Whale & Wildlife Report | May 19-25, 2024
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
Highlights
Pygmy killer whales
Hawaiian spinner dolphins (including Ghost)
Short-finned pilot whales
Oceanic whitetip sharks
Scalloped hammerhead shark
Bottlenose dolphins
Reef manta rays
Tiger shark
Whale & Wildlife Report | May 19-25, 2024
Despite more monotone weather this week, we were rewarded with great wildlife encounters! Our night manta snorkel enjoyed the sunset as we cruised to the northern site and had lots of action in the water. We watched as the reef manta rays swooped deeper below, and after finding a pocket of plankton, they gave us a few up-close barrel rolls beneath the light boards. Although we can see mantas year-round, the spring and summer months are some of our favorites and often have favorable conditions!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
After our encounter last week, we were thrilled to find another pod of Pygmy killer whales on one of our trips! We were searching waters around 6600 ft deep when we spotted the group off the Old Kona Airport Beach. We got some looks and were excited to see this species again so soon! We also spent a lot of time with multiple pods of short-finned pilot whales. One large group was spread out and traveling north about 2.5 miles offshore. Our naturalist noticed curious juveniles and we were overjoyed with some close passes and spy hopping. Another group was equally active but fighting against some strong currents. It was entertaining to see the pods surfing bigger swells and displaying their speed and strength through the waves.
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
Our crew and guests noticed a few oceanic whitetip sharks trailing the pods of pilot whales. Their distinctive dorsal fin helps us to identify them, even if they only give us a brief surfacing. We did get a lot of surface time (almost 10 minutes) with another species of shark… a scalloped hammerhead! It was a smaller individual, but it cruised alongside us granting everyone good views and photo opportunities. Our shark sightings rounded out with a tiger shark as we were coming into Honokohau Harbor! It’s always a good week when we get to see these cool toothy creatures!
PC: Andrew Aggergaard
Our guests enjoyed our interactions with Hawaiian spinner dolphins, and we were gifted with the presence of “Ghost”! As a leucistic spinner dolphin, Ghost is light in coloration and stands out from the pod. We haven’t seen them for a few months, so this sighting was heartwarming and encouraging! We also found a large pod of bottlenose dolphins that unfortunately included an entangled individual. Reporting entangled marine life is crucial, so our naturalist submitted the sighting to NOAA. We are hopeful for the future of this bottlenose dolphin, and it was a good reminder to everyone onboard how we as humans can impact our surrounding marine ecosystem.
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