is it a good time to go?

I love February since it is peak whale watching season. Seeing the whales jump, tail slap and breach is a spectacular sight. We would see 10-15 every morning from our lanai on Kauai.

Maui is considered the best for whale viewing and while on Maui we watched a whales put on a show from the beach at the Maui Prince that was unbelievable. The female and her calf hid behind a snorkeling boat to get away from 2 jousting males---you never saw snorkelers get out of the water so quickly. It was written up in the paper the next day--the captain had never experienced whales coming that close to snorkelers.

February is considered the rainy season so you may consider staying on the southern parts of the islands for the better weather.

Is there a bad time to go?

We always go in February to the BI, but I would recommend going after Valentine's Day and President's Day. It is much less crowded than during that busy time.

February is the BEST time to go! ared2879: don't know where you're from, but winter in Iowa is truly nasty, so getting out of it for a week is sheer heaven! By February the holidays are all over and it's still a looooong way to spring, so it's the perfect time. We go to Maui, and as LindainOhio points out, whale watching there at that time is magnificent. We stay on Kaanapali beach and the weather is always nearly perfect. Aloha!

February can be rainy or dry here in Hawaii, that's unpredictable. Traditional rains are March, but again...

Staying on south sides of islands is of no use during winter rains and actually they can get it worse. That concept is only effective for trade conditions, which winter rains are not.

I've had the best whale watching on north Kohala coast (Big Island).

Aloha, beatofhawaii.com