I am from the Midwest, so naturally when I came to Hawaii, I ensured it was during whale watching season. I wasn't going to waste the trip by any means. Whale watching was one of the priorities of our trip. I booked the Ultimate Whale Watch with Experts from Lahaina Harbor. For $120 a person, I was a little surprised that the boat was so small; however, I would later come to realize the size of the boat probably helps move from site to site more swiftly as the whales do not remain stationary as you can imagine. We rented a pair of binoculars for $10 which was a smart thing to do. We were able to see the distant whale activity very well. In addition to guaranteed whale activity, we were also provided with a breakfast of: yogurt parfait, pastries and fruit with coffee and water. Three hours was plenty of time for the tour. We moved from many sites as well as moved alongside some whales unexpectedly. We did not see any whales breach (jump from the water) on our tour, but that's not necessarily something you can predict. Our guides were quite knowledgeable, answering questions and providing all sorts of education regarding whales, their habits and their migration patterns. There was also an underwater microphone that allowed us to hear the whales "sing."
If I had to make a recommendation to someone considering a tour or tours with PacWhale I would say if your between tours or cost is an issue, book the snorkeling tour during whale season. You will for sure see whales on any tour plus you get to snorkel. A win-win!
The only issue was the confusion at the Harbor. There wasn't a designated person working for PacWhale directing people. There are multiple tours with PacWhale that depart early in the morning, so there was quite a bit of confusion and chaos moving people around. The photographer ended up directing people which of course wasn't his job. I feel hiring someone to direct tours in the morning would help alleviate this issue.