Back to the fish

This is really where I spent the most time. I loved every minute on the water. A couple of facts about whales... these guys are all Humpbacks. They migrate between Mexico and Alaska. They stop in Hawaii anywhere between November and May to do 2 things, have their babies and breed. There isn't any food for them in Hawaii, so they basically live off their fat storage. Whales don't mate for life, in fact they are solitary animals, they do not have pods or families that they hang out with, the exception is that female whales stay with their babies for the first year, then they both go their separate ways. When you see whales together, generally this time of year you see 3, a mom a baby and a male escort. The male is there protecting but also waiting for the female to go into heat. When that happens, she may be pursued by upto 30 males at one time. We saw some of this behavior and it was very aggressive and a little violent. Males can weigh up to 80 tons, so that is a lot of fire power in the water. The babies are about the size of a Ford Explorer, just so you get an idea of the massive size of these mamals.

One more fact, the tail or fluke is as individual as a finger print. Marine biologists in Hawaii catalogue pictures of the tails to identify returning whales. When you see the fluke come up, usually the whale is diving deep and can stay under water for up to an hour. The slapping, breaching and jumping appears to be communication, but no one really knows for sure.