Whales, Water, Waimea

One of the things Tammy put on her list of "want tos" for our recent trip to Kaua'i was to see Humpback Whales.  While neither of us is inclined to spend time bobbing around in a small boat in hopes that a whale will come by, we both knew that if we spent some time looking - and being patient - that we would give ourselves as much, or more, opportunity to see a whale or two from shore.

(note: I do realize the various whale tours have knowledge about the patterns of the whales in the area - so don't take this as a knock on the service they provide.)

 
We rented a studio apartment in a house that the owners had split into three residences.  One was theirs, one was for their daughter's family, and the third is rented to people like ourselves.  Part of the attraction was that we could view the Pacific Ocean from that apartment - whenever we wanted to look at it.

And, sure enough, Tammy got her wish on the first day there - whale's spouting not too far off shore.  That alone might have been enough.  But, a few days later we got more of a show.  Feel free to click on the photos to see a larger version.

Scientists are finding that Humpbacks may actually use the slapping noises they make with their pectoral fins and tails as a method of communicating with other whales.  And, we were able to see the pectoral slapping more than once during our stay.

An adult whale's pectoral fin can be anywhere from twelve to fifteen feet in length.  And the pectoral slap is just one of several ways whales are known to break the surface of the water.  From the human perspective, I suspect we all think the most spectacular event would be a full "breach" where the whale's entire body exits the water and then comes crashing back into the ocean.  Experts believe that these may be the equivalent to a long-distance call, telling other whales their location.

Tammy watched and took photos while a whale (or whales) approached a boat not far off-shore.  The boat remained still, even when the whale came extremely close.  According to this site, captains on Kaua'i (and perhaps elsewhere) call this a "whale mugging."  A boat that is approached by a whale is required by law to remain still when a whale approaches and can only resume movement until the whale has moved on.

This happens fairly often as Humpbacks are curious and like to check things out.  I wonder if it is possible that some of the slapping is attempted communication with OR about the boat itself?  Until I acquire a whale to English dictionary, I can only guess.

Tammy could not be certain, but she felt that there were probably more than one whale involved in this series.  Perhaps an adult and a calf.  We'll likely never know for certain, but Tammy did get her wish to observe Humpbacks during our visit.

To make the whole thing just that much more amazing, the Waimea Canyon is only around ten miles away from the spot where whales slap the water and tell each other about boats floating on the Pacific.  No whales here and much less water.

And just as wonderful.