• Skip to main content
  • Registration
  • Cart

Whale Tales

Whale Tales is presented by Whale Trust

  • ABOUT
  • PROGRAM
  • REGISTER
  • WHALE WATCHES
  • STORE
  • PRESS
  • CONTACT

Main Content

THIS YEAR, MAUI (HAWAII) AND THE WHALES ARE COMING TO YOU!

WHALE TALES

SEE whales - ABOVE and BELOW the surface

LEARN the LATEST about whales from the EXPERTS

HEAR from researchers and photographers around the world

From the comfort of your home!

Register to Attend Program and Speakers Be My Whalentine Event

PRESENTED BY

WHALE TALES – A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

The Whale Tales program will be broadcast live over two days and will feature nearly 10 hours of whales and expert talks, plus virtual whale watches and a virtual snorkel trip. More than 50 leading SCIENTISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, MUSICIANS, and VIDEOGRAPHERS will share 25 TED-style sessions and 32 check-ins from around the world over two days. Share with your family and friends on your laptop, mobile device, or big screen.

Event registration includes all presentations, the on-demand library, the education expo, and virtual whale watches. Whale Tales has something for everyone, including a section just for kids! Plus, you will have access to the archive of this one-of-a-kind event until March 15, 2021.

The tax-deductible minimum donation to access this event is $60.

Student, educator, and kamaʻāina discounts available.

Register to Attend


PROGRAM

DAY 1

(ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON SAT FEBRUARY 13)

LIVE BROADCAST

  • Roger Payne, PhD, Ocean Alliance
  • Jason Sturgis, Open Ocean Productions and Whale Trust
    SD To HD. 4K To 8K.  Advancing Camera Technology and How it has Helped Whale Research
  • Jim Darling, PhD, Whale Trust
    North Pacific Humpback Whale Song
  • Ellen Garland, PhD, University of St Andrews
    South Pacific Humpback Whale Song
  • Bernard Abeille, La Lyrone
    Baleine et Contrebasse
  • Andrew Stevenson, Whales Bermuda
    What Are The Humpback Whales Doing in Bermuda?
  • Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation
    Wave Glider Europa’s Multi-year Open Ocean Survey Of Humpback Whales

LIVE Q & A

  • Jim Darling, PhD, Whale Trust
    Andrew Stevenson, Whales Bermuda
    Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation
    Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust and National Geographic

DAY 2

(ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON SUNFEBRUARY 14)

LIVE Q&A: HUMPBACK WHALE SONG ACROSS THE PACIFIC
with Dr. Roger Payne, Dr. Jim Darling (North Pacific), and Dr. Ellen Garland (South Pacific)

LIVE VIRTUAL WHALE WATCH
with Dive Maui

LIVE BROADCAST

  • Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust and National Geographic
    Whale Tales, A Chance to Tell Our Story
  • Hal Whitehead, PhD, Dalhousie University
    The Cultural Lives of Sperm Whales
  • Dave Wiley, PhD, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
    Using Advanced Technologies to Explore the Underwater Behavior of Humpback Whales
  • Moira Brown, PhD Canadian Whale Institute
    Right Whales and Their Allies
  • Mike Korostelev, Whale Watching Russia
    Whale’s Photographer – Encounters that Can Change Your Life
  • Kenneth Balcomb, Center for Whale Research
    Orca Survey and the Big Salmon Ranch

LIVE Q & A

  • Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust and National Geographic
    Hal Whitehead, PhD, Dalhousie University
    Moira Brown, PhD Canadian Whale Institute
    Ed Lyman, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary


ON DEMAND SESSIONS

These sessions are available for access outside of the daily live streams and are included with your event registration.

  • Robin Baird, PhD, Cascadia Research
    Dwarf Sperm Whales in Hawaiian Waters: Using Drones, Photo-ID, and Citizen Science to Study a Difficult-to-study Species
  • Lars Bejder, PhD University of Hawaii at Manoa – Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
    The Energetic Cost of Humpback Whale Migration
  • Rachel Cartwright, PhD, The Keiki Kohola Project
    Weathering the Lean Years – How Maui’s Moms and Calves Fared Through Recent Climate-based Disruptions in the North Pacific.
  • Hannah Cubaynes, PhD, British Antarctic Survey
    Whales from Space
  • Ralph Lee Hopkins, Ralph Lee Hopkins Photography and Lindblad Expeditions
    Whale Tales 2021 – A Look Back At Five Years Of Photo Expeditions
  • Anke Kügler, Marine Biology Graduate Program, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
    What male humpback whale song chorusing can reveal about their ecology
  • Marc Lammers, PhD, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
    The Occurrence of Humpback Whales in the NWHI Revealed Through a Marine Drone
  • Ed Lyman, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
    The Science Behind Large Whale Entanglement Response
  • Joseph Mobley, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa
    2019-20 Humpback Whale Aerial Survey Project
  • Ralph Pace, Ralph Pace Photography and Whale Trust
    Whales of Monterey
  • Debbie Patton, Captain Steve’s Rafting
    Humpback Birth Video, Update
  • Brian Skerry, Brian Skerry Photography and National Geographic
    Secrets of the Whales
  • Kate Stafford, PhD, University of Washington
    Listening to a Changing Arctic

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

These virtual experiences will be available to access throughout the weekend and are included with your event registration.

  • Virtual Whale Watch, Ultimate Whale Watch
  • Getting Mugged! A Whale Watch Experience, Captain Steve’s Rafting
  • Virtual Snorkel, MOCMI

EDUCATION EXPO

Aloha Legacy Hawaii & HI-HOPE

Hawai’i Association for Marine Education and Research (HAMER)

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project

MOC Marine Institute

Ocean Innovators

Whale Trust

Fresh Island Art Gallery with Sean Baba

Kōkua Sun Care

Keynote and On-Demand Speakers

  • Bernard Abeille, La Lyrone
    Baleine et Contrebasse
  • Robin Baird, PhD, Cascadia Research
    Dwarf Sperm Whales in Hawaiian Waters: Using Drones, Photo-ID, and Citizen Science to Study a Difficult-to-study Species
  • Kenneth Balcomb, Center for Whale Research
    Orca Survey and the Big Salmon Ranch
  • Lars Bejder, PhD University of Hawaii at Manoa – Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
    The Energetic Cost of Humpback Whale Migration
  • Moira Brown, PhD Canadian Whale Institute
    Right Whales and Their Allies
  • Rachel Cartwright, PhD, The Keiki Kohola Project
    Weathering the Lean Years – How Maui’s Moms and Calves Fared Through Recent Climate-based Disruptions in the North Pacific.
  • Hannah Cubaynes, PhD, British Antarctic Survey
    Whales from Space
  • Jim Darling, PhD, Whale Trust
    North Pacific Humpback Whale Song
  • Ellen Garland, PhD, University of St Andrews
    South Pacific Humpback Whale Song
  • Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation
    Wave Glider Europa’s Multi-year Open Ocean Survey Of Humpback Whales
  • Ralph Lee Hopkins, Ralph Lee Hopkins Photography and Lindblad Expeditions
    Whale Tales 2021 – A Look Back At Five Years Of Photo Expeditions
  • Mike Korostelev, Whale Watching Russia
    Whale’s Photographer – Encounters that Can Change Your Life
  • Anke Kügler, Marine Biology Graduate Program, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
    What male humpback whale song chorusing can reveal about their ecology
  • Marc Lammers, PhD, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
    The Occurrence of Humpback Whales in the NWHI Revealed Through a Marine Drone
  • Ed Lyman, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
    The Science Behind Large Whale Entanglement Response
  • Joseph Mobley, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa
    2019-20 Humpback Whale Aerial Survey Project
  • Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust and National Geographic
    Whale Tales, A Chance to Tell Our Story
  • Ralph Pace, Ralph Pace Photography and Whale Trust
    Whales of Monterey
  • Debbie Patton, Captain Steve’s Rafting
    Humpback Birth Video, Update
  • Roger Payne, PhD, Ocean Alliance
  • Brian Skerry, Brian Skerry Photography and National Geographic
    Secrets of the Whales
  • Kate Stafford, PhD, University of Washington
    Listening to a Changing Arctic
  • Andrew Stevenson, Whales Bermuda
    What Are The Humpback Whales Doing in Bermuda?
  • Jason Sturgis, Open Ocean Productions and Whale Trust
    SD To HD. 4K To 8K.  Advancing Camera Technology and How it has Helped Whale Research
  • Hal Whitehead, PhD, Dalhousie University
    The Cultural Lives of Sperm Whales
  • Dave Wiley, PhD, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
    Using Advanced Technologies to Explore the Underwater Behavior of Humpback Whales

Global Check-In Speakers

  • Jo Marie Acebes, DVM, PhD, Balyena at Lumba sa Pilipinas
    Northern Luzon, Philippines
  • Jan Booch, Photographer
    Maui, Hawai’i
  • Ted Cheeseman, HappyWhale
    Santa Cruz, California
  • Jens Currie, Pacific Whale Foundation
    Maui, Hawai’i
  • Olga Filatova, PhD, Lomonosov Moscow State University
    Russia
  • John Ford, PhD, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
    Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
  • Oscar Frey,  Deep Blue Conservancy
    Puerto Vallarta, Bahía de Banderas, México
  • Chris Gabriele, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
    Gustavus, Alaska
  • Nan Hauser, Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation
    Rarotonga, Cook Islands
  • Douglas Hoffman, Douglas J. Hoffman Photography
    Maui, Hawai’i
  • Ralph Lee Hopkins, Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic
    Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Erich Hoyt, IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force and Whale and Dolphin Conservation
    Dorset, England
  • Meagan Jones, PhD, and Haley Robb, Whale Trust
    Maui, Hawai’i
  • Mark Kelley, Mark Kelley Photography
    Juneau, Alaska
  • Iain Kerr, Ocean Alliance
    Gloucester, Massachusetts
  • Nozomi Kobayashi, PhD, Okinawa Churashima Research Center
    Okinawa, Japan
  • Laura Lauta van Aysma, University of Leiden
    Netherlands
  • John Moran, Auke Bay Laboratories/NOAA Fisheries
    Juneau, Alaska
  • Putu Liza Mustika, PhD, Cetacean Sirenian Indonesia
    Indonesia
  • Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust
    Auke Bay, Alaska
  • Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, PHD, Tethys Research Institute
    Milano, Italy
  • Adam Pack, PhD, The UH Hilo Marine Mammal Laboratory
    Hilo Hawai’i
  • Chandra P. Salgado Kent, PhD, Oceans Blueprint
    Western Australia
  • Richard Sears, Mingan Island Cetacean Study
    Mingan Island, Quebec
  • Mariano Sironi, PhD, Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas
    Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Renata S. Sousa-Lima, PhD, Laboratory of Bioacoustics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
    Natal, Brazil
  • Jan Straley, University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka Campus
    Sitka, Alaska
  • Dipani Sutaria, PhD, Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Network of India
    India
  • Jorge Urbán, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
    La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
  • Caroline Weir, PhD, Falklands Conservation
    Falkland Islands
  • Randall Wells, PhD, Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
    Sarasota, Florida
  • Marty Wolff, Marty Wolff Fine Art Photography
    Maui, Hawai’i

 

Kid’s Corner

  • Magen Shifiliti, Eat Less Plastic
    Eat Less Plastic
  • Patty Miller, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
    Humpback Whales 101 – Whale To Scale
  • Shelby Brown, Whale Trust
    How Do We Tell Whales Apart?
  • Kim Nesbitt, Linblad Expeditions
    Welcome to Alaska
  • Haley Robb, Whale Trust
    Humpback Whale Song
  • Jayme Cellitioci, Ocean Innovators
    Wonder is My Compass
  • George Kahumoku Jr.
    Ocean Ambassador Abby Rogers Interviews Uncle George

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 (online/remote only) this year?

Volunteer Application


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.

Silent Auction

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 243
Makawao, Hawaii 96768

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.

Photos by Flip Nicklin/Minden Pictures and Ralph Pace/Minden Pictures. Obtained under NMFS Permit #19225.
Copyright © 2021 · WHALE TRUST