Whale & Wildlife Report | January 28 - February 3, 2024
Highlights
Humpback whales
False killer whales
Hammerhead sharks
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Reef manta rays
Bottlenose dolphins
Rough-toothed dolphins
Sea turtles
Whale & Wildlife Report | January 28 - February 3, 2024
This humpback season has easily been our most exciting to date! We encountered the majority of our humpbacks to the south, a region that was thankfully more protected from the swell and wind up north. We found a few adorable mom and calf pairings, with one calf in particular playing at the surface while its mom snoozed in the depths below. Nursing and parenting are hard work, and we’ve encountered lots of humpback moms who are happy to let their little ones rumble and tumble while they rest. The surface activity was outstanding, with one of our trips taking the cake for the most breaches during a tour (a passenger counted 22)! Humpback whales are massive and powerful creatures and breaching requires some effort, but the whales made it look effortless this week as they launched out of the water. We also found multiple male competition pods and were able to listen to a few singers beneath the surface using our hydrophone. There are days when the activity below the waves is more captivating than what we see above!
Humpbacks were not our only species of whale this week, we also found false killer whales! False killer whales are one of the pelagic species that we can see year-round on the Kona Coast. Pelagic species typically prefer deeper waters, but this group was taking an inshore cruise through the heart of the humpback zone! Our whale-watching trips spotted them on multiple days, and we detoured from the humpbacks to show our guests these incredible creatures! Our guests and crew watched as they rode our bow, porpoised through the waves, and even breached a few times!
The exciting sightings continued with a few of our favorite dolphins and dolphin species. Ghost, the pale-colored Hawaiian spinner dolphin, was present in the area this week. We encountered pods of spinners outside the harbor entrance, and we’re excited to continue observing Ghost on our upcoming tours! To the south, one of our tours found another pelagic species, rough-toothed dolphins. The group seemed to be mulling about the area potentially fishing, and we got some great looks at the group!
Mother Nature has tested us this winter, but we’re thrilled that the ocean continues to provide incredible wildlife and amazing encounters on our tours!
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