! We offer K-12 educational programs on humpback whales and would love to share them with your students either virtually or in-person. Please contact community@whaletales.org for more information and scheduling.
GET INVOLVED
Share
Help get the word out by sharing with your community.
If you or a business you know would be interested in an in-kind marketing partnership opportunity, please contact us.
Volunteer
Do you have skills and interest in helping with event support and production this year?
Contribute to the Silent Auction
Connect us with an ocean-conscious business or contribute a silent auction item! All funds raised during Whale Tales support whale research through the Whale Tales Beneficiary fund.
WHALE WATCH PARTNERS
These companies donate whale watches annually to support whale research in Hawaii through Whale Tales. We encourage you to choose from these companies when booking your whale watches and ocean adventures in Maui Nui.
CONTACT US
Phone:
(808)572-5700
E-mail:
whaletales@whaletrust.org
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1360
Puunene HI 96784
Whale Tales is a community outreach event produced by Whale Trust, a 501(c)(3) based in Maui, Hawaii. Our tax ID is 91-2144632. Please make checks payable to Whale Trust and note Whale Tales in the memo.