Whale watching is a popular tourist activity, whether in Alaska or Hawaii.
Talk about snowbirds!
Every year, around November, humpback whales leave their Alaskan home waters and travel south to Hawaii. The adults don't eat for the duration of their stay in Hawaiian waters. They fill up on good stuff like krill, small fish, and crustaceans before they begin their journey from the Gulf of Alaska. Their 3000 mile journey can take anywhere from 36 days to 6 weeks.
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| https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/19095/20160104/ humpback-whales-make-slow-migration-hawaii-season.htm |
Arriving in Hawaii, they concentrate on mating and giving birth, fasting and relying on stored energy. Their newly born calves are the only ones who "Eat Hawaiian."
One year I participated in a whale count of migrating whales off Magic Island in Honolulu, the project coordinated around the islands by the Pacific Whale Foundation and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
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| Ala Moana Beach Park Magic Island in background |
By April or May, the whales are ready to take the show back on the road (or, I should say, ocean) and head north to Alaska. Once, when I cruised the waters around Anchorage in May, I looked for whales I might have spotted earlier in Honolulu but didn't recognize any of them. Once resettled in their Alaskan home waters, they probably fatten up quickly!
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| Actually, I saw lots of snow, but no whales! |
My sister made sure our Hawaiian Islands cruise was set during the whale watching season 2020, but then the cruise was cancelled (postponed?) and I settled for editing and publishing my latest novel, Island Cruise Homicide, which admittedly is more cruise than homicide but a nice window into the Hawaiian Islands. As the saying goes, "Lucky we live Hawaii."
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