Whale Tales

Event runs February 12^th – 15^th, 2016 at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua

(Maui, Hawaii) January 12, 2016 – International whale research organization Whale Trust Maui invites the public to gather in West Maui over Presidents’ Day weekend at the 10^th Annual Whale Tales event, held at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua.

From February 12^th through the 15^th, top international scientists, photographers, filmmakers, and conservationists gather for Whale Tales, a four-day educational and fundraising event, full of presentations, whale watches led by presenters, a film screening, a live auction, and opportunities to network with world-renowned personalities in whale research. The event has attracted over 10,000 whale enthusiasts since 2006, and has raised over $430,000 to date for whale research around Hawaii.

Presentations are free and open to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, however, a suggested $20.00 per day donation is suggested to support Whale Tales’ beneficiaries. Benefit whale watches with the experts and ocean activities (snorkeling, canoe and kayak trips) are held throughout the weekend, with morning whale watches daily and excursions all day on Presidents’ Day Monday, February 15. All proceeds from the weekend’s activities support whale research happening here in Maui.

“Supporting our colleagues to fulfill their mission is our way of giving back,” said Whale Trust Maui Executive Director, Dr. Meagan Jones Gray. “We hope to exceed the nearly $70,000 we allocated last year to our beneficiaries. If we meet this goal, Whale Tales will have given back over $500,000 in the last ten years to whale research in Hawaii.”

2016 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, Feb 11

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm               Benefit Whale Watch

Friday, February 12
7:30 am – 12:00 pm              Benefit Whale Watches
12:30 pm – 5:30 pm              Education and Art Expo
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm                 Presentations* & Book Signing with Chuck Nicklin

Saturday, February 13
7:30 am – 12:30 pm             Benefit Whale Watches
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm             Education and Art Expo
12:00pm – 12:30pm            Special Series: Films from the Field presented by Hawaii Whale Research Foundation
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm               Presentations*

Sunday, February 14
7:30 am – 12:00 pm             Benefit Whale Watches
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm            Education and Art Expo
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm               Presentations*
3:30 pm                                     Maui Premiere of Humpback Whales Presented by MacGillivray       Freeman Films Followed by Q and A

Monday, February 15
7:30am – 6:30 pm                Benefit Whale Watches

* To support the beneficiaries of Whale Tales, please consider a $20 suggested attendance donation per day

PRESENTER LINEUP:

Susan Casey, Best Selling Author
Dr. Jim Darling, Whale Trust Maui
Beth Goodwin, Jupiter Research Foundation
Ralph Lee Hopkins, Lindblad Expeditions
Ed Lyman, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Greg MacGillivray, MacGillivray Freeman Films
John Moran, Gulf Watch Alaska
Chuck Nicklin, Award Winning Cinematographer
Flip Nicklin, Whale Trust Maui, National Geographic
Kenneth O’Brien, Alaska Whale Foundation
Dr. Fred Sharpe, Alaska Whale Foundation
Dr. Jonathan Stern, San Francisco State University
Olga von Ziegesar, Eye of the Whale
Marty Wolff, Marty Wolff Photography

“The Future of Whale Research”
Up and Coming Whale Research from the Next Generation, featuring:
Yaiyr Astudillo-Scalia, Arizona State University, Whale Trust Maui
Merra Howe, University of Hawaii Manoa, Oceanwide Science Institute
Mauricio Cantor and Lauren Shoemaker, Dalhousie University and University of Colorado, Boulder

With Special Guests:
Jason Sturgis, Whale Trust Maui
Dr. Meagan Jones Gray, Whale Trust Maui
Dr. Rachel Cartwright, The Keiki Kohola Project 
Dr. Marc Lammers, Oceanwide Science Institute
…. and more!

Featured Artists and Photographers:
Douglas Hoffman Photography
Evan Schauss Glass Art
Marty Wolff Photography
The Whales of Randy Puckett
Sherri Reeve Designs
…. and more!

The 2016 Beneficiaries of Whale Tales include:

Hawaii Whale Research Foundation
Keiki Kohola Project
Large Whale Disentanglement Program, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Oceanwide Science Institute
Whale Trust Maui

Event highlights include:

• Maui premiere of the new IMAX film, Humpback Whales, which was filmed largely on Maui and features several research groups, including Whale Trust Maui. This is the only chance to see this film on Maui.
• Showcasing new research highlighting the long-term social relationships that humpback whales form in feeding grounds (30+ years!) and new insights into the relationships of individual whales from Alaska and Hawaii;
• Footage of recently published research illustrating humpback whales guarding seals and other species from attacks by killer whales;
• New research looking at how the humpback whale song travels and changes over space and time — across the Pacific Ocean — from the Philippines and Japan to Hawaii to Mexico;
• Retrospective of the career of Emmy Award-winning underwater cinematographer and photographer, Chuck Nicklin, accompanying the release of his new book,Camera Man, which details his 60+ year career in underwater photography, diving, and filmmaking (The Abyss, For Your Eyes Only, Never Say Never Again). 
• Featuring best-selling author Susan Casey, sharing stories from her new book, Voices in the Ocean
• New revelations about how recovering humpback populations are affecting the environment;
• New research into the history of whaling in Hawaiian waters.

Whale Trust Maui is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to whale research and education.  Funds raised at Whale Tales support whale research efforts in the Hawaiian Islands. This annual event has raised over $430,000 for whale research on Maui since its debut in 2006.

The 10th Annual Whale Tales is made possible through the generous support of many individuals and organizations. This year’s major event sponsors are Makana Aloha Foundation, Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Lindblad-National Geographic Expeditions, Deborah & Michael Rybak, Nancy & Hamilton Harris, The Aloha Quartet, and William Kronenberg III.

Whale Watch companies donating tours for Whale Tales participants include: Jayhawk Yachts, Captain Steve’s Rafting Adventures, Gemini Sailing Charters, Hawaii’i Ocean Rafting, Maui Adventure Cruises, Ultimate Rafting Adventures, Trilogy Excursions, Lahaina Cruises, Maui Ocean Project, Maui Kayak Adventures, and Hawaiian Paddle Sports.

Whale Tales 2016 sponsorship packages and VIP passes, which include premium seating, private reception tickets, and a complimentary whale watch with Flip Nicklin ($500 and above). Other whale watches can be purchased in advance at www.whaletrust.org or by calling (808) 572-5700. 

For more information, visit www.whaletrust.org. The Whale Tales 2016 Facebook event – with latest updates – is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/965187936860396/

###

About Whale Trust Maui:

Whale Trust Maui is a Maui-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, support, and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment, and broadly communicate the findings to the public. Its founders are passionate scientists and explorers who believe that science—the quest for answers to the most intriguing questions about our natural world—lies at the heart of environmental education and conservation. Whale Trust Maui’s research programs focus on exploring the natural communication, behavior patterns, and social organization of whales. But Whale Trust Maui seeks to do more than fund groundbreaking field research on our earth’s largest marine mammals. Results from Whale Trust Maui’s field research are the basis for a broader program of outreach and education that involve the public, educators, and a new generation of researchers whom Whale Trust Maui hopes to inspire. For more information, visit www.whaletrust.org

About Whale Tales:
Whale Tales is a four-day educational event, full of presentations, receptions, whale watches led by presenters, and opportunities to network with world- renowned personalities in whale research. The event is hosted annually by Whale Trust Maui, a non-profit dedicated to whale research and education. Funds raised at Whale Tales support whale research efforts in the Hawaiian Islands. This year is the 10th Annual Whale Tales event, held at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua from February 12-15, 2016.