Aloha,

Well after a long weekend of high surf, we were finally able to go Whale Watching again. On Monday’s Breakfast with the Whales, we really didn’t see anything till the very end of the trip. Just as we were pulling into the bay, guests saw a breach and some splashing on the horizon. We really didn’t think that this qualified as a Whale Watch, so even though we shared lots of information with our guests, Captain Ryan called the trip a “Fluke” and everyone aboard has been invited back again on another Whale Watch with us for no charge. On our 10:00 Whale Watch from Kawaihae, guests saw 2 Humpbacks…and on our Snorkel Cruise from Anaeho’omalu guests also saw 2 Humpbacks (always a treat, since we really aren’t searching for them…but when the whales find us, we’ll definitely stop to watch them)! We ended the day with a great show on the Whales and Cocktails Cruise. Our onboard naturalist Angelica reports that we found two Humpbacks together. There seemed to be a bit of a competition going on (maybe they were trying to determine who was dominant) – we saw a pectoral slap and a couple of head lunges from one of these whales. And then a third whale showed up in the area…and perhaps announcing his presence (or maybe expressing aggression or excitement) did a full breach!.

Mahalo,

Claire

Captain Claire’s Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: According to researchers, the first whales to arrive in Hawaii each year from Alaska are females with a yearling, followed by sub-adults (the teenagers of the whale world). The next to arrive are mature resting females (ovaries and mammary glands show no signs of recent activity) followed by mature males, and finally late pregnancy stage females.