KAPALUA, Maui — The second annual Whale Quest Kapalua starts today with talks by two filmmakers who will present footage of their underwater encounters with whales off Japan and Maui.

Whale Quest events, hosted by the Kapalua Resort, are free and open to the public.

Today from 3 to 3:30 p.m., Koji Nakamura will present rare footage of Western Pacific gray whales feeding off Japan. His appearance will be followed from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. by Daniel Ortiz, who has filmed whales off Maui and will provide an insider's perspective into highdefinition documentary filmmaking.

Tomorrow's events run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include talks by Mark Ferrari, who has filmed encounters with humpback whales and false killer whales, and a clash between a tiger shark and a swordfish; Jim Luckey, former head of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, who will discuss the history of whaling in Lahaina; Randall Wells, who will explore the social structure of wild dolphins; and Flip Nicklin and Doug Chadwick of National Geographic Magazine, which recently published a story on humpback whales.

Additional lectures from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Sunday will cover climate change, whale migration patterns, and insights into humpback whale mating habits using Crittercam.

Two-hour whale-watching cruises will be offered each day at 7 a.m. The cost is $35.

For more information and a schedule of Whale Quest Kapalua events, visit www.kapalua.com or call (866) 669-2440.