This past Sunday Lissette and I paddled our kayak toward a group of paddle boarders and kayakers we could see a mile out or more out to sea hoping to catch a sighting of a whale or other sea-life on our journey. Little did we know that where we decided to stop and take a rest a baby Humpback whale would surface directly in front of us.

I was taking a panoramic video of the surrounding mountains when a loud “poof” resonated so loud it actually startled us both-see the video! We could also see the much larger mother which was directly below nudging the baby to the surface. We have always been respectful of whales and the other beautiful sea-life we are surrounded by but in this case it was purely coincidental that we were blessed to be so close to a mother and calf. Whale sightings have been down this year at least for shoreline viewing but this day we were able to get an up close view!

After I took this video, the calf surfaced and then submerged itself directly in front of another kayak broadsides. It’s wake caused the kayakers to almost tip over which in this case would have been ok as we were close by to assist but it does illustrate how chaotic it can be near wildlife and why we should always hold a safe distance when possible.

I love winters in Hawaii. This winter has been cool with average temps in the low 60’s at night and a lot of rain which is also rare. The swell has been primarily from the northeast not northwest so the surfing has been sporadic compared to past years but I’ve had several sessions I will remember for a long time or enough to get me through this summer to next fall!!

Written by Rick Oliver on February 27, 2019
Posted in: Hawaii Life | Tags: whale watching, whales