Whale & Wildlife Report | Jan 18-24, 2026
Highlights
Humpback Whales
Hydrophone Vocals
False Killer Whales
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins
Reef Manta Rays
Tiger Shark
Green Sea Turtles
Whale & Wildlife Report | Jan 18-24, 2026
The Kona Coast is alive with wonder right now, and there’s no better time to join us on the water than during peak humpback season! This week we were treated to some truly unforgettable encounters: playful mom and calf pairs, intense competition pods, breaches, insane underwater vocalizations, and more! The sheer abundance of humpbacks right now means sightings are frequent and often spectacular - like this adorable calf pictured below.
Encounters with moms and calves remind us of the reason for the season. Hawaii’s waters provide a sanctuary for the vital breeding and birthing activity that humpback whales migrate thousands of miles for! We saw a number of mom, calf, and escort (a male humpback) trios during our tours this week. It was so cute watching the tiny calves explore their new underwater world - all while sticking close to mom. On one special occasion a little one practiced their breaching. So cute! These calves will grow stronger and stronger every day, getting ready for their own migration journey with mom this spring.
We were stoked to see more humpback competition pods, with the biggest including around 10+ whales! There was so much going on it was hard to keep track with lots of splashing, surface behaviors, and drama. More dramatics came from bottlenose dolphins and hawaiian spinner dolphins interacting with other humpbacks as well. We also had the most incredible interaction with two humpback whales who took an interest in us for nearly 45 minutes! With engines off, we floated as these whales were very curious and came over to say hello. It was hands down our coolest encounter of the season so far!
When we’re on scene with humpbacks, we’re always trying to get the perfect fluke photo to identify which whales we’re watching. Through Happywhale, our naturalists were able to id two very special humpbacks this week: CRC-22329 and CRC-15704 “Archer”. Both of these whales have been spotted in the Salish Sea (the location of our sister company Island Adventures)! Making connections like these are part of why Hawaiian Adventures began in the first place, and sharing these findings with our guests is even sweeter.
Humpbacks weren’t the only whales we saw this week, we also spent time with false killer whales! We were excited to say aloha to these year-round whales that we typically see on our pelagic tours April-November. It was so cool cruising with them up the coast as they zoomed past humpbacks. What a fun find!
Did you hear about our new Adventure Whale Watch Tour? Just in time for peak season, meet our new 41 ft vessel Apollo running 2.5-3 hour whale watching tours starting February 2nd. With up to two departure times at 10 AM and 1:30 PM, don’t miss your chance to catch the action from the coolest new boat in the Hawaiian Adventures family!
To celebrate Apollo’s arrival, all Adventure Whale Watch Tours in February are only $79 with code ApolloFeb
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.
