Whale & Wildlife Report | December 25-31, 2022
Highlights
Humpback whales
Humpback mom and calf pairs
Sperm whales
Reef manta rays
Bottlenose dolphins
Whale & Wildlife Report | December 25-31, 2022
What a week for babies! As more pregnant humpback whales return to our island waters, more and more new little bundles of blubber are appearing along Kona’s coast! These little humpback calves are so curious and full of life. It is a treat to witness them exploring the ocean around them for the first time.
We were certain that one of the calves we met on the 26th must have been born on Christmas Day. Their dorsal fin was still flopped over and fetal folds were visible, indicating they were quite new to this world. Fortunately for mother humpbacks, babies are born with floppy flukes and fins, making passage through the birth canal easier.
We have been excitedly documenting all the new mom-calf pairs that we encounter, photographing mom’s flukes to be uploaded to Happywhale, a comprehensive whale identification database. This type of non-invasive data collection can teach us a lot about the life history and population dynamics of a species.
We enjoyed a few night manta snorkel trips with great in-water visibility! Guests got the chance to visit with some of our Kona regulars, including mantas Koie, Jana, Gabby, Lafferty, Gita, Grayer, Delany, and Bertha. We were treated to close fly-bys and some big barrel rolls!
Humpbacks and mantas weren’t the only cause for excitement this week. Bottlenose dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, and sperm whales were also spotted this week! Our highlight encounter was with a group of twenty sperm whales offshore! We couldn’t have asked for a more epic finale to 2022!
Humpback calf breaching! Footage by: Kelsi Kahuane
Sperm whales fluking! Footage by: Juliann Conrardy
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