Humpback Whale encounter

A Humpback Whale in the waters off Hawaii

Yesterday, driving into Lapakahi Historical Park to go snorkeling, my wife and I saw a Humpback Whale, close offshore, doing multiple tail slaps. After we parked the car and headed towards down to the shore, the whale was still slapping its tail. By the time we had our gear on and ready to swim, it looked like the whale was done and heading south.

But, as we got in the water, I saw the whale heading north. We swam out, without any thought of seeing the whale. Chances were it would dive and disappear, or move on, or turn around again. But once out toward the edge of the reef, we realized the whale was hanging around and even nudging towards the shore. By this time it was doing fin slaps.

A Humpback Whale slaps a fin in the waters off Hawaii

We had never been this close to a whale in the water and the sight of the huge fin reaching up and then slapping the water with a loud thwack was impressive. As we watched, the fins got larger. I dipped my head underwater and could make out the hazy shape of the whale, the first time I’ve ever seen one in the water. Eventually, the whale came into full view and paralleled our course for a few minutes before it eased away, though it remained quite close to shore.

A Humpback Whale in the waters off Hawaii

The whole encounter was deeply moving, an end of year gift for us and another swimmer who was there. During that swim, we also saw three reef sharks and later, a pod of dolphins. It says something that those encounters, normally the highlight of any swim, felt anticlimactic!

17 thoughts on “Humpback Whale encounter”

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  5. kzmcb's avatarkzmcb

    I think you had an amazing morning, Graham. I recently went to an information session on whales and I think they’re only one of two sea creatures who have tail find that move side to side rather than up and down. I think it was to assist in turning, but that might not be right. You got some excellent shots.

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    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      I was happy to get any photos frankly. It’s always a bit hit and miss in the water. But the memory of the event will not fade any time soon, that’s for sure.

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  9. The Snow Melts Somewhere's avatarThe Snow Melts Somewhere

    Wow, what a treat! But was it also maybe a bit scary? I remember seeing whales in Patagonia. We were on a boat and they swam besideus and, at some point, under us, a mother and her baby. The water barely made any waves and it looked so elegant and majestic. Impressive

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      I’ve seen whales up close from boats before, sometimes with heart-stopping suddenness, but never while in the water. It was a little nervy, wondering how close it would come, but it was behaving in a very relaxed fashion, so we never felt in any danger.

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