The Garden Island reported that the first humpback whale of the migration season was spotted off Kēʻē Beach on Kauaʻi.
It was near the beginning of the tour, right as they were getting to the Nāpali Coast’s sheer cliffs, when a humpback whale shot out of the water about a mile offshore.
“No doubt about it, it was an adolescent humpback whale,” Pearlman said Tuesday, after the sighting. “It breached three or four times.”
“Humpback whale season in Hawaiʻi generally runs from November through May, although whales may be encountered in limited numbers during other months,” NOAA officials said in a press release Tuesday.
Humpback whales migrate to the Hawaiʻian Islands for breeding in the winter months and are commonly sighted from November through March, with peak season being January through March. Summer months are spent feeding in more northern waters, like around Alaska.
Now is a great time to book your vacation on Kauaʻi for the annual winter whale migration!