The Wild Things

Sailing north, only 8 passengers on board.  We're nearing Black Point and although it's been relatively calm today the winds are starting to pick up and we know we will have to turn back sometime soon.  We've been following a yearling humpback whale for over an hour now.  He's by himself, although his mother was with him this morning, but is nowhere in sight now.  This is something seen a lot with yearlings and their mothers- these duos will often make the migration south together back to the Hawaiian Islands and then cut ties permanently leaving the yearling to find its way back north alone.
This particular yearling appeared to be playing by himself swimming back toward the channel between the Big Island and Maui (the channel that will open up toward the north for this little guy to head home).  As he spiraled through the water slapping his pectoral fins together as if he was clapping his hands we realized he was not alone.  Swimming in front of him, a pod of dolphins.  10-15 individuals all swimming in a row as if leading him toward the channel opening.  Often times the only major interactions between whales and their cousins are negative (the dolphins tend to annoy the whales with their sonar and are usually chased off after the whales have had enough).  This display of camaraderie was so amazing to witness in person that I nearly forgot I was supposed to be teaching these guests about the whales, not just drooling as I stared off into the distance.  The yearling continued to playfully spiral through the water toward Maui, trumpeting bashfully at the dolphins swimming in front of him.  It was such a sight to be seen.  This little whale, all by himself in the Pacific Ocean, had made friends, if only for the time being with a group of creatures whose only way of communicating with him was by swimming by his side as he began his first solo migration home.
As we made a turn to return back to the harbor for the day, out of nowhere two huge whales swim right below the boat.  Coming up along the port side to say hello and examine the boat a little closer.  The larger of the two, probably nearing 45 feet in length, is the largest whale I have seen close up in my life.  While incredibly huge and much more powerful than any boat in the area, their presence is also nothing but awe-inspiring and majestic.  There is no fear when you see these creatures, just awe and adoration.  Their presence is humbling and their beauty reminds anyone who sees them how precious the wild world is and how important it is to save it.  I'm inspired every day I see them to make positive changes- environmental, mental and spiritual.
Eat some krill and think of the whales.  I hope everyone finds something to inspire them today. <3

Where the Wild Things Are?

A thought ran through my head recently- what if the whales don't come?  This is a frightening thought that has left many puzzled and anxiously awaiting their arrival.  The past month and a half has been a constant struggle to find whales to watch on the Kohala Coast.  It's a bizarre thing to think that they may not all show up because they cannot swim around or under the huge garbage patches in the Pacific, because they've lost their ability to navigate through the noisy ocean or because there aren't enough left (no longer in the humpback's case).  While this is mostly hypothetical at this point in time and it may just be coincidence that we are having a "slow" start to our season, it is quickly become more and more of a valid theory and on several levels has already been proven to be fact.  Our worst fears about these gentle giants may be coming true.     
As we sit here and wait, I cannot help but wonder what the future holds for these beauties and for ourselves.   It is outrageous to think we may have altered a migratory pattern that has been around for thousands of years simply because we don't clean up after ourselves.  Unfortunately the thing that has caught my attention the most is the future of this industry, how many more years will a job like mine be around (?) and about other industries that have been so heavily impacted due to lack of wild things around the world (the salmon industry comes to mind).  I wonder if people will one day say, "Do you remember when grandma and grandpa told us about going to Hawaii to see the humpback whales?  They said they were so awe-inspiring and majestic, their songs so beautiful.  I wish we had been around when they were."  It's a depressing thought, but I wonder if my kids will be able to experience seeing a whale, or hear them sing someday.  I really hope so.
While the winds have returned and the vog has cleared, we are slowly seeing whales returning to the Kohala Coast.  It has been a very slow start to the season and we do not know how long of a season we will be fortunate enough to have, but we are hoping for more whales every day.  The first calf of the season was seen outside of Puako about a week ago and it appeared to be happy and healthy swimming along with its mother.  There are hopefully thousands of expectant mothers making their migration to the Hawaiian islands as I type.  With the suspense building by the day, we are hoping for a few months of "whale soup season" and then back to the summer months of dolphins and diving.
Many alohas and well wishes for the new year from me to you.
Aloha nui loa,
M. 

~May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace~

First whale of my season, coming up to say hello and then waving goodbye.