Tag Archives: whale head lunge

Spy hops, Breaches, Lunges…and Dolphins!

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Aloha,
Tuesday’s whale watchers saw a wide variety of action. The highest rate of sightings and activity was logged on our 8:00 Breakfast with the Whales cruise, where our naturalist Ryan reported seeing a “plethora” of whales — 20 to 25 different Humpbacks. Guests aboard that cruise witnessed breaches, head lunges, and even some spy hops. At 10:00, our whale watchers saw 3 different whales, 2 breaches and even some of the Humpback’s smaller cousins, the Spinner Dolphins. When the Captain deployed the hydrophone on that trip, the guests heard some very loud vocalizations. By 3:00, the wind had come up, but our Captain aboard the Whales & Cocktails trip did report that guests saw a Humpback spouting.
Join Ocean Sports on any of our 3 daily Whale Watch Cruises departing from 2 different locations within the Hawaii Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Waters. Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit hawaiioceansports.com to reserve your adventure today.
Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: Spy hopping is one of the ways a Humpback can see what’s going on above the surface of the water. Because Humpbacks have really big heads proportionally, their eyes are about a third of the way down their bodies. When the whale spy hops, she rises slowly and vertically from the water, head first. If she’s a fully grown whale, her rostrum may be 15 feet above the surface before her eyes get there!
Mahalo,
Captain Claire

Competition and Wild Surface Activity

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Aloha,
Our Wednesday whales seemed to have moved up the coast… After 3 days of great viewings near Anaeho’omalu, yesterday, guests aboard our 10:00 Whale Watch on Alala which departed from Kawaihae Harbor were treated to sightings of 6 different whales. Jonathan, our naturalist aboard that trip, reported that guests got to watch a competitive pod of 3 whales — 2 of them sizing each other up and chasing the third. We also saw three complete breaches, two tail lobs, a complete body lunge and a couple of head lunges! When the hydrophone was deployed, singing was detected, but it was pretty faint. Guests aboard Seasmoke’s 8:00 Breakfast with the Whales and the 3:00 Whales & Cocktails Cruises also reported seeing spouts and a few dives.
Join Ocean Sports on any of our 3 daily Whale Watches. We depart from two different locations within the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Waters. Call us at 886-6666 ext 103 or visit hawaiioceansports.com to reserve your adventure today.
Humpback Whale Fact of the Day: Humpback Whales have two blowholes. Actually, all Baleen whales have two…toothed whales only have one blowhole. Humpbacks use their blowholes like you use your nostrils – they exhale thru both and inhale thru both.
Mahalo,
Captain Claire