Aloha,

There was a lot going on this past weekend with the whales. On Friday’s Breakfast with the Whales, guests saw at least a dozen different Humpbacks, including a few who decided to surface right next to us. On our 10:00 Whale Watch, we got to watch our favorite pod – Mom/Baby/Escort. The baby was really small, but really active – trying, in his uncoordinated way, to breach a few times just 20 feet from our boat. The escort was HUGE – one of the biggest whales we’ve seen in a long time. We also got to see lots of surface activities from other adult whales – breaches, pec slaps, peduncle throws, and even a spy hop. When we deployed the hydrophone, we heard some great sounds. On both Friday’s Whales and Cocktails, and Saturday’s Breakfast with the Whales, we got to watch a  Mom/Baby/Escort pod. Friday’s pod was really active, but Saturday’s pod was just cruising on the surface (though they were surfacing frequently about 100 yards from us). And we finished a GREAT weekend of watching whales with a Double Breach (that’s two whales breaching at the same time) just 120 yards from the boat on Sunday’s Whales and Cocktails!

Mahalo,

Claire

Captain Claire’s Humpback Fact of the Day: In August 2008, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) changed the status of the Humpback Whale from “Vulnerable” to “Least Concern” reflecting the general upward trend of population levels. According to IUCN standards, animal populations in the “Least Concern” category are at a low risk for extinction. The IUCN classifies the status of humans in the same category.