It’s not this time of year without the return of humpback whales to the waters around the Big Island. The whales return to give birth and to mate. It’s still early in the season, but the first returnees appeared off Kailua Kona in late October. In November, I saw four whales off North Kohala. The numbers should start to increase this month while the peak numbers tend to be January through March.

For more information about humpback whales, I recommend Jim Darling’s book, Humpbacks: Unveiling the Mysteries or go to whaletrust.org or hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/welcome.html.