Whale & Wildlife Report | September 1-7, 2024
PC: Olivia Miller
Highlights
Short-finned pilot whales
Reef manta rays
Oceanic white-tip sharks
Pantropical spotted dolphins
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Mola Mola
Sea turtles
Whale & Wildlife Report | September 1-7, 2024
Our year-round dolphin and whale watching tours have a wide variety of species that we may encounter, and this week was no exception!
We started off strong with a brief and extremely rare sighting… a massive Mola mola! Mola mola, also known as the ocean sunfish, are the heaviest bony fish in the world. They can be up to 10 ft long and 14 ft tall with their impressive fins! As we cruised by, most of our guests got a quick look before it dove out of sight. Our encounter may have been short, but it was sweet!
PC: Olivia Miller
This week we spent time with a number of short-finned pilot whales. Just south of Keauhou, we spotted a larger group with an oceanic white-tip shark amongst them. We got some great looks, and at one point, they changed direction and came over to check us out! Just inshore, we enjoyed watching a smaller pod that had two huge bulls. They were also in a friendly mood and we were treated to an amazing pass alongside Artemis!
PC: Olivia Miller
Our enthusiasm continued with a stop at one of our offshore FADS! The FADS (fish aggregation devices) are a great spot to look for larger fish, dolphins, sharks, and more. We were excited to find not one, not two, but six oceanic white-tip sharks! They were super curious and swimming near the surface so everyone had a great view!
PC: Olivia Miller
With great spotting conditions this week, we also spent time with two species of dolphins. Offshore we encountered a small pod of Pantropical spotted dolphins that we estimated to be 7 individuals. They engaged with us riding our bow and being pretty interactive at the surface! Further inshore we spotted a decent size pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins that were heading south down the coast. With glassy conditions, watching these dolphins was a beautiful experience!
PC: Olivia Miller
Our night manta snorkel tours enjoyed action at the northern manta site this week. Despite some choppier water conditions, we had around 10-12 mantas! While some of the mantas remained closer to the reef, we had almost constant barrel rolling under our light board throughout our in-water time. With the majority of our guests being first-timers, their minds were blown! It’s always so special to introduce our island visitors to Kona’s amazing reef manta rays. What a memorable night!
Interested in experiencing these tours?
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