Another day to explore the Na Pali and the weather, wind and seas are again on our side. On the way up we spot spinner dolphins and they seem to be playful but distracted. They are distracted because they are having fun watching the whales and playing with them! They jump and do spins and travel side by side with the whales. We hung with them for quite awhile as the action didn’t seem to quit. We finally went off in search of more whales and sure enough we found them. A female flapping her pectoral fin signaling in several males. A huge whale breached off the back of the boat and everyone was in disbelief at how high it got out of the water.
What started out to be a unbelievably beautiful day on Kauai, was about to become even more beautiful from the experience we were about to have. The weather was perfect, the seas calm and the wind, highly favorable. The Napali Coast was as gorgeous as ever, with great lighting and an almost cloudless day. The whales are really getting active and the females are definitely ready for some action as the pectoral fin slapping and congregating males are abundant in many different areas. We watched several mating rituals and then to end what was to be a perfect trip, a male in the calm, clear, and blue waters off of barking sands breached 3 times for us.
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A beautiful day but definitely chilly as the temperature was down in the low 60s. The sun was coming up and it promised to be a great day. Going out we didn’t see any whales, so headed out quickly to the Napali Coast. The lighting was spectacular and the swell was down so we were able to get up close and personal with the Napali. On or return we encountered several whales and I was able to capture a dual breach as one whale breached in the foreground while another whale breached behind. We had several other encounters, the most powerful one was where four whales went directly under the boat and surfaced off the side of the boat.
Approaching the long stretch of beach found at Poli Hale we spotted a spout from what appeared to be an enormous whale. We went out to investigate and found it to be a mother and new born calf. The calf looked almost brand new. We figured that she must be only a few hours old as the mother seemed exhausted as if she had just endured childbirth. We got some great photos of the calf! We continued on to the South Shore and went snorkeling at Kipu Kai.
On our way back to the harbor we came across several whales traversing the coast and a mother and baby very close to shore at Miloli’i. We encountered a female and a couple of males courting her.
This time of year the south shore is stunning and the water is really crystal clear in the snorkel spots. The snorkeling was excellent today. We were able to have an encounter with Humpback whales and everyone on the boat was thrilled to see their show. There were seven whales that we counted from the surface.
Off we go again towards the North Shore and the Na Pali Coast. Upon return from our day trip to Na Pali, we come across a mother Humpback and her calf, which we figure is probably only two to three weeks old. He is a lively little guy and soon he breaches the surface, frolicking and having a great time.
Today we took towards Na Pali, and as soon as we got out of the harbor we could tell that the forecast for high surf for the north shore was making its way towards Kikiaola Harbor. We got to Rifle range and made the decision to go to the south shore as the waves were topping 20ft and the seas were rough. The weather was beautiful but definitely had a chill to it that we are not quite use to. About a half mile from Mahaulepu Beach we spotted Bottlenose dolphins which usually means there are whales in the vicinity, and sure enough whales appeared. We then moved on to Kipu Kai to snorkel in crystal clear, turquoise blue water.
