Off the shores near the Royal Kona Resort, guests aboard the Artemis with Hawaii Adventures Kona had an exciting encounter with a young humpback whale this Tuesday.
“From the first time we saw it, we knew exactly what it was with the classic large blowhole and small dorsal fin,” said Captain Andrew Aggergaard this morning, adding that the whale wasn’t very social.
The whale, initially spotted by one of the 24 guests in about 70 feet of water, was moving north along the shoreline. Aggergaard mentioned that it took a few breaths before diving down for about 10-15 minutes. The animal was smaller in size, likely not a full-grown adult yet.
Humpback whales begin appearing in early to mid-November as they migrate back to Hawaii waters each year for feeding and breeding.
“It reminds people that winter is coming back around,” Aggergaard said, noting that the Tuesday sighting wasn’t one they expected.
The best time of year to see humpback whales in Hawaii is mid-December through mid-March. However, Aggergaard did report a humpback sighting in July.
He was just south of Keauhou Bay when his 40 guests and crew on a 45-foot catamaran spotted the majestic sea creature traveling north.
“It’s an incredibly rare sighting,” Aggergaard said at the time. “It’s really hard to say why this whale is here over the summer.”
Humpback whales usually leave their Hawaiian mating and breeding grounds by April, with a few stragglers lingering longer to migrate north to Alaska and other summer feeding grounds.
Along with humpbacks, Hawaii’s waters are home to a variety of whale species year-round, including short-finned pilot whales and false killer whales.
