The waters around Maui are part of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Between December and May each year, approximately 2/3 of the North Pacific Humpback Whale population (2,000-5,000 individuals) come to Hawaii to give birth and to breed. Calves are born without a protective blubber layer, so the warm tropical waters are an ideal place to give birth. The area between Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe is particularly popular, likely due to the shallow depth between these 4 islands.
The gestation period for humpback whales is only 11-12 months. The calves are about 12-14 ft at birth and weigh between 1 and 1.5 tons. For the first six months of their lives, calves will gain about 100 pounds a day. How do they do that? Calves will consume 50-100 gallons of milk per day. Humpback Whale milk is about 50% fat and has the consistency of cottage cheese (sounds gross huh?).
The reason Humpback Whales migrate to Alaska in the summer is to feed. The whales do not eat while they are in Hawaii. Hawaiian waters are so clear because they lack phytoplankton, the microscopic "plants" that krill and other bait fish feed on. During the 4-6 months the whales are in Hawaii they live off of their blubber layer and can lose up to 1/3 of their body weight.
I've had the opportunity to go out whale watching quite a few times while I have been here. We see a lot from shore, just driving back and forth from work, but of course I don't have pictures of those times. Below are the best of my whale watching photos.
The gestation period for humpback whales is only 11-12 months. The calves are about 12-14 ft at birth and weigh between 1 and 1.5 tons. For the first six months of their lives, calves will gain about 100 pounds a day. How do they do that? Calves will consume 50-100 gallons of milk per day. Humpback Whale milk is about 50% fat and has the consistency of cottage cheese (sounds gross huh?).
The reason Humpback Whales migrate to Alaska in the summer is to feed. The whales do not eat while they are in Hawaii. Hawaiian waters are so clear because they lack phytoplankton, the microscopic "plants" that krill and other bait fish feed on. During the 4-6 months the whales are in Hawaii they live off of their blubber layer and can lose up to 1/3 of their body weight.
I've had the opportunity to go out whale watching quite a few times while I have been here. We see a lot from shore, just driving back and forth from work, but of course I don't have pictures of those times. Below are the best of my whale watching photos.
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