Well, today we had an amazing find just minutes out of Keauhou Bay. We have fast engines to go find the whales, but this trip was all about slow and steady. Captain Liam, Susan and the whale spotters came across a heat run or "competitive pod" heading south close to the shoreline. We slowly followed their progress with lots of behaviours, yes, the kind that humpback boys carry on when competing to be the females #1. For the moment. Monogamy is not part of the humpback lifestyle. This mammalian strategy may seem familiar...girls go for quality, boys go for quantity. Pods are transient, constantly changing. One way to ensure the survival of your species. A group of four whales turned to 5 and then split into two pods by the time we left them to head back home for the night. Breaches 4. Head slaps 6. Tail slashes 8. Motorboating 2. And lots of heavy breathing. Listen for the blow in the video!
Susan, what a great write up! Love the blog! Ingrid
ReplyDelete