Whale & Wildlife Report | December 10-16, 2023
Highlights
Humpback mom and calf pairs
Hydrophone vocals
200+ melon-headed whales
Cuvier’s beaked whales
False killer whales
Whale & Wildlife Report | December 10-16, 2023
Our Christmas wish was granted and the humpbacks have arrived! The winter months are a special time of year on the Kona Coast, as thousands of humpback whales arrive in our warm waters for breeding and calving. New bouncing baby whales, groups of competitive males, and resilient mothers can be found on our adventures! With the humpback excitement, our tours have shifted to 2.5-3 hrs in length and up to 3 departures every day! We can’t wait to share the magic of the humpback migration with our Kama’aina and visitors of the Big Island!
We found multiple humpbacks on our adventures this week! Every set of eyes on the boat helps, and a few of our guests spotted some whales along with our team. We came across a number of individual whales and groups of humpbacks both north and south of the harbor. A mom-and-calf pair that we found turned out to be the same pair that we spotted about 15 days ago! We were able to identify another male humpback whale too, and are excited to continue capturing fluke photos. Our highlight of the week was the opportunity to use our hydrophone to listen to the humpback’s underwater songs! Conditions presented themselves, so we dropped our hydrophone with hopes of picking something up. Everyone was ecstatic when we heard the haunting and beautiful songs of the humpbacks below, and we listened for a solid 25-30 min!
This past week’s tours were full of whales and wildlife! It’s wild how different every day on the water can be, and this week we were treated to several year-round species including false killer whales, melon-headed whales, beaked whales, and pilot whales! We found melon-headed whales in 12,000 ft of water, and a giant group of at least 200 individuals. Our beaked whales this week were a mom and calf Cuvier’s beaked whale. Our crew and guests were surprised when the mom did a full breach out of the water, an uncommon behavior to witness. The calf sightings didn’t stop there, we also found a friendly group of pilot whales with a tiny whale in the mix. Although the humpbacks are in the area, we still love spotting Kona’s year-round whales on our tours!
The busiest whale watching season of the year is here, and we encourage everyone who has the opportunity, to get out on the water! As a special thank you to our local guests, we have also launched our Kama’aina membership program! If you’re a resident of the Big Island, check out our Kama’aina membership for incredible savings, perks, and more!
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