In my last post I said I saw a whale breach, but yesterday I really saw whales breach! This time I could actually see the whales' bodies (not just their splashes). We hiked up the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail to the top of a mountain (on O'ahu) where we watched for humpbacks, which are frequently found in the area at this time of year (they come to Hawaii in the winter to mate and give birth). We spotted several whales - a mother and calf, and a couple other whales - in the water below. Then, as we stood on the exposed observation platform on top of the mountain, it began to rain. Despite being soaked and cold, we still waited to see if the whales would breach. After the rain stopped we waited some more. And then....the mother whale jumped out of the water! I could not contain my excitement - as I said, one of my biggest goals for this trip was to see a whale breach. And these animals are so beautiful and so big that it's hard to believe they could heave their entire bodies out of the water.
Immediately after the first whale breached, another whale breached nearby. I tried to get it on video, but I was so excited that I couldn't hold the camera still. But, I did get some pretty good audio to give you an idea of how excited I was to see these whales breach. In the video I saw two whales breach, one right after the other. Then, you can see the whales in the water (one blows a white puff of its breath). I didn't get any videos of the whales actually breaching. But, tomorrow we're going out on a boat to try to see tour companies allowing tourists to interact with dolphins and to see whales (hopefully breaching!!!). I'll try to get some good whale videos tomorrow. But for now you can watch (listen to) this one:
I am currently a graduate student at the Duke University Marine Lab studying coastal and marine environmental management. Soon I will begin my career in protecting our oceans' ecosystems! I am passionate about marine conservation, and many other environmental issues, including global warming. Through my blog, I hope to pass on some of the fascinating things I'm learning about marine life and conservation, as well as fun things I've been doing, and any interesting random things I come across. Enjoy! And please leave comments or questions!
In my last post I said I saw a whale breach, but yesterday I really saw whales breach! This time I could actually see the whales' bodies (not just their splashes). We hiked up the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail to the top of a mountain (on O'ahu) where we watched for humpbacks, which are frequently found in the area at this time of year (they come to Hawaii in the winter to mate and give birth). We spotted several whales - a mother and calf, and a couple other whales - in the water below. Then, as we stood on the exposed observation platform on top of the mountain, it began to rain. Despite being soaked and cold, we still waited to see if the whales would breach. After the rain stopped we waited some more. And then....the mother whale jumped out of the water! I could not contain my excitement - as I said, one of my biggest goals for this trip was to see a whale breach. And these animals are so beautiful and so big that it's hard to believe they could heave their entire bodies out of the water.
Immediately after the first whale breached, another whale breached nearby. I tried to get it on video, but I was so excited that I couldn't hold the camera still. But, I did get some pretty good audio to give you an idea of how excited I was to see these whales breach. In the video I saw two whales breach, one right after the other. Then, you can see the whales in the water (one blows a white puff of its breath). I didn't get any videos of the whales actually breaching. But, tomorrow we're going out on a boat to try to see tour companies allowing tourists to interact with dolphins and to see whales (hopefully breaching!!!). I'll try to get some good whale videos tomorrow. But for now you can watch (listen to) this one:
