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Fair Wind II Photo Gallery
February 2008
Whale Journal
By our on-board Marine Naturalist, Jonathan Opey
02/27/08 (Wednesday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Just about every type of activity you could imagine, we saw today. Everywhere you looked we saw Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in lots of surface activities, and the Lek was alive with diversity this afternoon. We're starting to see more mothers with calves, and cow-calf-escorts on the Lek. That is because the season has reached a point where there is an explosion of babies, and that usually means it won't be long before these whales will be a distant memory for this season. Today's stats were as follows: 25 Humpback Whales, 20 Breaches, 10 Pec-slaps, 10 Tail-lobs, 1 Heat-run (3 Males/ 1 female), 3 Lunges, 3 Cow-Calf-Escorts, 2 Close Encounters (Breaching whales), and 1 Pod of Nai'a (Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins-Stenella longirostris). After deploying the hydro-phone, we heard more Humpback Whales than we could count! Today was truly an exceptional day, and you could have a similar adventure, just pick up the phone and call...we'll be waiting for you...till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/26/08 (Tuesday)
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Today's trip went really well. We left the confines of Keauhou Bay and ran north towards the Lek. Once there the Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) began to show themselves almost immediately. Today's stats were as follows: 25 Humpback Whales, 1 Breach, 10 Tail-lobs, 5 Pec-slaps, 1 Cow-Calf-Escort, 1 Close Encounter (Mom and Calf). Be sure to book your reservation soon and we'll take you on an adventure that will last a lifetime. Till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/25/08 (Monday)
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We had two incredible trips today. Our stats for the morning trip were as follows: 15 Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 7 Breaches, 3 Tail-lobs, 1 Heat-run (4 Males/1 Female), 1 Close Encounter (2 whales swam by the boat), 1 Lunge, and 1 Pod of Nai'a (Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, Stenella longirostris). Our stats for the afternoon trip were as follows: 10 Humpback Whales, 4 Breaches, 1 Heat-run (5 Males/1 Female), and 2 Close Encounters. The first encounter was a quick breath by a whale, then it submerged never to be seen again. I was speaking with our Captain about where to go for our next adventure, when right next to the boat a whale surfaced! One woman screamed, and of course everyone looked her way. I was watching the whole thing and it happened so quickly that most people didn't see it the first time. This whale was huge, I mean, when was the last time something was 30 feet above you and looking right at you? For more than 30 minutes we were Mugged by 2 Humpback Whales that were in a 'mating mood.' We saw the column of bubbles being released under the abdomen of the Female, then the Male would surface and look at everyone on the boat. This pattern was repeated over and over again. Today was the day to be whale watching and nothing else! I and 27 other people got to look into the eye of a whale today. I know the trips are only going to get better, but I don't know how they could be any better than this afternoon! Don't take my word for it, come and see for yourself. Till then...Aloha!
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/23/08 (Saturday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
We had an awesome trip today. The Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) really put on a show and there were lots of oohs and aahs as we were entertained for the better part of three hours. On the Lek, the water was calm and this allowed us to get out to where the whales were performing. After we shut down the engines, they really started to show themselves. As we drifted, the whales began to surface in every direction. Today's statistics were as follows: 22 Humpback Whales, 4 Breaches, 1 Heat-run (5 Males/1 Female), 3 Pec-slaps, 1 Cow-calf-Escort, 1 Close Encounter (2 Whales surfaced right next to the boat), 1 Pod of Nai'a (Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, Stenella longirostris). Come join us for an afternoon that you won't soon forget. Till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/22/08 (Friday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Once again the whales put on an amazing show. We weren't on the Lek long before they began showing magnificent displays of body control, high above the water...otherwise known as Breaching. The surf and wind were coming up, so going north was a bit challenging, but we made it and it was worth every bit of effort to get there. We had probably the best Breach that we've had all year. Today's stats were as follows: 18 Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 25+ Breaches (15 Breaches by one whale), 6 Tail-lobs, 10 Pec-slaps, and 5 Lunges. From the statistics you can see the majority of our sustained surface activity (S.S.A.) consisted of breaches and there was not another whale watching boat in sight...talk about an exclusive trip! You should have seen the awe and delight on the faces of everyone when they disembarked. You missed an awe-inspiring excursion, but there's still time to see the whales. Book your trip soon, because winter will soon be gone, as will the Humpbacks. Till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/20/08 (Wednesday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Today's trip was a challenge, the waves were surging which makes it difficult to find whales. After arriving on the Lek, we found lots of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and the first encounter was a thunderous breach fairly close to the boat. We were hoping to get more sightings from this whale, but it had other intentions. After watching it 'sound', we headed farther north to find more cetaceans. Here are today's totals: 20 Humpback Whales, 12 Breaches, 6 Spy-hops, 3 Pec-slaps, 1 Heat-run (1 Female/4 Males), 5 Lunges, 1 Cow-Calf-Escort, 1 Close Encounter (Breach), and 2 Pods of Nai'a (Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, Stenella longirostris). It's hard to believe this month is almost over and we're scheduled to run through the end of March, so don’t delay. We on the Hula Kai would love to take you on the adventure of a lifetime! Till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/19/08 (Tuesday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Where do I begin…There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to even begin to convey what we saw today! Every possible surface activity you could imagine, we saw it! Today's trip started out like most do, leaving Keauhou Bay, running north to the Lek, and waiting for the whales to show themselves...somehow they must have known we had a film crew on board, because the show they put on! I guess the best thing to do is tell it like it is! Well here goes: 20 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 22 Breaches, 8 Spy-hops, 20 Tail-lobs, 8 Pec-slaps, 7 Lunges, 2 Cow-Calf-Escorts, 4 Close Encounters—that includes the Mother and calf swimming under the boat while I was being interviewed, and then the calf breached right next to the Hula Kai, 5 Double breaches (I've personally never seen that many whales air-borne before), and 1 Pod of Nai'a (Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, Stenella longirostris). Even though I was there, I'm still in disbelief. However, I've got 32 witnesses that will corroborate my story. If this doesn't get you out on a whale watch this season, then nothing will! So pick up the phone and call, we're waiting for you...till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/18/08 (Monday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
We had two very exciting trips today, each one was different, but the subject matter was the same...WHALES! In every direction you looked, all you could see were spouts, explosive breaches, monstrous tail-lobs, and...well, I think D.H. Lawrence said it best, "And they rock, and they rock, through the sensual ageless ages on the depths of the seven seas, and through the salt they reel with drunk delight and in the tropics tremble they with love and roll with massive, strong desire, like gods." That pretty much sums up today's excursions. In the morning, the stats were as follows: 23 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 15 Breaches, 8 Spy-hops, 5 Tail-lobs, 1 Heat-run (1 Female/5 Males), 7 Pec-slaps, 1 Cow-calf-pod, 2 Close encounters (1 breach-1 mugging), 3 Lunges, and 1 Pod of Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). In the afternoon the stats were as follows: 25 Humpback whales, 8 Breaches, 3 Spy-hops, 25 Tail-lobs, 1 Heat-run (1 Female/7 Males), 6 Pec-slaps, 2 Cow-calf-pods, 3 Close encounters (1 breach and 2 muggings), 6 Lunges, and 1 Pod of Spinner dolphins. Whew...Today's trips will linger in my mind long after this day has ended, but these Whales aren't going to be here forever, call now to reserve you seats and come join us for an adventure! Till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/16/08 (Saturday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
All I can say is WOW! Everything we've seen so far this season pales in comparison with what the crew of the Hula Kai and the passengers witnessed today. We arrived on the Lek thinking we'd have a pretty good show since the whales are here 'En Mass'. Little did we know, the Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) would choose today to give such an awesome display. Let me warn you, the numbers are high, but not inflated. My veracity is beyond reproach! Today's trip went like this: 30 Humpback Whales, 15 Breaches, 13 Spy-hops, 15 Tail-lobs, 33 Pec-slaps, 2 Heat-runs (1 female/4 males, 1 female/5 males), 17 Lunges, 4 Close encounters (Mugging), and 3 pods of Nai'a-Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris). There aren't enough superlatives to begin to describe the elation we all felt watching the breaches, the closeness of the heat-runs to the boat, or the whales on their backs just slapping their pectoral flippers against the surface of the water. Today was one of those ineffable experiences that you just had to be there to appreciate! We were there, where were you? An amazing adventure in the great mystery of life awaits...all you have to do is call and make a reservation. We'll save a seat for you, till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/15/08 (Friday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
And yet another week came to an end with an exceptional whale watch. This time of year the Lek is literally alive with the promise of a future generation of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This afternoon the calves stole the show! Our visitors were amazed, awed, and delighted by the display of rolling, lunging, breaching, and spy hoping...all done without a care in the world, under the watchful gaze of an adoring mother. This afternoon’s stats are as follows: 25 Humpbacks, 20 Breaches, 10 Spy-hops, 11 Tail-lobs, 15 Pec-slaps, 3 Heat-runs, 8 Lunges, 3 Cow-calf-escorts, and 2 Close encounters. As you can see, we had an incredible experience, the numbers are still really good, and we feel that some of the best shows are still to come. Come join us for an afternoon of discovery and enchantment. Till then..Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/13/08 (Wednesday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
Today was yet another awesome whale watch. We're seeing lots of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and even more surface displays. The highlight of today's trip were the breaches, we had one that was practically right next to the boat. We're also starting to see more cows and calves...now that we're midway through the season, but then that's normal behavior for this time of year on the Lek. In fact the cow-calf-escort trios will probably be the most prolific groups, next to the heat-runs, that we're likely to see. Today's numbers were as follows: 22 Humpback whales, 10 Breaches, 2 Heat-runs, 2 Cow-calf-escort trios, 1 Close encounter (massive breach). We didn't see the Nai'a today and we couldn't deploy the hydro-phone because of the waves, but if you could have seen the faces of everyone that was on-board as they disembarked, you'd know how wonderful and spectacular today's trip was. Come join us and see for yourself....till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/12/08 (Tuesday)
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Aloha and welcome aboard!
We had a good show today. After leaving Keauhou Bay, we ran north towards the Lek. There we encountered quite a few Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). We also saw a large pod of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris). Today's numbers were as follows: 25 Humpback Whales, 11 Breaches, 2 Heart-runs, 4 Tail-lobs, and 2 cow-calf-escort groups. While watching whale surface activity, we deployed the hydro-phone, and heard numerous males singing. As I've said before, the trips are only going to get better now that the whales are here in large numbers. Come join us for an afternoon of exciting whale action, till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/11/08 (Monday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
Both of today's trips went extremely well. The numbers are off the chart, there are Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) everywhere you look. On the morning trip we saw incredible displays of cetacean behavior on the breeding grounds. For example, there were: 22 Humpback sightings, 10 Breaches, 5 Spy-hops, 6 Pec-slaps, 5 lunges, 1 cow-calf-escort trio, 1 close encounter, 1 Pod of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris), and 2 Manta Rays (Manta birostris). Not bad, eh? If you thought that was good, the afternoon trip surpassed the morning...20 Humpback sightings, 12 Breaches, 5 Spy-hops, 8 Tail-lobs, 5 Pec-slaps, 3 Heat-runs, 5 Lunges, 4 Pods of cow-calf-escort trios, 2 Close encounters, 1 Pod of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins, and on both trips we had excellent Whale vocalizations! So as you can see, today went well. I'm often amazed how people think that we, the crew, had a hand in producing what they saw...sure the Captain put us in the right place at the right time, but as far as dictating the whale's behavior...well let's just say over the years I've learned to say 'Mahalo' and just take credit for a job well done. You guys missed an awesome display this afternoon and we're already mid-way through February...don't wait too long to book your reservation...till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/09/08 (Saturday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
The whale watching has been totally killer the past few days...It's awesome to see how our visitors are responding to the number of sightings. For the most part everyone is awed, inspired, and elated when they disembark and today was no exception. Running north we headed for the lek and found whales almost immediately. The numbers were as follows: 24 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 6 Breaches, 2 Spy-hops, 5 Tail-lobs, 4 Pec-slaps, 2 Heat-runs, 2 Cow-calf-escort trios, 2 Close encounters with the boat, 4 Lunges, and 2 Pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). It was a fairly active afternoon on-board the Hula Kai. Come join us for an existential expedition, that you won't soon forget, till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/08/08 (Friday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
This morning we had a spectacular whale watch. After leaving Keauhou bay, we headed north to the Lek to see what the whales had in store for us. After scanning the horizon and seeing blows in every direction we decided to go for the whales that were breaching...10 minutes later we were surrounded by Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The morning trip's breakdown went something like this: 22 Humpback whales, 23 Breaches, 6 Spy-hops, 5 Tail-lobs, 8 Pec-slaps, 1 Heat-run, 3 Close encounters (when the whales swam around the boat), and 1 Pod of Nai'a, Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). In the afternoon the storm system that was stalled over the Hawaiian Islands finally hit. Before we had to head home, we had a pretty good show. We saw 20 Humpback whales, 10 Breaches, and on both trips we deployed the hydro-phone and were treated to a cacophony of vocalizations. Come join us for an existential adventure...till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/06/08 (Wednesday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
Our whale watching adventure today was spectacular! Upon arrival on the Lek, we began to see whales almost immediately. There are Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) everywhere on the Lek. In every direction we saw surface activity and most of it was sustained. The question of the day was, in which direction do we go? The break-down of the trip is as follows: 30 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 17 Breaches, 1 Spy-hop, 10 Tail-lobs, 5 Pec-slaps, 1 Heat-run, 2 Lunges, and 1 close encounter, where two adult Whales surfaced out of nowhere while we were dead-in-the-water and swam around the boat several times...WOW! They were huge and disappeared all too quickly. By now the eclectic collection of visitors on board were overwhelmed. As I've said many times, "you just never know what you're going to see on the water", so come join us for an epic adventure that you won't soon forget....till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/05/08 (Tuesday)
Aloha and welcome aboard! We spent most of today trying to stay one step ahead of a storm system that's stalled over the Hawaiian Islands. We were able to use the break in the weather to have one of the most diverse whale watches that we've had in some time. Right out of Keauhou bay we encountered a mother and calf; they were just slowly swimming along with an occasional breach by the calf. While we watched them, I explained the dynamics of the 'cow-calf' relationship, which is perhaps the closest among cetaceans. Then we moved on, not wanting to stress them, and we were anxious to get up to the Lek. Once there, we didn't have to wait long for our first sighting. The totals of today's trip are as follows: 20 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 2 Manta rays, 1 pod of Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), and the highlight of the trip, were the Melon Headed whales (Peponocephala electra). These whales were a surprise to see, they rarely come into shallow water. At the time we were in about a 1000 feet of water, that's shallow for those guys. As they swam towards the boat we shut down the engines and just observed them. Here are some stats about Peponocephala electra… They are a pelagic or deep water whale and belong to the family of Delphinidae. Adults grow to a length of 10 feet. Females live to about 30 years of age and males live about 20 years. They weigh about 440 lbs., pretty cool! Everyone was truly jazzed when they disembarked and had nothing but the highest praise for Captain Matt, First Mate Dan, and Hayden, the crew of the Hula-Kai. Well that's how I spent my afternoon...what did you do??? Come join us for an afternoon that you won't soon forget, but book your reservation soon, seats are going fast! Till next time....Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/02/08 (Saturday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
What a great whale watch we had today. It was the cow-calf show today. We saw 3 different groups of cow-calf combos and in all three groups the calf was putting on a show, lunging, jumping, breaching, and just doing all the exuberant things that youngsters do. The totals were as follows: 22 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 8 breaches, 1 heat-run (5 males, 1 female), 6 pec-slaps, 15 lunges, and 3 cow-calf-pods. As you can see we had lots of activity and everyone was thrilled when they disembarked. Come join us for an afternoon of fun, excitement, and adventure. You just never know what you're going to see....till then, Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
02/01/08 (Friday)
Aloha and welcome aboard!
Aloha and welcome aboard!
This morning we had tons of whales and lots of sustained surface activity! The totals for the morning trip were: 22 Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), 8 breaches, 6 tail-lobs, 5 pec-slaps, 1 heat-run, 1 cow-calf-escort, and 10 lunges. I can only say that with each day the number of humpbacks showing up seems to grow exponentially...and we're not complaining! On the afternoon trip we saw just as much activity, but more moms with calves. The totals were: 15 Humpback whales, 5 breaches, 5 spy-hops, 10 tail-lobs, 6 pec-slaps, 1 heat-run, 3 cow-calf-escorts, and 1 pod of Nai'a, Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris). For me the highlight of the trip was seeing all the new babies on the breeding grounds and watching a huge pod of Spinner dolphins escorting a lone Humpback whale...the last time that occurred, it seemed like the whale was heavily pregnant and the dolphins were acting as sentinels escorting her out to deeper water where she would eventually give birth...pretty cool! We had an awesome day, and you can to, but don't wait too long.....hope to see you on the next trip, till then...Aloha.
Jonathan Opey
Director, Hawai'i Marine Research Center
| email Jonathan |
| View January 2008 Whale Watch Summary |
| View January 2007 Whale Watch Summary |
| View February 2007 Whale Watch Summary |
| View March 2007 Whale Watch Summary |
Reservations / Info:
808-345-0268
800-677-9461
------------------------------
Hula Kai Photo Gallery
