Whale & Wildlife Report | April 6-12, 2025
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Blainville’s Beaked Whales
Short-Finned Pilot Whales
Humpback Whales
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins
Oceanic White Tip Sharks
Spearfish
Mahi Mahi
Whale & Wildlife Report | April 6-12, 2025
Our year-round pelagic whale watching tours are in full swing and we had a spectacular week searching offshore. We encountered pods of short-finned pilot whales every day this week! Some days we even encountered multiple pods! Every time we see this species we get to observe different behavior whether they are traveling, resting or socializing. We always love encountering Hawaii’s resident pilot whales!
PC: Olivia Miller
Even though we are well into April there are still a couple humpback whales around on the Kona coast. This week we even encountered a late season mom and calf pair! We hope they have a safe journey back up to their northern feeding grounds and we look forward to seeing them next humpback season when they return!
PC: Olivia Miller
This week we also spotted one of our more uncommon whale species. We found a pod of Blainville’s Beaked Whales. Typically when we see this species we see just a couple of individuals, but the encounter that we had this week was a large pod of 8-10 whales! What an incredible sight to see this many individuals together, including a couple calves in the mix!
PC: Olivia Miller
While searching in inshore waters we encountered two different dolphin species. We saw a mix of resting and active spinner dolphins up and down the coastline. We also saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins actively hunting near a fish farm. It’s so incredible to see these intelligent animals displaying a variety of different behaviors.
PC: Olivia Miller
We’re not only looking for marine mammals on our tours! We had several exciting encounters with other types of marine life this week. Following the short finned pilot whales we saw several oceanic white tip sharks throughout the week, a critically endangered species. In addition to some shark sightings we saw a spearfish finning at the surface in the sunshine as well as a school of mahi mahi hunting around a piece of drift wood. We can’t forget all of the various pelagic bird species we saw this week as well!
PC: Olivia Miller
Interested in experiencing our tours?
Hawaiian Adventure’s tours provide the best opportunity to explore Kona’s coast and the wildlife beneath the waves. Our top-notch vessels, experienced crew, and oceanic expertise will make your Big Island adventure unforgettable.
If you’ve been on other tours, you’ll appreciate the Hawaiian Adventures difference.
