Whale & Wildlife Report | September 8-14, 2024
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Short-finned pilot whales
Blainville’s beaked whales
Pygmy killer whales
Reef manta rays
Spotted eagle rays
Bottlenose dolphins
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Tiger shark
Oceanic white-tip sharks
Whale & Wildlife Report | September 8-14, 2024
Glassy conditions made for a great week on the water! As the marine life we’re searching for are wild animals, there’s no telling when or what we’re going to see on our adventures. Our sightings often begin right outside the harbor, and this week we saw a tiger shark swimming below and a trio of spotted eagle rays flapping at the surface!
PC: Olivia Miller
Outside of Honokohau, we enjoyed a nice pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins that had a handful of tiny calves. The group was pretty active and the tiny dolphins were a sweet sight! Further south on the Kona Coast we had some awesome encounters with a larger group. They were in rest mode aside from one individual who was attempting to dislodge a remora. It did a handful of impressive spins which was cool for our guests to see! On a different trip we found another active pod and we were able to lower our bow ramp so everyone could see the action. It was so much fun to watch them spin and ride the bow and wake of Artemis!
PC: Olivia Miller
We found our first whales of the week, a pair of Blainville’s beaked whales, when we were cruising north. The male of the two was pretty curious and approached us, giving everyone some wild looks at this unique species! Speaking of unique, we did get a brief glimpse of some pygmy killer whales near an offshore FAD. Although they disappeared with a deep dive, a massive pod of short-finned pilot whales appeared! We had some great interactions and noted a tiny newborn calf amongst the rambunctious juveniles who were breaching, tail slapping, and being super surface active. They also had four oceanic white-tip sharks in tow! Further south we had another several groups of short-finned pilot whales that were exhibiting more active and curious behaviors. We love a great variety of whale action!
PC: Olivia Miller
Our night manta snorkel tours enjoyed a beautiful sunset cruising to the northern manta site, and nice in-water conditions! We were also excited to see bottlenose dolphins hanging around the area. Everyone got some good looks from the boat and we could hear them in the water throughout the night. Although some of the reef manta rays remained deeper, we did get some barrel rolls that were mind blowing! It’s incredible to see these gentle giants up-close, and these tours will always be one of our favorite things to do!
PC: Olivia Miller
Despite Friday the 13th being this week, we were treated to some extra lucky sightings. With a good amount of natural debris in the water, we stopped to check out a larger piece of driftwood. We were stoked to see tons of fish and six mahi mahi swimming beneath. What a great way to wrap up our week!
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