KAILUA-KONA — Ocean Sports Captain Kimo Santos’ first mate mentioned it right away — a big splash in the distance, while the two were in a glass-bottom boat in Anaehoomalu Bay on Oct. 15. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Ocean Sports Captain
KAILUA-KONA — Ocean Sports Captain Kimo Santos’ first mate mentioned it right away — a big splash in the distance, while the two were in a glass-bottom boat in Anaehoomalu Bay on Oct. 15.
KAILUA-KONA — Ocean Sports Captain Kimo Santos’ first mate mentioned it right away — a big splash in the distance, while the two were in a glass-bottom boat in Anaehoomalu Bay on Oct. 15.
They weren’t quite able to make out what it was, Santos said, adding that after a relatively small splash, they thought it could be spinner dolphins.
Then after a third splash, a full-grown adult humpback whale breached the water’s surface.
“We could see the whole whale,” Santos said Thursday.
It’s a relatively rare encounter for early autumn.
Sightings of humpback whales around Hawaii Island are unusual this time of year, said Amalia Mueller, a volunteer with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
“We don’t typically get them here very early, not in abundance,” she said Thursday, adding she was delighted to hear there has already been a sighting.
Typically, whale sightings start closer to late November or December, coming in greater abundance in early December and increasing into January and February.
Humpback whales, Mueller added, don’t come down in large pods, saying instead it’s more of a “trickle migration” as whales make the 30-day swim down from Alaska.
Counts of humpback whales around the island have dropped a little in the last couple years, Mueller said, as whales have encountered warmer waters on their way south.
She added it’s not a significant concern.
“No one’s alarmed,” she said of the drop in whale counts, “but you notice it.”
For the past several years, Mueller said, volunteers have hosted educational opportunities for residents and visitors to learn about the humpback whales at Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site.
The South Kohala site, she added, is an excellent place for spectators to watch for whales in offshore waters.
“For us as a volunteer group, it is really a spectacular location to be,” she said.
Park staff said between the middle of last December and April 7, more than 1,500 visitors came to the park for the program held there.
Visitors who come to the weekly events, held on Fridays, have an opportunity to watch for whales and speak with volunteers to learn about them. In the past, volunteers have offered a free educational talk twice a month during the season.
Mueller said they will likely resume the program toward the end of December and will continue through the start of April.
Santos said Ocean Sports will begin their whale watching tours on Dec. 1.
And for spectators preparing to try and catch a glimpse of these animals themselves, Mueller advised patience, noting that the whales can stay below the surface for 45-50 minutes.
But when they do breach the water, she said, it’s magnificent.
“Oh there’s nothing quite like it,” she said. “We’ve been watching whales for 20-something years and never get tired of it.”
