Aloha,

We loved whale watching on Tuesday! We started the day with our 8:00 Breakfast with the Whales cruise where we saw 16 whales and encountered two competitive pods. They put on quite the show — breaching, pec slapping, tail lobbing and throwing their peduncles. Our naturalist Angelica reports there were so many whales in every direction that we all were getting “whale whiplash” as we tried to keep track of all the sightings! On our 10:00 Whale Watch, our guests saw 15 whales, but the cutest stuff happened when a calf decided it was time to breach, perform tail lobs and head and body lunges. We loved watching Mom push her baby around with her head through the water. We also heard some excellent singing…and got to see two spy hops. Our naturalist Meagan, aboard our 3:00 Whales & Cocktails cruise said that this trip was “THE BEST WHALE WATCH EVER”! We found ourselves surrounded by a very competitive pod of whales who, in the midst of their fights for dominance, performed more breaches than anyone was able to keep track of, along with pec slaps, tail lobs and peduncle throws. The female in the group was using our boat as a barrier to block the males…and everyone even got hit with the spray from their spouts as those whales swam by. What a day!!!

Experience the excitement of a Whale Watch with Ocean Sports. Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit www.hawaiioceansports.com to reserve your adventure today.

Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: You may have heard the term “rorqual” applied to Humpbacks. The word “rorqual’ is derived from a Norwegian word meaning “furrowed” and describes the grooves that run from a Humpback’s chin to her navel. These grooves are actually pleats of skin that allow the whale to expand its mouth size when feeding, but when not in use, allow the Humpback to maintain a more streamlined shape.

Mahalo,

Captain Claire