Whale & Wildlife Report | December 8-14, 2024
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Short-finned pilot whales
Humpback whales
Bottlenose dolphins
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Reef manta rays
Sicklefin devil ray
Oceanic white-tip sharks
Hawaiian monk seals
Green sea turtles
Whale & Wildlife Report | December 8-14, 2024
A fantastic final week of our pelagic dolphin and whale watching tours, and a great start to the humpback season!
In both deeper and more shallow waters, we found pods of short-finned pilot whales. We got a couple spy hops and good passes. One pod was charging down from the north at high speed which was impressive to watch. Behind another group an oceanic white-tip shark was finning at the surface so everyone got a great view. Our favorite encounter was a multi-species interaction with pilot whales and Pantropical spotted dolphins! This was our first time seeing these two interact and the juvenile pilot whales seemed to be surfing the swells alongside the dolphins. After a while we watched as the pilot whales came together and simultaneously dove down to hunt!
PC: Olivia Miller
We spent time with three species of dolphins this week. Offshore we found Pantropical spotted dolphins and had a mix of social and hunting behaviors. Our bottlenose dolphin interactions this week were lively with lots of wake surfing and curious displays towards us. Our guests had a blast watching them leap out of the water and splash at the surface! We also had some larger groups of Hawaiian spinner dolphins inshore and saw a calf spinning to dislodge a remora. We had nice surfacings, active juveniles, and some bow riding action!
PC: Olivia Miller
During the beginning of December we may encounter humpback whales, and this week we had a couple early sightings. We were admiring Kealakekua Bay when we found a small humpback traveling along the coastline. This individual was a year or two old at most and it was a sweet sighting! Further north we had a couple humpbacks with longer downtimes and some more thrilling encounters. A group of humpbacks was interacting with bottlenose dolphins and the whales were trumpeting and tail slapping. We also were amazed by a few big breaches! One humpback breached multiple times and was slapping its pec fins!
PC: Olivia Miller
In addition to cetaceans, Kona’s waters are home to other cool species. In the harbor we spotted green sea turtles sunning on the rocks, and a few Hawaiian monk seals including a small pup! On our night manta snorkels, we enjoyed Kona’s reef manta rays and some great barrel rolling beneath our light boards. During a whale watching tour this week, we also found another species of ray; a sicklefin devil ray! It was massive and circled the boat several times giving us great looks.
PC: Olivia Miller
The humpback season is officially here, so join us now through March 23rd on our public and private charters!
Interested in experiencing these 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.
