The humpback whales are coming: Tour company spots one off Kona Coast

Hawaiian Adventures Kona on Saturday encountered their first humpback whale sighting of the season.

Captain Andrew Aggergaard and naturalist Olivia Miller were leading a dolphin and whale watching tour far offshore when they spotted what they thought was one of Kona’s year-round whales. There are more than a dozen species of pelagic whales that can be found on the Kona Coast.

But as Hawaiian Adventures approached the scene offshore from Kealakekua Bay, they quickly discovered that this was a subadult humpback. The marine creature was traveling south and had shallow dives, allowing everyone onboard to get some great looks and lots of photos during the whales’ surface intervals.

After submitting one of her fluke photos to Happywhale, Miller was able to ID the individual. Their scientific name is “HW-MN0442595”, and they were first documented off the coast of Lahaina, Maui on Dec.12th 2022. The sighting today means that this whale has returned for another eventful breeding and birthing season in Hawaiʻi.

This encounter marks the beginning of an exciting winter whale watching season on the Big Island. The annual humpback migration brings thousands of humpback whales to Hawaiian waters for an action packed few months.

The best time to see humpback whales is mid-December through March, and Hawaiian Adventures will begin their official humpback-focused whale watching tours on Dec. 14.