Our First Humpback Sighting Of The Season!
PC: Olivia Miller
Our First Humpback Sighting Of The Season | November 16, 2024
We are welcoming in the holidays with whales! We encountered our first humpback whale of the upcoming humpback season today! Captain Andrew Aggergaard, Naturalist Olivia Miller, and guests were out on a dolphin and whale watching tour far offshore when they spotted what they thought was one of Kona’s year-round whales.
PC: Olivia Miller
Year-round there are over a dozen species of pelagic whales that can be found on the Kona Coast, but this big whale turned out to be a big surprise! As we approached the scene offshore from Kealakekua Bay, we quickly discovered that this was a subadult humpback! The individual was traveling south and had shallow dives, allowing everyone onboard to get some great looks and lots of photos during the whales’ surface intervals.
PC: Olivia Miller
After submitting one of her fluke photos to Happywhale, Naturalist Olivia Miller was able to ID the individual! Their scientific name is “HW-MN0442595”, and they were first documented off the coast of Lahaina, Maui on Dec 12th 2022. The sighting today means that this whale has returned for another eventful breeding and birthing season in Hawaii!
PC: Olivia Miller
This encounter marks the beginning of an exciting winter whale watching season on the Big Island. The annual humpback migration brings thousands of humpback whales to Hawaiian waters for an action packed few months. The best time to see humpback whales is mid-Dec through March, and we will begin our official humpback-focused whale watching tours on Dec 14th! What a fin-tastic way to kick-off the weekend!
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