Some 10,000 visitors this month are frolicking in the ocean. Humpback whales are the target of sharks called cookie cutters whose bites are to whales as cookie cutters are to dough.

THIS IS THE FIRST OF DAILY REPORTS, SOME FULL LENGTH STORIES, BASED ON TALKS AT THE FEB.25-26, BASED ON TALKS BY THE WORLD’S LEADING RESEARCHERS GATHERED TOGETHER BY WHALE TRUST MAUI, the premier group supporting whale research in the Hawaiian Islands. Three researchers are the subject of a profile in my new book.

WHY 30 DAYS OF WHALES?  For 30 years or more, the waters of Maui have been a paradise for researchers. Not enough has been reported at least here on what has been discovered about these magnificent creatures, the source of so much attention by visitors.  This is this site’s small contribution to closing this gap.  And the whales are just one more example of why Maui is such a magical place, the theme of Voices of Aloha on Magical Maui. Remarkable whales and remarkable people of aloha that make this the greatest place on earth.–Norm Bezane

(There is no longer my Voices of Maui Beyond the Beach column in Lahaina News. Here, in the new digital age, you will now be able to find more on what makes Maui, Maui.)