Whale & Wildlife Report | December 31 - January 6, 2024
Highlights
Humpback mom and calf pairs
Hydrophone vocals
Whale shark
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Hawaiian monk seal
Bottlenose dolphins
Whale & Wildlife Report | December 31 - January 6, 2024
We are entering the heart of the humpback season in Kona! This week we enjoyed some especially thrilling encounters with a variety of humpback whales! When we dropped our hydrophone into the water this week, we picked up some very loud and beautiful vocals from below. Whale watching is truly an experience for all the senses, and sometimes hearing the wildlife is just as spectacular as seeing it! A few whales put on a wild display during our tours, and we witnessed lots of breaches, pec claps, caudal peduncle throws, and head lobbing! One whale, in particular, slapped its pec fins on the surface for the majority of our encounter; some very interesting behavior. A few mom-and-calf duos were spotted this week, and nothing makes us smile like baby whales! One calf even breached upwards of 10 times, throwing its body fully out of the water. We saw flukes near and far on our tours, and activity was booming in the inshore and offshore areas. If humpbacks are on your bucket list, it’s a fantastic time to join us!
We had lots of dolphin activity per usual on our tours this week. There were groups of Hawaiian spinner dolphins near the mouth of the harbor, and one massive group that we estimated to be around 80-100 dolphins! With the bow ramp on our vessel Artemis, guests had the opportunity to get an ever closer look at the wildlife riding our bow. We also found groups of bottlenose hunting around the Blue Mariculture fish pens, and a hungry Hawaiian monk seal hanging nearby.
Our most exciting encounter of the week, however, was with a massive whale shark! Whale sharks are one of the rare species to encounter on the Kona Coast, and they happen to be a crew favorite among our team. Guests and crew alike were floored when a whale shark surfaced nearby during our whale watch and proceeded to come check us out! The weather, wildlife, guests, and weather were phenomenal this week, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2024.
PC: Amy Aggergaard
PC: Jason Lafferty
PC: Amy Aggergaard
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