Whale & Wildlife Report | March 23-29, 2025
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Short-Finned Pilot Whales
Pygmy Sperm Whales
Beaked Whales
Humpback Whales
Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins
Hammerhead Sharks
Oceanic White-Tip Shark
Green Sea Turtles
Jumping Sailfish & Tuna
Whale & Wildlife Report | March 23-29, 2025
We kicked off our year-round dolphin and whale watching season with lots of pelagic whales this week! Offshore we had multiple pods of short-finned pilot whales, a species that we frequently see on our adventures. A few of the pods were fairly big and spread out. We watched them logging at the surface and we even saw a couple spy hops! In a more active group, whales were tail slapping and we lowered our hydrophone to hear them squeaking and vocalizing underwater! There was also an oceanic white-tip shark trailing one of the pods as they often do.
PC: Olivia Miller
Our whale sightings continued with two elusive species. We got a brief glimpse of a beaked whale on a whale watching trip! Beaked whales are deep divers and can be tricky to spot at the surface. We were stoked to see it for a few seconds before it disappeared into the blue. One of our quick-reflexed guests also snapped a couple photos of dorsal fins that we identified as Kogia (Pygmy sperm whales)! These toothed whales are incredibly rare so this was a super cool sighting!
PC: Olivia Miller
Although our official humpback whale watching tours have concluded, humpback whales may still be seen during these spring months. We encountered a mom and a tiny calf who was surfacing regularly while mom rested. Three more mom and calf duos made an appearance with one particularly energetic baby. We watched them head lunge, tail slap, attempt to breach, and roll at the surface. It was so cute watching this humpback calf learn and practice its behaviors!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
This week we enjoyed active pods of bottlenose and Hawaiian spinner dolphins! They were bow riding and making eye contact with some of our guests. So awesome! Near Keauhou we found schooling hammerhead sharks and got good looks at their dorsal fins and shadows as they cruised by. Offshore we spotted flying fish, jumping sailfish, and also some tuna. Back at Honokohau Harbor, there were also a couple honu sunning on the rocks. We love spending time with Kona’s year-round whales and wildlife!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
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