Maui Snorkeling Trips

Photo Courtesy Katie Velasquez

“You’ve been mugged!” That’s what a naturalist on a whale watch might say when the whales approach a vessel well within the 100 yard approach regulation.  Whale muggings are very special and definitely something the whale lover will never forget.  Since humpback whales breathe at 300 miles per hour, having one exhale close to the boat is an explosive sound that touches people in different ways.

Whale watching is in full swing right now, with peak season several weeks away. Maalaea harbor is centrally located and provides easy access to some of the best whale watching in the world.  Some come from as far as India and Europe to witness these majestic and humbling animals compete for females, travel around the waters looking for a mate, and some whales are tending to their newborn 1 – 2 ton babies.  What a magical place!

If you haven’t planned on it, do consider a trip on the water while visiting Maui! The whales are waiting to capture your heart!

Photo Courtesy Katie Grove-Velasquez

Although it is the end of the season, there are still many humpback whales around the Hawaiian islands looking to mate.  This very large male escort traveling next to a lovely female appeared to be very agitated.  There were at least six other males behind him trying to take his place, something he was trying to prevent with every ounce of his strength.  Fighting males not only impress females, but whale watchers never get enough.  The above move is called a head slap.  Looking at the second picture you may notice some water spewing out of the slightly opened mouth.  He did this several times.  One reason, according to researchers, could be male dominance.  As the primary escort, he and the female could already have mated, so he is trying to prevent others from doing the same so he can sire the offspring.  Although the male and female connection is very short, researchers believe the primary escort may spend several hours with one female for selfish reasons.  They are promiscuous, we are told, so mating as often as situations allow makes perfect sense.  Time is running out for all humpbacks.  Mother, calf pairs are still easily found, but the singletons are becoming scarce.  Today, we were fortunate.  This small female (about 40 feet long) had six going after her escort, and as we watched for over one hour, two more males came speeding in.  What happened after we left them is up to the imagination.  It does seem that the competitions we find are more in earnest than ones we were watching last month.  Perhaps they are feeling the desperation of their situation.  We also watch competitions begin around mother, calf pairs.  Do the mothers mate while lactating?  Researchers tell us they do, in fact some females are known for that, being seen several years in a row with little ones, then not showing up in Hawaiian waters for two to three years apparently taking a ‘break’ from mating.

Whales we were watching weeks ago are long gone and back up in Alaskan, Canadian, and Aleutian waters feasting on the fish they favor.  Tomorrow we head out again, anxious to find any animals not minding being watched.  I can hardly wait!

What does ALOHA mean to you?  For most mainland people, aloha means goodbye, or hello.  For the people of Hawaii it could mean those words, but one may add love and caring.  Many years ago the word’s meaning was broken down as this:  A means light, enlightenment, or mana; LO on this earth; HA, through the living breath, or spirit of our Creator.  So, when one said ALOHA, they literally meant “I greet God in you and you greet God in me.  We are His family.”  This explanation came from Inez Ashdown, co-founder of the Maui Historical Society and good friend of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reining monarch of the Hawaiian people.

Over time, many of the older meanings have been forgotten, but not lost.  In highly valued archives the books, some written by missionaries, some by others and translated from the Hawaiian language, are intact and waiting to be read.  

Our humpback whales are thinning out now and most have headed northward to find the fish they love to dine on.  Once they are about halfway to Alaska they could snack on sardines and other oily fish.  When they reach their destination, which is southeast Alaska, they will begin to feast, some eating about one ton per day.  The Hawaiian channels feel very empty when the beloved whales are gone, but it will only be six or seven months time before they return.  A few mothers with calves remain in the nursery areas lovingly taking care of their little ones and making sure all their needs are met.  When ready the calves will be led by their mothers up to the feeding grounds, some being weaned on the way up and others weaned while learning to feed on krill, capelin, sandlance, herring, sardines and small salmon.  Depending on gender, females mature before males, the calves will return to the breeding grounds in five to 10 years time.  

So, it is with heavy hearts that we have to say ALOHA to our humpback whales, but in just a few short months we will be again saying ALOHA when they return.  We all share this planet, and in that respect, we are family.

PHOTO COURTESY DR. ROBIN BAIRD/CASCADIA RESEARCH

According to Dr. Robin Baird of Cascadia Research, both insular and offshore populations of Hawaiian false killer whales could be in trouble.  These cetaceans are a beautiful animal in the dolphin family, which can grow to 15 – 20 feet in length, the males being larger.  False killer whales are so named because of their skull similarities to the orca.  Their skin is black to dark gray in color and their teeth are conical and quite large.  Their heads are bulbous in shape and they have a small falcate dorsal fin located about midway down their back and their distinctive flippers have a bulge on the leading edge.  These animals are slow to reach maturity, not reproducing until their teens, and have calves every 6 to 7 years.  On a really good day on the water, boaters can see these very quick moving animals.  

These cetaceans are usually pelagic, but their feeding habits may bring them occasionally close to shore.  In Hawaiian waters these animals are occasionally caught by long liners, which can be fatal.  They eat fish and squid and are seen passing a catch around to each member of their group before sharing their meal. 

New evidence suggests that in the last 20 years the Hawaiian false killers population has dramatically dropped.  Dr. Baird calls them ‘upper tropic level predators’.   If there are highly toxic levels in the fish they eat, the toxins are passed directly to the calves through mother’s milk.  Some of the calves tested had toxicity levels that were off the charts.  What is an even more frightening thought is we humans eat the same fish they do, mahi-mahi, tuna, etc.

Is there an answer?  We need to all put our heads together and work quickly.  If their downward spiral continues, we will most certainly lose our Hawaiian animals.  If this is due to toxic food, then how long before this poisoning is realized in humans?  What can these types of poisons do to, not just adults, but our children?  The world is watching.  What is our next move, Hawaii?

For more information, or to read Dr. Baird’s research and see the beautiful photos, go to:http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/robin/falsekillerwhale.htm. 

In the animal kingdom, the little ones, no matter what species, are always adorable to animal lovers.  Humpback calves are certainly no exception.  For any observer, the clumsy little ones touch hearts in many ways.  They really seem to struggle to get things right.  The various behaviors we see from tail slapping, pec fin slapping, head slaps and breaches, all need to be perfected, and often times, mother’s gentle (or not so) prodding keeps the little one trying.  To be close enough to hear the breaths of a calf while watching the work outs is truly amazing, but what always gives me goose-bumps is knowing that mother is near by, usually no more than 50 feet from her baby.  The close proximity is, of course, for protection, but all mothers want to make sure that nothing goes wrong.  If a viewer is very lucky, mother may leave the water herself to show how things are expected to be done.

We have so much to learn about these animals, still.  As the lucky researchers, permits on file, are allowed to be feet-to-inches away from these magnificent beings while they busily take notes and video footage, we stay by the sidelines, hoping to be given the latest findings as they come.  Even though research has been conducted since the 1960s, many times the frustrated researcher will say it feels we are no closer in understanding than we were then.  Could it be that, maybe, the whales want it that way?  We can only wonder, and certainly, keep loving them.  They are, after all, some of the largest animals on the planet, whose ancesters have been around for nearly 50 million years.  For most whale watchers, it doesn’t matter how much of them we understand.  It matters most that they are still here for us all to enjoy and love.

Many have them.  Not all want them.  Some are ignored.  Some are allowed to hang around.  This is the world of humpback male escorts attempting to find a female who will give them time, and if they’re really lucky, more than that.

Mothers and calves seem to spend most of their time in silence, say researchers.  The reason is mothers do not want to attract unwanted visitors in the form of a male, or two, or more.  While spending time with a lovely female and her new calf it took about 15 minutes before the male made his presence known.  If it hadn’t been in such a spectacular way, I would have felt a little annoyed with someone who dared get in front of my lens, but this handsome male was a welcome interruption from taking pictures of the sweet cuddles, rubbing, and playful antics of the new calf.

Humpback season is winding down here in Hawaii, but there still are plenty of animals around.  To our surprise, today we saw yet another new calf, which means there will still be a few animals around in four weeks, perhaps more.  Weather reports say temperatures will be in the low 80s with light breezes at 10-15 mph.  Coming out with us?  Bring sunscreen.  You will need it.

It was so unexpected.  As we left the harbor today, 26 unsure passengers in rain gear, borrowed ponchos, and even large trash bags with cut out holes for heads and arms huddled out on the bow looking around in earnest for any signs of whales.  We were barely out of the harbor when two bottlenose dolphin greeted us and stayed around for about 10 minutes.  Heading out about five miles we came across a trio of males competing for the above animal pictures, a friendly female.

There were times when we, although delighted by her visits and obvious curiosity, began to wonder if she were really aware of these 3 big males pushing and shoving as they traveled around us.  She approached us three times for a close up look.  The rest of the time she was about 50 feet down next to our port side.  Sometimes she was belly up and sometimes head down, and always she was nearly motionless.  Two of our passengers were honeymooners and they said this trip more than exceeded their expectations of maybe seeing a couple of blows and maybe a tail or two.  Another passenger was fearful when the female approached, wondering if we could get hurt.  We explained that these ‘gentle giants’ were often curious of people, and have never hurt a human intentionally.  We also shared a wonderful story of an underwater photographer who was gently lifted to the surface by a large male humpback, who had left others to do so and returned to the group of males afterward.

In spite of the on and off again rain, we feel this could possibly be the whale watch of the season!  I never tire of these animals.  Having my heart taken over 20 years ago, I know I will love these animals as long as I live and can hardly wait until we go back out on the water tomorrow.  After today’s marine safari, 26 passengers all heartily agree.

While momma watched closely baby humpback whale worked out on the surface about 20 feet away, easily within reach of mom’s long pectoral fins.  Researchers tell us that when babies are new, they are not allowed any further away than the length of mom’s pectoral fins, which are 13 – 20 feet in length, depending on the age of the mom.  As the little ones grow (about 1 foot every 4 weeks), gaining about 80 – 100 pounds per day, they are allowed the privilege of freedom, sometimes seen venturing about 50 yards away from mom.  That may sound like quite a distance, but if there were any trouble, mom would be there in seconds with one or two beats of her massive tail.

This mother’s behavior was different today.  It is very unusual to see just the tip of the rostrum sticking out while remaining vigilant.  If we hadn’t been there before she surfaced, we may have called this behavior a ’spy hop’, but it wasn’t.  The whole time baby worked out tail slapping and peduncle throwing, she kept her position and watched.  Water clarity was about 100 feet, so there was no doubt she could see everything her little one was doing.

She tolerated us as well.  We shut down at 100 yards, but she continued her approach stopping when she was about 50 yards away.  From that position we were allowed to watch the calf as he/she struggled to learn the tail behaviors that mom had shown only moments before.  It was her instructions that we noticed over 1 mile away and had us heading to them in the first place.

Humpback whales always thrill, educate, and amaze us.  We’re going out again tomorrow and would love to have you on board to watch the whales, which belong to us all.

Their exhalations can have different shapes depending on the activity and downtime length.  Here you can see three of the most common shapes, v-shaped, tall and bushy, and heart shaped blows.  With new calves most of the exhalations are barely visible until they gain some weight, most of the time this takes only hours.

It was nearly 20 years ago when I heard my first exhalations, which came from a mother and calf blue whales.  I was working as a tour guide at Point Sur Lighthouse and the pair were in the kelp beds next to shore in front of the old World War II listening station.  After unlocking the highway gate and driving in I clearly remember hearing the sounds when I closed my car door, feeling a little puzzled trying to figure out what the source of the noise was.  I recall standing on the bluff, about 20 feet above the largest animal I have ever seen, and her calf.  The calf appeared quite clumsy, the tail flopping from side to side, and the little one seemed to be having difficulty holding up her/his head.  The blows of the mother echoed off the hillsides and her calf’s blows seemed to be a small punctuation.  During the day the pair stayed in this little bay, and over time the calf, much to my astonishment, was growing stronger by the hour.  After our last tour when it was time to leave and lock up the gate, I spent a quiet hour sitting on the grassy knoll and contentedly watched the pair.  The calf no longer was floppy and could raise its head quite well.  When it wanted to take a snack it would dive down into the kelp below mother, coming back up after several moments.  The pair rubbed on each other and I watched the calf look into mother’s eye.  I was hooked forever.

According to whaling records each type of whale has their own height and shape of exhalation.  This was the first method the whalers knew what whale was ahead and make the decision whether or not to pursue the animal.  In Hawaii we have sperm, fin, orca, false killers, melon headed, pilot, bottlenose, spotted, and spinner dolphins.  Although the dolphin species are more difficult to see, sperm whales would stand out like no other.  Toothed cetaceans have one blow hole, while baleen whales have two.  Since sperm whales blow hole is on the left side of the head, their exhalation is straight out over 10 feet and at a sharp angle, right or left depending on their travel direction.  We have not seen sperm whales on a whale watch yet, but are always looking for them. 

From the time we leave the harbor, passengers and crew are on the lookout for the blows of our cetaceans.  A single blow with humpbacks could be a singer, tall blow with a short one next to her would be mother and calf, and multiple blows in one tight area could be a group of competing males.  Cameras in hands with high excitement, the group of hat wearing visitors all smelling of various brands of sunscreen take their places at the railing as we head out.  We are extending our marine safaris well into April this year and we would love to have you join us.

Size matters.  At least with humpback whales it does.  Researchers tell us that the big females choose the biggest males to mate with and the males seek out the biggest females to do battles over.  They also tell us that the females call most of the shots within groups.  Most men will say ‘okay what else is new?’.  Whale watching season is in full swing.  In spite of 25 mph winds, humpback whale moms continue making their young work out and males compete with vigor.  Time is running out.

Some of these animals travel all the way to Russia and many feed in the Aleutian Island chain, so 25 mph winds are really not much compared to the storms the Bering Sea can deliver.  Whale watching passengers did not complain and were certainly not disappointed.  Today’s whale watch found us dodging the animals in an effort to get to the leeward side of the island.  Two animals decided to do battle right next to our vessel while we watched, took pictures, and I did my best explaining what appeared to be going on.  Both animals were small and one was quite grey in color.  Researchers tell us that means under 10 years of age, or a juvenile.  Lucky guy!  The female he was with seemed very interested in whatever he was saying.  After 10 minutes of communicating, the pair moved away together leaving what may happen next to our imagination.

We plan to continue our marine safaris well into April this year, partially due to the high number of whales still around.  Yesterday we found several very new calves, which means they will be here for about 8 weeks, hopefully still in Maui waters by that time.  Want to come out with us?  We’d love to have you on board.  Make sure you bring extra batteries as we’re sure there will be plenty of photo opportunities.  See you soon!