Whale & Wildlife Report | December 3-9, 2023
PC: Captain Andrew Aggergaard
Highlights
Humpback whales
Short-finned pilot whales
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Oceanic whitetip sharks
Bottlenose dolphins
Sea turtles
Reef manta rays
Brown Boobies
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Rough-toothed dolphins
Whale & Wildlife Report | December 3-9, 2023
We encountered some fantastic pilot whale pods both inshore and offshore this week! Our shallow water group was right off Pine Trees Beach Park, while our other encounters were in far deeper waters. The pods this week were very entertaining with juveniles socializing, a few spy hops, and a full breach from a full-grown bull! While on scene with around 20 pilots, at least 10 rough-toothed dolphins and several ocean whitetip sharks appeared! The oceanics gained confidence the longer we were on scene, and a few approached the boat offering our guests some great looks! Surrounded by wildlife, had to keep our heads on a swivel to take in all the action.
With humpbacks arriving, we’re excited to expand our potential species list for the next few months! Not only are pelagic whales in the area, it seems like more humpbacks are arriving every day. This week we encountered multiple humpback whales with a variety of personalities and downtimes. At times, our whale patience was tested with longer downtimes but quickly forgotten after beautiful surfacings. One humpback had striking pectoral fins with lots of white coloration. This bright white was easily visible under the Hawaiian sun and in our blue waters. We easily followed along as the individual opted to travel just beneath the surface, leaving a clear trail of fluke prints.
This week was packed with dolphin encounters! Dolphins are a guest favorite and we love slowing down to admire the pods that we encounter. While we were watching a group of bottlenose near the fish pens, a humpback whale popped up out of nowhere, and we viewed the two species interacting with each other! Offshore, one of our tours encountered a group of around 150 pantropical spotted dolphins, and we spotted a few tiny babies in the mix! Up north near Makalawena Beach, we also found a massive group of 100+ Hawaiian spinner dolphins who raced our way to engage in our wake and ride our bow.
Our amazing encounters concluded with an especially stellar night manta snorkel. Glassy conditions, and a beautiful sunset made for a wonderful cruise to the northern manta site. In-water, conditions were a dream with almost no swell, current, or wind. The visibility beneath the waves was crystal clear, and we enjoyed consistent action from Kona’s reef manta rays. It’s hard to beat watching these gentle giants barrel roll right beneath our light boards!
PC: Naturalist Sam Murphy
PC: Captain Andrew Aggergaard
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