Whale & Wildlife Report | Dec 14-20, 2025
Highlights
Humpback Whales
Humpback Hydrophone Vocals
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins
Pantropical Spotted Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins
Tiger Shark
Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks
Green Sea Turtle
Hawaiian Monk Seal
Whale & Wildlife Report | Dec 14-20, 2025
This week we were thrilled to encounter our first mom and calf pair of the season! The mother was still beautifully robust, suggesting she had likely given birth just a few days earlier, while her tiny calf was adorably small and brand new. We respectfully kept a generous distance, catching a few gentle glimpses before moving on to give the pair plenty of space. Witnessing the newest generation of humpback whales like this is truly a special and heartwarming experience!
Our tours encountered various solo and groups of humpbacks. Sightings included subadults with beautiful dives, surface active individuals, and whales tracking consistently along the coast. Through our fluke photos and Happywhale, our team was able to identify individuals such as PWF-NP_2759 and SEAK-5306 (a whale that has been seen off Oahu, Maui, and now the Big Island)!
We were treated to fun surface activity including tail slaps, cartwheels, and half-breaches! It’s always exciting watching these whales above the surface, but we also had the opportunity to listen to them beneath the waves. Longer down-time individuals allowed us to drop our hydrophone and we had our first listen of this season’s song! The male humpbacks are the singers, and even more fascinating, their song changes every year!
Dolphin interactions were frequent highlights alongside a tiger shark and two scalloped hammerhead shark sightings! Hawaiian Spinner dolphins appeared in sleepy groups near the harbor, and a large charging pod of 200+ further north who were bow riding, vocalizing, and wake surfing. We enjoyed a couple bottlenose dolphins hunting at the fish farms, a bigger pod that was incredibly energetic, and a small pod of Pantropical spotted dolphins. What a week!
Upcoming Tours
12/22- 7 AM & 11 AM Humpback Whale Watches
12/23- 7 AM, 11 AM, & 3 PM Humpback Whale Watches
12/24- 7 AM & 11 AM Humpback Whale Watches
12/25- 11 AM Humpback Whale Watch
12/26- 7 AM & 11 AM Humpback Whale Watches
12/27- 7 AM & 3 PM Humpback Whale Watches
12/28- 7 AM & 11 AM Humpback Whale Watches
Interested in experiencing our tours?
Hawaiian Adventure’s tours provide the best opportunity to explore the Kona Coast and the wildlife beneath the waves.
If you’ve been on other tours, you’ll appreciate the Hawaiian Adventures difference.
