Every winter, about half of the humpback whales in the North Pacific make their way to Hawaii. Most visitors assume that seeing one means booking a boat. It does not. On the South Shore you can watch them from dry land, and three good places to do it are a short ride from our shop.
We will be straight with you first. This is not the whale capital of Hawaii. The state points to the waters off Maui and to Kauai's north coast for the biggest numbers. What the South Shore has is open coastline you can reach without a car or a ticket, and whales that pass close enough to count.
When the whales are here
NOAA's humpback whale sanctuary puts the season at November through April, with the peak from January through March. A few arrive earlier and a few stay later. If whales matter to your trip, January, February and March are the months.
On the last Saturday of January, February and March, volunteers across the islands spend the morning counting whales from shore for the Sanctuary Ocean Count. The 2025 sign-up listed three counting stations on this stretch of coast: Poipu Beach Park, Makahuena Point, and Makawehi at Maha'ulepu. Those are the three spots below.
Three lookouts, all a short ride away
They all start the way every ride from our shop starts right now. Head south to the public walking path just past us and walk your bike down to Hoone Road.
Makahuena Point, about five minutes. Turn left on Hoone Road and keep going as it becomes Pe'e Road. Makahuena Point is about five minutes along. Do not look for a parking lot or a bike rack, because there is neither. It is a stretch of road where you can pull off, walk the bike to a spot along the coastline, and sit down next to it. That is the whole setup, and it is a good one.
Makawehi Bluff at Shipwreck Beach, about ten minutes. Stay on Pe'e Road and it curves north to the Poipu Road and Ala Kinoiki junction. That junction is being rebuilt as a roundabout, so walk the bike through it. Then head east on Poipu Road, walk the short stretch of roadwork on that side too, and ride on out past the Hyatt to the Shipwreck Beach lot. Leave the bike there and walk to the east end of the beach, where the bluff rises above the water. A little height makes a big difference when you are scanning for whales. Stay well back from the edge. The cliff is undercut in places and the rock is softer than it looks.
This is also where the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail begins, and that guide covers where to lock the bike at Shipwreck.
Poipu Beach Park, about five minutes the other way. Turn right on Hoone Road instead and you are at Poipu Beach in about five minutes. You are standing at sea level here, so whales are harder to pick out than they are from the bluff. This is the stop for everything else on the list, which we will get to.
Racks and good places to lock up are common around the beach parks. A lock and a helmet come with every rental at no extra charge, and our one ask is that you use the lock every time you walk away from the bike.
What to look for
Look for the blow first. It is a puff of mist that hangs above the water for a second and then is gone. Keep watching that patch of ocean and a back or a tail often follows.
Mornings tend to be easier, before the wind picks up and the surface gets choppy. Bring binoculars if you packed them. Bring water and sunscreen either way.
Then be patient. This is not a show with a start time. Some mornings you will lose count of the spouts, and some mornings you will see none and have had a nice hour by the ocean anyway.
One rule for anyone heading out on the water during their trip: federal law keeps everyone at least 100 yards from a humpback. From shore, that one takes care of itself.
Monk seals and turtles at Poipu Beach
This is the part of the list you can count on more than the whales.
Hawaiian monk seals are endangered, and Poipu Beach is one of the places they come ashore to rest. The sandbar there came through Hurricane Lowell intact. Sea turtles are regulars in the water too.
When a monk seal is on the beach, volunteers rope off the area around it and keep an eye on both the seal and the crowd. Listen to their instructions at all times. They are the reason it gets to sleep on a busy beach.
If there is no rope and no volunteer, NOAA's recommended distances still apply:
- At least 50 feet from a monk seal
- At least 150 feet from a mother with a pup
- At least 10 feet from a sea turtle, on the sand and in the water
No touching, no feeding, and no stepping in closer for a photo. Use your zoom.
A seal lying still on the sand is usually just resting. If you see an animal that looks hurt or tangled, call the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at (888) 256-9840.
Conditions right now
As of October 2026.
Hurricane Lowell hit the South Shore in September, and the west end of the coast took the worst of it. We are still not sending riders out Lawai Road toward Spouting Horn, which is why none of these lookouts are on that side. All three are east of the shop or a few minutes from it.
The county is also still rebuilding Poipu Road, including the stretch in front of our shop. Walk your bike through the heavy sections and follow whatever the road crew tells you. Our guide to getting around Poipu without a car has the full routes and a map.
Things are changing week to week, so call us at (808) 635-3462 before you head out if you want the latest.
The practical bits
We are open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 3pm, closed Mondays, and bikes can come back as late as 8pm. For whales, pick up in the morning.
Electric bikes start at $50 and regular bikes at $20, from two hours up to a full week. Helmets and locks are included. If riding over from your hotel or condo does not suit you, we deliver across the South Shore for a $50 delivery fee.
We will come back to this page once the season is underway and tell you what people are actually seeing out there. In the meantime, if you want to turn a whale morning into a full day, the rest of the South Shore is the same short ride away.
