April is a transition month from looking inshore for the seasonal humpback whales that have begun migrating back to their summer feeding grounds to looking offshore for the resident whales that stay in Hawaiian waters year ‘round.

That being said, mid-April has been fortuitous for finding late season humpback mothers and calves.  The youngsters need to do a fair bit of nursing before they have the strength and the blubber insulation for the long journey northward.   Newborns will stay on the breeding grounds with their mothers at least a couple of months before they make the 3,000 mile swim toward the cold water of Southeast Alaska where mothers will resume their feeding after nearly four months of fasting.  You might imagine the strain 100 gallons of milk a day to feed the calf poses on a humpback mother who isn’t eating.  How well the calf does is often dependent on how well the mother did on the feeding grounds the prior summer.  The youngsters born in Hawaii this winter will return to Hawaii next fall with their mothers and will stay with their mothers 12 – 18 months before they are taught to take to food on their own and are weaned. 

This time of year we generally spend the first half of the tour searching offshore for pilot whales, beaked whales, sperm whales, and others and then on the latter part of the tour turn our attention towards the shoreline looking for late season humpback mother and calf pairs and also looking for the entertaining spinner and bottlenose dolphins that frequent the shallow water during the daylight hours.

The spring is a time when tourism slows down in Hawaii; hence our trip schedule reflects that as we go from operating virtually every day to a few days per week.  Check with our office for the current schedule.  We look forward to having you on our next adventure on Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. 
Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

March is proving once again to provide remarkable opportunities to witness the humpback whales on their Hawaiian breeding grounds.  Many of the recent sightings have been of larger groups of whales, where males are thought to be competing with each other to gain access to the female.   In other species of whales, males cooperate with each other to mate, but in humpback whales competitive mating groups dictate which male will prove most likely to mate the female.  These larger groups of whales, also called “chase groups” are especially entertaining to watch as males often display in an effort to intimidate one another; they are sometimes seen hitting their huge 800-pound tails on the water, slapping their 15-foot long pectoral flippers, or raising up and lunging their massive heads above the surface, blowing bubble trails to obscure the visibility of fellow competitors, or even launching their 60,000 - 80,000 pound bodies out of the water creating a thunderous splash.   These impressive behaviors are part of a strategy intended to secure the position closest to the female who likely will be receptive to mating the most dominant male.

While humpback whales are in Hawaii seasonally, there are a variety of whales and dolphins that live here year round.  Frequently these “residents” are seen interacting with the seasonal visitors.  Last week, we witnessed an encounter between pygmy killer and humpback whales.  Pygmy killer whales are amongst the smallest of the whales, but what they lack in size they make up for in attitude.  Often seen waiting outside of tuna fisheries for dolphins to escape the nets, pygmy killers have earned themselves an aggressive reputation.

Also seen interacting with humpback whales are sometimes curious pilot whales.  Witnessing the co-mingling of interspecies encounters is always thrilling.  In fact, just last week while waiting for a humpback whale to surface, we had a group of exotic Cuvier’s beaked whales come up near by.  Cuvier’s are rotund in shape, mostly white in coloration, characterized by a lot of scarring and have a single barnacle laden tooth that protrudes from the tip of the jaw that resembles a clown nose.  Some of the most unusual species in the world’s oceans, Cuvier’s beaked whales are the focus of a lot of study over recent years as they are often implicated in strandings following naval sonar exercises.

The bottlenose, spotted, and spinner dolphins are also frequently seen with humpbacks.  These resident dolphins can be seen jumping over the backs of humpback whales or even riding near the face of the whale in a similar manner to riding the bow of a boat where they take advantage of the pressure wave the whale creates as it moves through the water.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

February is a peak month for the influx of humpback whales on their Hawaii breeding grounds.  Every day more individuals arrive in the islands for socializing, mating, and in the case of females calving and perhaps even weaning last season’s calf. 

Many humpbacks that return annually to this warm water paradise are not yet sexually mature, yet they continue to make the 3,000 round trip journey.  Nobody knows why humpbacks leave their cold water feeding grounds; some scientists have hypothesized that calves may not be able to survive the cold water at birth without the one-foot thick layer of blubber insulation the adults possess, but some calves are born in the north and appear to survive just fine. 

Likewise, no one understands why humpbacks choose not to eat while they are on their breeding grounds.  Granted, food is in restricted supply compared to the nutrient-rich icy cold waters of the Pacific Northwest; needless to say, there is some food to be taken and certainly snacking could occur.  Yet sightings of feeding humpbacks in the tropics are rare if non-existent; likewise rarely is defecation seen in Hawaii other than when they first arrive and their exhalation is not as odiferous as it is in the northern latitudes where they are feeding on as much as 1200 pounds of krill every day.  Furthermore, whaling data shows there was little, if any, food in their stomachs and they were so light in body weight that whalers stopped taking humpbacks in the tropics.  Instead they would endure the rough and cold seas of Southeast Alaska and hunt them coming off their feeding grounds where the fat to body weight ratio was much higher and more oil could be rendered. 

So much of the lives of these creatures remains a mystery, but for whatever reason they continue each year, like clock work, to make their annual trek to Hawaii where we witness their magnificence.  Join our next adventure on Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

‘Tis the season for humpback whales to frequent Kona’s shallow water coastline; over the last week, the number of humpback whales along the Kona Coast has increased substantially.  The breeding grounds have an abundance of whales already this year and their numbers will continue to increase until they peak out during the months of February and March.

Mating groups are beginning to form almost daily offshore and mothers and their calves have been showing up most often in the near shore waters.  In fact, this was an early year for mother and calf sightings which might be good news for the recovery of the whales from their endangered status.

The viewing conditions right now couldn’t be better.  Not only is the weather and water cooperating, but the whales have been quite prolific.  Just today we had a trio of humpback whales slapping their pectoral flippers, slamming their chins, and hitting their tails on the water.  Another pair launched right out of the water before our very eyes.  You might imagine the spectacle of an 80,000 pound creature jumping clear out of the water and splashing back down again, creating a thunderous crash that can be heard from quite a distance.

After an amazing encounter, we spent the last hour of the tour with a group of spinner dolphins mixed in with a manta ray that had a wing span of nearly ten feet from tip to tip.

Every trip offers another surprise adventure.  We look forward to having you join us on our next excursion on Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

With the holidays already upon us, we are enjoying the gifts of the season not only with the annual migration of humpback whales arriving to the islands but also the influx of visitors escaping harsh weather in favor of the temperate climate of Kona. 

Kona is especially nice for the winter as the water stays relatively calm throughout the entire year in contrast to the other islands that often experience higher winds and higher surf.  The last island in the chain, the Big Island is the most protected from wind and sea. 

That being said, today was another surprise aboard Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch.  After spending the first half of the trip with a pair of humpback whales, the last half was spent just south of town with the first mother and calf humpback whale pair of the season.  The encounter was quite a treat for passengers and crew alike; prior to this year, the first sighting we had of a humpback mother and calf off the Kona Coast was on Christmas Eve day a few years ago. 

Humpback calves are only 11 feet long when they are new born and weigh about a ton in contrast to the mother whale that may be 40 – 50 feet long and weigh as much as 40 tons.  The young calf nurses on as much 100 gallons of milk a day for the first year of its life, gaining more than 100 pounds a day.  By the time it’s a year old, the calf will nearly double in length, continuing to nurse on the mother for 12 – 18 months before the calf is weaned and taught to feed on its own.

While still early in the season, in the coming weeks, humpback whales will continue to increase in numbers on their Hawaiian breeding grounds.  Every trip is an adventure aboard Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch.  We look forward to having you join us on our next excursion on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

It’s that long awaited time of year when the humpback whales begin arriving on their breeding grounds here in Hawaii.  Last week we had a very friendly encounter with a single adult whale that made several passes beneath the boat thrilling both passengers and crew!  Curiosity can sometimes get the best of these gentle giants as they are often the ones that make close approaches to what are sometimes oblivious boaters, surprising the wits out of the guests aboard. 

The humpback tail is as wide as many boats, spanning 12 to 15 feet from tip to tip.  The overall length of an adult whale can easily surpass the length of most vessels including the Lady Ann.  The water off the Kona Coast is the clearest in Hawaii with visibility ranging from 100 to 150 feet; a whale passing beneath a boat can easily be spotted from above and often resembles a small airplane especially when the whale extends its 15 foot long flippers to either side.

The front end of the migration of humpback whales is arriving in Hawaii’s warm waters and their numbers will only continue to increase as we enter December and January.  This time of the year we are fortunate to be able to venture off shore for the first part of the tour where we search for our resident species of whales like pilot whales, false killer whales, sperm whales, and spotted dolphins.  The latter half of the tour we spend closer to the shoreline looking for the early arriving humpback whales and the interactive spinner and bottlenose dolphins that frequent the shallow water coastline during the daylight hours.

Every trip is an adventure aboard Dan McSweeeney’s Whale Watch.  We look forward to having you join us on our next

tour on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

While the first humpback whales have already been sighted off of the Big Island, we generally find them in more reliable numbers as December turns to January.  The first humpbacks typically arrive in mid-October so they are right on target based on years gone by.  The peak of the migration will occur in February and March.

Still primarily emphasizing our search efforts for Hawaii’s year-round resident whales, this summer and fall has been prolific for large groups of Hawaiian pilot and false killer whales, both species that have also been known to interact with the humpback whales once they arrive in these warm waters.
Spotted dolphins are often seen offshore in the deep water as well.  They are most known for their unique and poorly understood relationship with yellow-fin tuna and are capable of launching out of the water and leaping as high as 20 feet in to the air.

The summer has brought us extraordinary sighting conditions with calm winds and calm waters and the forecast calls for more of the same.  As we near November and press in to winter, more humpback whales will begin to trickle in to the area.  We will spend the first half of our trip offshore in the deep water in search of our resident whales and the latter part of the tour will be spent closer to the shoreline looking for early arriving humpback whales.

We look forward to having you join us on our next whale watching adventure on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,
Captain Dan

Absent from the winter trade winds, with summer comes warm and calm waters off the Kona Coast making it the ultimate boating destination.  Coupled with some of the deepest underwater ledges in the world, descending more than 19,000 feet below the surface, the coastlines of the Hawaiian Islands provide safe foraging grounds for many varieties of marine mammals.  Dubbed the most prolific waters on the planet for the diversity of cetaceans sighted, Kona provides you with an ideal whale watching venue.

Our recent excursions have proved fruitful with encounters of false killer whales (pseudorca) so named because they lack the black and white markings of their larger cousins but exhibit many of the same hunting strategies including stalking in packs and often targeting prey much larger than themselves. 

Hawaiian pilot whales have also been seen with regularity.  They, like the killer whale orca, are most renowned for gathering in large familiar groups of individuals.  They appear to spend their entire lifetime with related individuals rather than forming a social congregation with friends such as in the case of dolphins; pilot whales are thought to live in families of origin. 

Playful spinner dolphins are often sighted on the inside corridor close to the shoreline during the daylight hours.  Many of our favorite past times are watching them jump and spiral multiple times before crashing back down at the surface.

We hope you will join us on our next whale watching adventure on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. 

Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

August started out with a bang with several sightings of pseudorca or false killer whales, so named because of their likeness to the black and white killer whale in that they hunt in packs and target prey much larger than themselves.  Because they lack the black and white markings of the killer whale orca yet exhibit many of the same behaviors, they have been dubbed “false” killer whales.

Also seen on today’s trip was three large pods of Hawaiian pilot whales thought to make the Hawaiian Islands their home year-‘round.  Short finned pilot whales are the only species of whale besides the orca that has been demonstrated to live in very large tight knit social group, perhaps families of related individuals who spend virtually their entire lifetime together rather than in a loose social congregation of unrelated individuals.  Among the many advantages, the benefits to living in a familiar and cohesive group includes better preparedness to effectively deal with predators, improved hunting skills, more efficient communication, and better protection for the young through social bonds that are formed between individuals.

On the latter part of the tour, we spent time with an active and acrobatic group of spinner dolphins, aptly named because of their propensity to jump out of the water spiraling midair before crashing back down at the surface.

The summer is a great time to view the many exotic species that call Hawaii their home.  We hope you will join us on our next whale watching adventure and look forward to seeing you on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6 for reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan

While it has been a slow start to the summer tourism in Hawaii due to cutbacks on airline accommodations, there have been no shortages of whales in sight.

In the midst of a 4-week research project, we are running our summer whale watch excursions on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule as the need arises.  This time of the year we have an early morning check-in which puts us on the water at prime time for viewing mammals in their natural habitat. 

Our last trip out we had an incredible encounter with a large pod of Hawaiian pilot whales, consisting of several subgroups of females and their young and another subgroup of large bulls.  On the heels of the pilot whales, we came across a pair of rare exotic Blainsville Beaked whales, the whales often implicated in strandings following naval sonar exercises.  Characterized by a lot of white scarring on their bodies, we identify individuals according to the unique patterns that form on their backs and fins.  The day was topped off with a friendly encounter with gregarious spinner dolphins.  The only dolphins that spin in the wild, they will often leap out of the sea, spiraling as they do as many as seven complete revolutions mid-air before they splash back down again and hit the surface of the water.

We currently have satellite tags on pilot, false killer, pygmy killer, and beaked whales.  On our tours, we share with our guests what we are learning using the latest technology to better understand how these whales are using the habitat.  We hope you will join us on our next whale watching adventure.  We look forward to seeing you on the beautiful Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Call 1-888-WHALES-6  for  reservations.

Aloha,

Captain Dan