Spy Hop at the bow on 2/7 Wake up with the Whales Cruise. Image courtesy of Captain Will
Aloha,
We literally saw dozens of Humpbacks during Thursday’s Wake up with the Whales Cruise. It seemed that no matter which way we looked, we’d see a spout or a dorsal fin or flukes. But more exciting than the sheer number of whales around us was the interest that they showed in us. While we were stopped in the water, a Mom/Calf/Escort pod came over to investigate…and later a couple of big adult whales decided to check us out. And one of these guys spy hopped RIGHT next to the boat. Watching that huge rostrum rise vertically out of the water (seemingly in slow motion) always gives us chicken skin.
On our Whales & Cocktails at Sunset Cruise we found ourselves in the midst of 2 different competitive pods…one composed of a duo, and the other a trio. We got to see lots of weird, twisty dives as they battled each other on the surface and below, and a few peduncle throws. Towards the end of the cruise two whales crossed our bow fairly close by, spouting a couple of times as they continued on their way.
Have a great weekend…I’ll send the next report out on Monday.
Mahalo,
Claire
Ocean Sports Whale Fact of the Day: Spy hopping is one of the ways a Humpback can see what’s going on above the surface of the water. Because Humpbacks have really big heads proportionally, their eyes are about a third of the way down their bodies. When the whale spy hops, she rises slowly and vertically from the water, head first. If she’s a fully grown whale, the tip of her rostrum may be 15 feet above the surface before her eyes get there!