Whale & Wildlife Report | September 15-21, 2024
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Melon-headed whales
Short-finned pilot whales
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Oceanic white-tip sharks
Sea turtles
Mahi mahi
Whale & Wildlife Report | September 15-21, 2024
With Kilauea’s latest eruption, the fall season and vog are in the air! This week, our dolphin and whale watching adventures had engaging encounters along the Kona Coast.
PC: Olivia Miller
Offshore, our team was scouting the area when they caught a glimpse of something in the distance. After a closer look, we were thrilled to find it was an astonishing amount of melon-headed whales! Melon-headed whales are one of the many pelagic whales species that can be found here year-round. As a social species, they typically travel in large pods, and our naturalist estimated this pod to include around 400 whales! They were spread out and logging at the surface, giving us some amazing looks. Typically this species moves very quickly, so it was nice to have such a relaxed interaction with them! We haven’t seen melon-headed whales in a while, and our guests and crew were thrilled with this wild encounter!
PC: Olivia Miller
We spent time with more pods of short-finned pilot whales this week. As we were searching offshore we found our first group! They were heading north but turned to the south and we were able to cruise slowly alongside them. The largest bull also did a big spy hop! Just off Pawai, we also spotted a larger pod and were treated to the most spy hops we’ve ever had during a pilot whale encounter! We spent most of our time with a smaller subgroup and all of them were very curious about about us. It was such a fun encounter and there were a couple of oceanic white-tip sharks in the mix as well. We always look forward to spending time with this whale species!
PC: Olivia Miller
Exiting and returning to the harbor, we saw a number of Hawaiian spinner dolphins! We got some good views of a larger group and even had some spinning action from one individual. Hawaiian spinner dolphins can spin up to 7 times in the air and it’s truly an impressive sight. We spent time with a sleepier group outside the harbor, and outside of town we found a huge pod in a more energetic mood. We also spotted a couple mahi mahi in the area which was cool to see. What a fantastic week on the water!
PC: Olivia Miller
Interested in experiencing these tours?
Hawaiian Adventure’s tours provide the best opportunity to explore Kona’s coast and the wildlife beneath the waves. Our top-notch vessels, experienced crew, and oceanic expertise will make your Big Island adventure unforgettable.
If you’ve been on other tours, you’ll appreciate the Hawaiian Adventures difference.
