Whale & Wildlife Report | April 14-20, 2024
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Short-finned pilot whales
Risso’s dolphins
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Humpback whales
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins
Whale & Wildlife Report | April 14-20, 2024
A memorable week of adventures on the water! When we say every day is different, we truly mean it. There are certain species that we see more often than others, but there are so many that can surprise us during our tours!
Pilot whales are year-round whale that we frequently encounter! We spent time with a few pods of short-finned pilot whales this week in Kona’s offshore waters. When we spend time with whales, we witness a variety of behaviors. During one of our encounters, a pod was in travel mode and porpoising through the waves! Their speed was impressive and we cruised along with the group before they angled further offshore. On another trip, a pod of pilot whales was logging peacefully at the surface. We got some great looks, and we were treated to a close pass!
Our species list grew this week with an amazing find… a pod of Risso’s dolphins! We get excited about all of Kona’s marine life, but this species had us over the moon! We’ve dreamed of finding Risso’s, and it was so special to share the experience with all of our guests onboard. We found the pod of 6 dolphins offshore in about 9000 ft of water. The group was elusive, but we were able to spend about an hour with them! Captain Andrew Aggergaard and Naturalist Olivia Miller snapped photos to document the encounter, and we shared the news with our friends at Hawaii News Now and Big Island Now!
Our dolphin encounters continued with a few pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins outside Honokohau and in the Kealakekua Bay area. A few pods of bottlenose dolphins were especially playful, and we watched as they twirled under the bow, blew bubbles, and even swam upside down to look up at us! Our guests had some great interactions and enjoyed all the action around our boat. We also found a massive pod of Pantropical spotted dolphins offshore; a species, that like many, prefer deep water. There were at least 20 in the group and they were being very social and interactive!
The end of April is approaching, but we still had a few humpback sightings on our tours. We found a mom and calf in about 4000 ft, and a solo humpback even further offshore. They may be our last sightings for the year, and we wish them well on their journey ahead!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
PC: Olivia Miller
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
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