Photo by DERON VERBECK
Photo by DERON VERBECK
West Hawaii’s first reported humpback whale of the season swims in the waters off Kaiwi Point on Thursday. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary says Thursday’s sighting may be the earliest documented in recent history. The sanctuary says tour companies Atlantis Submarines, Captain Zodiac, Kona Diving Co. and Wild Hawaii Ocean Adventures saw an adult humpback whale surfacing off Honokohau Harbor. As many as 12,000 of the whales come to Hawaii from waters off Alaska and other northern areas to breed and calve each winter. The first whales are generally sighted in early October and the season lasts from November through May. Federal regulations prohibit approaching within 100 yards of whales when on the water and 1,000 feet when operating an aircraft.