Whale & Wildlife Report | April 7-13, 2024
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
Highlights
Short-finned pilot whales
Humpback mom and calf
Deceased whale chunk and feeding sharks!
Oceanic whitetip sharks
Tiger sharks
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins
Reef manta rays
Green sea turtles
Whale & Wildlife Report | April 7-13, 2024
A wild week of whale-watching adventures! Every time we leave the dock, we are embarking on a new wildlife search. This week, we had some exciting and unexpected encounters on our tours!
We were thrilled to kick off our first week of year-round whale watching with lots of pilot whales! We found multiple pods offshore, and encountered one of our naturalist’s favorite pilot whales, a bull nicknamed “Razorback”. Razorback is notable with his large size and distinctive markings and dorsal fin! He gave our guests lots of great looks and a large tail slap! During our encounters, we witnessed social behavior between individuals and were able to listen to their underwater vocalizations. Unlike humpback whales, pilot whale vocals are made up of pulsed sounds, clicks, and whistles! It’s especially cool when we can share this experience with our guests, and they get a glimpse into the communications beneath the surface. A few of the pods had oceanic whitetip sharks trailing behind; a frequent sight as they share a similar taste for squid, and may be taking advantage of any scraps left behind.
Speaking of feeding, we had a rare encounter this week that turned into a feeding frenzy! Our team was out on one of our whale watching tours when they spotted a large pale blob and splashing the surface. Upon further inspection, we found oceanic whitetip sharks and tiger sharks feeding on what we believe was a chunk of whale!! This was a wild sight, and we bore witness to the circle of life in action. We get excited during any encounter with Kona’s shark species, but seeing them in their prime during snack time was amazing!
Our whale encounters didn’t stop at pelagic whales, we also found a late-season humpback mom and calf. The official humpback season is over, but every year there are a few stragglers. We got some looks at the mom and calf and admired the duo for a few minutes before they disappeared under the waves. This baby was likely born later in the season, and mom is waiting until baby is strong enough and ready to depart on their migration journey!
We also had lots of dolphin action on our trips! We found pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins just outside of the marina; always a welcome encounter when we are departing or arriving back at the harbor. We found larger pods of Hawaiian spinners along the coastline and saw more active and social behavior including lots of spins, tail slaps, and splashing. A few pods of bottlenose dolphins also graced us with their presence, and guests enjoyed watching them ride the bow and wake of our boat Artemis!
Mahalo to our guests who joined us from near and far this week. We are excited to run our year-round whale watching trips, and to continue exploring Kona’s offshore where so many whale and wildlife encounters await!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
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