Humpback whales appear to be taking their time coming to Hawaii this year.

The superintendent of the Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary says whales are arriving “a bit later this year than in recent years, but are now arriving.”

“Whales are being observed daily in growing numbers,” said Malia Chow, the sanctuary superintendent, in a news release.

Chow said that the whales have actually been arriving earlier in recent years, perhaps increasing expectations among the public that the whales are supposed to arrive by now.

However, the peak of whale season is normally in February and March and this year’s arrivals appear to be in keeping with long-term historical observations.

“Whales don’t have watches or calendars, so they might not exactly follow human expectations,” she said. “Numbers of whales usually gradually increase in January and February, since whales don’t all come in a mass at the same time.”