Spot a Whale

Anyone who climbs aboard a vessel this time of the year and heads for the open ocean off the Big Island can expect to see humpback whales. There are so many of them that most boat companies don't hesitate to guarantee sightings. It's hard to miss these 40-ton creatures, particularly when they leap out of the water and put on a show.

Humpbacks exhibit a variety of behaviors that should be visible in one form or another from boats and shoreline lookouts. You might see a whale blow, which refers to the act of breathing and the cloud of water vapor produced above the animal's head during the process of exhalation. Or you might see a tail slap, a heal slap or, if you're lucky a breach, which means the whale will have propelled itself out of the water, generally clearing the surface with two-thirds of its body or more. And then in an amazing feat of marine gymnastics, the animal will throw one pectoral fin out to the side and turn in the air about its longitudinal axis.

Every year, the humpbacks travel 2,500 to 3,000 miles from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska to mate and give birth in Hawai. In total, about 7,000 of them will take a spin through Hawaii's waters, coming and going at their own pace. Generally, numbers peak in February and March.

The whales don't arrive en masse, but researchers say there is a predictable order to their appearance, Typically, nursing females and juveniles arrive first, followed by mature males, 'resting' females and finally pregnant females. Hawaii is the nation's primary mating and calving grounds for the endangered humpback whale.

Though the humpbacks are the seasonal stars of the show and whale watch cruises do a booming business during the December through April season, the waters off this island are home to substantial populations of lower-profile whale types that are intriguing, exciting to observe, and here year-round.

Take an ocean safari and bag a look at a humpback or one of at least seven other species known to frequent Hawaii waters. The animals range in size from the 50-ton Sperm Whales to smaller Pygmy Killer and False Killer Whales. You might come across a pod of Pilot, Beaked and Melon-headed whales. Each species is distinguished by a unique set of characteristics but all are marine mammals, which have lungs instead of gills and nurse their young.

Whales can't breathe through their mouths. They breathe through a blowhole located on the top of their head and they hear through holes behind their eyes. Whales do not technically spout water. Actually they are letting out air at 300 miles per hour from their lungs. Of the some 80 known species of whales, Sperm Whales have the largest brain. In fact, a Sperm's 20-pound brain is the largest on the planet. A humpback brain weighs 14 pound

Whales are relatively friendly creatures, so they are not timid about approaching boats and will often go out of their way to interact with humans. It is illegal, however, to get closer than 100 yards from a humpback.

Big Island whale watching is great all year long because the water is usually calm, and the ocean gets very deep not far offshore, so access to the whales may take only minutes. There are a great variety of whale watch cruises available. Many have hydrophones on board, allowing passengers to hear humpbacks singing from the deep.

Why humpbacks sing is still largely a mystery. What's known is that only males sing, primarily during mating season. New research indicates that singing facilitates interactions between adult males.  Apparently the singer is trying to encourage other males to join him. What all that has to do with mating is yet to be revealed.

bass so low that humans can't hear it to high tones that sound like a squeaky violin. The song is complex. He'll moan and gurgle, croon and chirp for 30 minutes—sometimes longer—giving a performance that can be heard for miles. Then he'll start all over again.

There are many ways to observe a humpback whale in the wild. Snorkel cruises are a good bet. Rafting tours and fishing boats also travel humpback territory. Capt. Dan McSweeney conducts year-round whale watch tours. Tours are relatively inexpensive and available on either side of the island.

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