Sightings off Maui mark humpbacks’ return to isles

Whale season in Hawaii officially started with a splash with sightings of two whales off Maui less than one week into October, and two more Wednesday.

Kai Kanani Sailing Charters reported the first one, a juvenile humpback seen during a sunset sail Oct. 4, just off Makena’s Little Beach, said company spokes­­woman Melissa Glennon.

Crew and passengers spied a couple of spouts 200 yards away and then were treated to a fluke-up dive.

"Just like that, it was gone," Glennon said. "It is really exciting."

The next morning, the crew and passengers of a Pacific Whale Foundation tour boat witnessed just about the same show, although it may have been a different animal.

Capt. Gabriel Wilson of the vessel Ocean Voyager said his boat was about 300 yards away when passengers saw what appeared to be an adult whale blowing a few times and then doing a fluke-up dive.

On Wednesday an adult humpback and a breaching yearling were seen about a mile off Cove Park in Kihei. Children taking surfing lessons as part of a foundation ocean camp were among those who spotted the whales at 11:30 a.m., said Anne Rillero, the nonprofit’s spokes­woman.

Hawaii is the winter home for the North Pacific population of humpback whales. While most first sightings occur in October, they are known to arrive mostly between September and early November, followed by weeks of sporadic sightings.

The peak activity takes place between December and April, when the protected marine mammals socialize, mate and give birth before heading back to their Alaska feeding grounds.

Perhaps the earliest recorded sighting of a humpback in Hawaii occurred last year when four ocean tour operators were surprised Aug. 30 as a whale surfaced in Hono­ko­hau Harbor near Kona on Hawaii island. In 2005 the first whale wasn’t spotted off Maui until Nov. 11.

Up to 12,000 humpback whales winter in Hawaii, according to the foundation, which also estimates that population has been rising 5 percent to 7 percent annually — "which means there are more whales coming to Maui each winter to mate, give birth and care for their young," said Greg Kaufman, president and founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation.

With so many whales in the waters off Maui, the foundation has been working to identify "hot spots" where it is especially important for vessels to keep an eye on whales and watch their speeds, Kaufman said.

Officials warn ocean users to keep a safe distance. Federal regulations prohibit approaching within 100 yards on the water and 1,000 feet when operating an aircraft. These and other regulations apply to all ocean users, including vessel operators, kayakers, paddleboarders, windsurfers, swimmers and divers throughout the Hawaiian Islands.