Tag Archives: Humpback Whales

Humpback whale

Humpback whale

In this composite photo, a humpback whale surges from the water off the North Kohala coast. It’s been an odd season so far. The first whales were spotted off the island back in early October, provoking thoughts of a bumper season. Since then, activity has been spotty with little apparent buildup of numbers. This month, there were more whales to be seen, but still not as many as expected. Yesterday was the first day when the numbers and activity seemed similar to previous years. On a walk along the coast, I followed two pairs who were leaping from the water with great enthusiasm. It’s always a thrill to see these huge animals slowly rise from the water, hang for a moment, and then crash back.

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.

Exit stage left

Humpback whale off Maui

A humpback whale breaches in Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui. That’s Maui in the background, about 30 miles away, with the observatory just visible atop Haleakala. Also just visible, on the water to the left, is an inter-island barge which ferries goods between the main Hawaiian islands.

Timing is everything

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Walking the coast a couple of days ago, I saw a splash of color which turned out to be the umbrellas of a fishing party. Not bad, I thought. But then a puff of spray from a humpback whale just offshore from the group. Photo opportunity, I thought. Just a matter of lining up the camp and the whale.

This much I have learnt about humpbacks: they don’t feel obligated to accommodate photographers. I hurried along to line up the whale with the fishing party. The whale kept moving. I scurried about. And then when I finally got into a decent position, the whale disappeared. No breach. No slapping and splashing. Not so much as a blow. The best I got was this photo where a sliver of the whale’s back can be seen at the center top, where there’s a tiny blip of white.

What it was supposed to do was something along the lines of the humpback in the photo below, taken yesterday. Ah well, it’s always a joy to see the whales, good photos or not.

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