First sightings over weekend By Rachel Gehrlein – THE GARDEN ISLAND The first whale broke through the water close to a boat sailing off Po‘ipu Sunday. Thirty seconds later, another whale breached a little farther from the first. For Capt.
First sightings over weekend
By Rachel Gehrlein – THE GARDEN ISLAND
The first whale broke through the water close to a boat sailing off Po‘ipu Sunday. Thirty seconds later, another whale breached a little farther from the first.
For Capt. Quintin Leong of Captain Andy’s Sailing Adventures, the double encounter was quite an unexpected shock.
“We did a safety briefing and I mentioned it was whale season, but pretty early in the season,” Leong said. “Everyone was so excited. No one expected it.”
Although there are instances where the whale or whales may come close to the boat unexpectedly, there are precautions and regulations boaters should follow.
“These apply not just to commercial tour operators,” said Jean Souza, Kaua‘i program coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. “It’s for everyone that uses the water during whale season.”
This includes fishermen, kayakers, jet skiers and basically anyone who goes in the water, according to Souza.
Along with two boater’s workshops held last week in Waimea and Lihu‘e, Souza is trying to get the word out about boating safety during whale season.
“It’s time for boaters to be more aware on how they operate,” Souza said. “It’s possible to do both, whale watch and operate a boat safely.”
With as many as 10,000 humpback whales expected in Hawaiian waters this November through May, boating safety is not only important for the whales, but to boat operators and passengers as well. The following are guidelines for boaters and boat-based whale watching:
• Keep a sharp lookout. Vessel operators should look for “blows” (puffs of mist), dorsal fins and tails. There should also be a dedicated whale lookout onboard from November through May.
• Watch your speed. Research has shown that collisions occurring at vessel speeds above 10 knots cause more whale deaths and injuries than collisions at slower speeds.
• Keep your distance. Federal regulations prohibit anyone from approaching closer than 100 yards.
• Stop immediately. If within 100 yards of the whale, leave engines running, in neutral, until the whale moves away.
• Don’t assume whales will see you or will get out of the way. Calves are the most vulnerable, as they are curious and have not learned to be cautious of vessels.
• When viewing the whale from the side, remain parallel and stay at least 100 yards away.
• Do not approach the whale head on, cut a whale off from deep water, run in front of, or cut across a whale’s path, surround a whale, place your vessel between a mother and her calf or leapfrog/overtake a whale.
• Limit observation time to 1/2 hour or less.
• Be sure to bring along binoculars to ensure good views.
• If other vessels are in the area, communicate to other vessel operators to ensure no disturbance is caused to the whale.
Report whale harassment or disturbances by calling the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement 24 hour hotline at 800-853-1964. Report injured, entangled and stranded whales or vessel-whale collisions by calling the NOAA Fisheries Service 24-hour hotline at 888-256-9840.
For more information, or
for a brochure on boating safety during whale season, call 246-2860.
• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.
