Tag Archives: spy hop

Muggings, Spy hops, Baby Breaches, and Escorts

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Aloha,
All 3 of our Wednesday Whale Watches had very interesting things to report. On our 8:00 Breakfast with the Whales, we started the trip with a mugging by 3 whales for more than 25 minutes — the female in the pod (we’re guessing based on behavior) kept leading the two males in front of, underneath and behind the boat. We all got great sightings of the three whales as they swam just feet below the surface and then surfaced very close to us! We saw a total of 23 whales on this trip, 3 breaches, 5 pec slaps and 2 peduncle throws. We also heard great sounds when we deployed the hydrophone. On our 10:00 Whale Watch, guests saw 20 whales, 4 head lunges, 2 pec slaps and three spy hops. Our hydrophone picked up some great sounds on that trip two. On our 3:00 Whales & Cocktails cruise, we saw 8 whales, including a Cow/Calf. The calf breached 3 times about 100 yards from the boat, and then proceeded to make 4 body lunges before Mom gave one big peduncle throw. We weren’t sure if she was just getting tired of her little guy’s hyperactive activity, or if there was an escort who hadn’t surfaced and she was trying to shoo him away. We also saw 9 breaches in the distance and a lot of other big splashes (we couldn’t tell exactly how the whales were creating them).
Join Ocean Sports on a Whale Watch you’ll never forget. Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit www.hawaiioceansports.com to reserve your adventure today.
Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: Researchers have observed that female Humpbacks with calves are accompanied by a male escort about 83% of the time during the winter season in Hawaii. Since nursing moms rarely get pregnant, we’re not sure why these males are hanging around ..one theory is that the escort is trying to make a good impression on the female so that when she is receptive, she’ll consider the possibility of mating with him. Other researchers theorize that she puts up with the company of one male, hoping that he’ll scare off other amorous suitors (maybe dealing with one male at a time is better than having to deal with 2, 3, 4 or more).
Mahalo,
Captain Claire

Siren’s Song, Protective Mother Whales and a little bit of a Fight

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Aloha,
Wednesday’s Whale Watchers got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of baby whales. At 8:00, on our Breakfast with the Whales cruise, we spent the first 40 minutes with Mom, her baby and an escort. Mom was pretty protective of her calf, keeping him on the other side of her from the escort (which is the same thing we saw yesterday too). At one point, all three of them surfaced about 20 feet from the boat! The escort did a fluke dive and we all got to see the distinct white markings on the ventral side (that’s the underneath part) of his flukes before he did a turn right underneath our bow! We also watched a competitive pod of 2 whales literally shoving each other across the surface of the ocean. We saw 6 breaches, 2 peduncle throws, and heard some very loud singing. On our 10:00 Whale Watch, we saw 14 different whales, including 3 different Cow/Calf pods. We saw 5 breaches and 5 spy hops as well as body and head lunges and some tail lobs. We were “mugged” twice on that trip too, and also heard some very loud songs.
Join Ocean Sports on a Whale Watch and experience the adventure for yourself! Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit www.hawaiioceansports.com to reserve your seat today.
Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: We don’t always need to deploy our hydrophone to hear the whales singing. When singing whales are very close to the boat, their songs reverberate through the hulls. The uneducated sailors long ago thought that these sounds they were hearing through the holds of the ships were actually sung by sirens (or mermaids).
Mahalo,
Captain Claire