Whale Watch
Gemini        February 20, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gemini, 64-foot catamaran, takes 49 passengers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blows shoot water 10 feet into the air when the whales exhale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When whales surface to breath, we most often see only a portion of their backs,
but an entire adult humpback whale is about 50 feet long and weighs 44 tons.
A group of whales, like these three, is called a pod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whales sometimes approach the whale-watch boat,
but boats are not allowed to approach close to the whales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heads occasionally come up to look around.
Humpback whales have baleen, not teeth.
They do not eat while around Hawaii in the winter, but go to Alaska to eat in the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The average pectoral (side) fin is about 16 feet long

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tail and pectoral fin (whale tilted on its side)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tail fluke of an adult humpback is about 15 feet wide.
Fluke markings are unique, like fingerprints, and are used to identify specific whales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The West Maui Mountains as seen from the whale watch boat

 

 

Maui Vacations - Jon's Maui Info

 

 

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Copyright © 1998-2009  Jon Blum.  All rights reserved.