Whale & Wildlife Report | March 5-11, 2023
Highlights
Humpback whales
Humpback whale vocals
Humpback mom and calf pairs
Reef manta rays
Whale & Wildlife Report | March 5-11, 2023
A week full of whales on the Big Island! Our adventures took us north during our whale watch and night manta trips. A big shoutout to our crew for their care and skill in navigating the water this week, as Mother Nature brought a bit of swell. We appreciate our guests understanding and are glad we were still able to get out on the water for some great tours!
March is still a fantastic time to see humpbacks on the Kona Coast, and this week was a testament to how amazing encounters can happen every day! We’re still seeing mom and calf pairs, and we spotted an especially curious duo near the Kampachi fish pens. Underwater vocalizations, picked up on our hydrophone, drew us north where we spotted a handful of flukes belonging to a group of mature male humpbacks!
The bit of swell was overshadowed by a few amazing breaches during a few of our tours! We’re attributing this luck to one of our guests onboard who was celebrating their birthday. A mother and calf pair and active escort provided plenty of birthday breaches leaving us all in awe! This particular special encounter, despite lots of other humpback sightings, was our highlight of the week!
As the midweek swell calmed, we embarked on a night manta snorkel making our way north to Garden Eel. Almost instantly we encountered a massive manta beneath our board, and more were to follow as we floated above the campfire. Although conditions were bumpy, our team and guests had a good experience and were able to get some close passes from the rays. We always consider the conditions of the day to decide the best manta site of the night, and we’re thrilled that we were able to get out and share our night manta adventure with our awesome guests!
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