MEDIA RELEASE (Hawaii 24/7, 20 Jan. 2012)

The non-profit Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC) is pleased to announce the release of a glossy, full-color art poster of humpback whale tail fluke photographs. The poster illustrates the beauty of humpback whale flukes and how scientists use them to study whales. Like human fingerprints, the shape, color, and markings on the tail flukes of humpback whales are unique to each whale. The poster shows 56 photographs of 53 different whales with a built-in “fluke matching” quiz to identify three whales that appear twice in the photos. The answers can be found at the HMMC website: www.hmmc.org

Sightings of individually identified whales over the years help scientists to describe their social behavior, migrations, and life histories. The website shows information about the sighting history of each whale and links to pages about whale biology and behavior. All photographs were taken under a NOAA Fisheries Scientific Research Permit.

Copies of the poster are available at select locations on Hawai’i Island, including Hawai’i Ocean Sports and The Gallery at Bamboo Restaurant in Hawi. It is also available by mail through the HMMC website. The purchase of the poster is tax deductible, and proceeds will directly support HMMC’s whale and dolphin research in Hawai’i.

The HMMC is a Waimea-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003 by four biologists who first met while conducting whale research for the University of Hawai’i on the Big Island in the early 1990′s. Local residents may have noticed this group at their hillside whale observation site off Akoni Pule Highway just north of Kawaihae and from their vessel-based work each winter out of Kawaihae Harbor. The HMMC also assists with whale disentanglement efforts led by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The group focuses on marine mammal conservation, research and education and has a science advisory group from top universities around the U.S. and abroad. The HMMC hosts education programs for classes of high school and college students from Hawai’i and the mainland, including an annual week-long class on whale bioacoustics for Cornell University students and a collaboration with faculty at the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka and the University of Hawai’i Hilo to connect students from Hawai’i and Alaska. For more information about HMMC scientists, research, education programs and scientific papers, visit www.hmmc.org or email info@hmmc.org

Will you be in the Islands during peak whale season? If so, consider taking part in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s Ocean Count.

Both Hawaii residents and visitors are invited to take part in the whale-watching volunteer project slated for 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on three Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 31 on the shores of Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island.

The annual count, which started in 2002, relies on volunteer help to estimate whale population and distribution figures in the sanctuary. The census, organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, doesn’t yield scientifically accurate results, but it does supplement scientific information. For registration details, click here.

Click Here to Count Humpback Whales in Kauai

Call Na Pali Riders Raft Tours 808-742-6331

A video we put together on the best video clips of the Humpback whales. And this is last season! Folks, the whales are even more playful this year if you can believe it! Watch the video below and feel the excitement in everyone’ voices!

Book a tour by calling 808-742-6331, or book online now.

From Dec – May, the Humpback whales visit Kauai to mate and give birth to their young. Record numbers of whales are in Kauai this year, making it easy to have an absolutely amazing whale watching tour on any given day. Check out this whale waving its tail in the air, and actually slapping it down on the surface of the ocean. This is a common whale behavior seen in the Humpbacks.

Na Pali Riders has developed a whale watching guide to help viewers identify the many whale behaviors that will be witnessed during a whale watching tour on the raft.

Call 808-742-6331 to book or tour, or reserve online.

The first whales were spotted today! In the distance we saw whale tails and puffs of water from blowholes.

Here’s some gorgeous photos of the dolphins and fish we saw today. Aloha!

Kauai dolphins swimming with the raft

Snorkeling Kauai's waters with tropical fish

Did you know that the Lonely Planet rates us #1 for Kauai raft tours of Na Pali Coast? http://www.napaliriders.com

We not only tour Na Pali Coast, we provide a very educational narrative along the way by our knowledgeable captain and crew. We take amazing photos and video clips that you have the option to purchase after the tour.

Our Kauai seacaves tours have been making it into some incredible areas on Na Pali Coast. The scenery feels unreal, just take a look at these photos. By the way, all tours to Na Pali Coast include exploring seacaves. We have great ability to do this in the summer months when the winter surf is gone. But we always err on the side of safety so if it looks unsafe we will not enter.

Taking a glance back at the Open Ceiling Cave

A waterfall streams down through a surface ceiling hole in the Double Door Sea Cave

On our way out of the Double Door Cave, with the waterfall coming up on the left

Memorial Day Weekend

Kauai Raft Tours Summer Season Starts Now

Kauai Raft Tours Have Amazing Ocean Views

Take a look at our website for latest information Na Pali Riders Raft Tours

Some cool videos are now posted on a YouTube channel YouTube

Seeing Dolphins in the Wild is a Fantastic Thing to Do in Kauai

The Na Pali Coast translated means “Cliffs” literally, and you can see why…



Kauai Snorkeling Tours take you past spooky sea caves like this one, the Open Ceiling Cave, a favorite for boat captains. This is actually a hollowed-out lava tube, when you get inside by boat tour, you look up and the sky is shining right down on you.