Close Encounter Already

Aloha,
We’re all very excited that Whale Watch Season has begun!
On our Wednesday 10:00 Whale Watch, guests aboard Alala were fortunate enough to spend 30 minutes with a juvenile Humpback who was cruising along side the boat as we headed up the Kohala Coast. Humpbacks are a protected species in the United States, so we can’t approach them in any way closer than 100 yards or do anything to alter their behavior… but the conditions yesterday were perfect for Captain Will to stop the boat and turn off the engines after the whale did a dive. Now we can’t say for sure that this whale was curious about us,  but we can say that the whale wasn’t afraid  –  since he surprised us all by surfacing RIGHT NEXT TO US,  giving us our first close encounter of the season.
We not only got to see several spouts from this whale, but we got to hear them as well! And if you’ve ever heard that WHOOOOOSH from a Humpback exhalation, you’ll know why we were so thrilled!
Mahalo,
Claire
Captain Claire’s Humpback Fact of the Day: Humpback Whales received protected status from the International Whaling Commission in 1966, banning most nations from hunting them. In the U.S., the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 provide additional protection to the whales. In fact, unless operating under a federal research permit, approaching humpback whales within 100 yards (300 feet) or within 1,000 feet from aircraft is prohibited by federal regulations