My favorite part of a Maui vacation is whale watching. From December to April thousands of humpback whales make their way from the cold waters of Alaska to the warm waters of Maui. During the summer months the whales will gorge themselves on schools of krill and small fish, and when the Alaskan waters become too cold, they begin their 6-8 week journey to Maui. For expectant mothers the migration is more about survival than comfort since the newborn calves haven't had the chance to store large amounts of fat, they would likely freeze in the cold waters of Alaska. The warm waters of Maui are the perfect place to mate and give birth.
Interesting to know that humpback will go the entire time they spend in Maui - up to 4 months - without eating anything at all. Consequently the adult whales will lose up to 1/3 of their body weight during their winter vacation. The babies nurse and gain from 7 - 10 pounds a hour drinking the milk which is 40% fat!
Interesting to know that humpback will go the entire time they spend in Maui - up to 4 months - without eating anything at all. Consequently the adult whales will lose up to 1/3 of their body weight during their winter vacation. The babies nurse and gain from 7 - 10 pounds a hour drinking the milk which is 40% fat!
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| The whales are often friendly and come close to the whale watching boats. |
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| This year we saw lots of whales and lots of breaches. |
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| Scientists don't know why whales breach but there are a lot of theories floating around. Some think they are using the force of the impact to get barnacles off their skins or perhaps they are working on their tail muscles for the long journey back to Alaska. The most accepted answer that everyone can agree on is simply because they can. |
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| Watching one of these 20 - 50 ton animals leap out of the water is thrilling! I don't know why they do it but I am sure glad they do! |
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| Another common whale behavior is called 'pec slapping'. This is when the Humpback is swimming in a very relaxed state on the surface of the water lifting and dropping its massive pectoral fins into the water on one side or the other. These fins can be up to 15 feet in length and weigh up to 1/3 of the whale's body weight so they make some mighty splashes. |
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| Pec slapping is believed to be a means of communication letting other whales know that a particular whale is in the area. |
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| It does resemble waving! |
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| If I had a few million dollars I'd buy one of the houses on the beach and spend all my time whale watching from my deck! |
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