Any whales yet?

[ImaMichigander]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Calves can breach even more frequently than juveniles. They often jump on their mother's blow-hole as a means of getting attention, and sometimes the mother will pull the calf under the water as a way to get them to calm down.

There is an oft-shown video footage of a pilot whale that pulled Lisa Costello underwater 30' by grabbing her ankle. She naturally assumed that she would drown, but the whale "powered" her back to the surface and she was unharmed.


Animals Attack

It has been suggested that the whale was engaging in behavior that they would normally do to calm down annoying calves. Of course a whale has no way to judge how long a human can hold their breathe or how sensitive they are to two Atmosphere's of pressure. It is a cautionary tale against harassing marine mammals.

Thanks for the video and the info!

You might have noticed I am a Midwesterner, so snorkeling and whale watching was a pretty big treat for us! And when we snorkeled both at Molikini and again off Kona, my husband, young kids and I never felt unsafe. It was a blast and it was easy and we liked it!

But we just learned of a shark bite/attack yesterday that was a little too close to where we were for comfort. We asked about sharks in those waters near Molikini and Turtle Arches and were told there was "just a little reef shark and he was more afraid of us than we were of him." I have to admit, and I know it is reactionary, that I would think twice before snorkeling with my kids again... It is easy to think, because it is offered, it is safe. But what you really need to remember is that it is a big ocean and a lot of creatures and they can be just as curious about us as we are about them!

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by ImaMichigander

But we just learned of a shark bite/attack yesterday that was a little too close to where we were for comfort. We asked about sharks in those waters near Molikini and Turtle Arches and were told there was "just a little reef shark and he was more afraid of us than we were of him." I have to admit, and I know it is reactionary, that I would think twice before snorkeling with my kids again... It is easy to think, because it is offered, it is safe. But what you really need to remember is that it is a big ocean and a lot of creatures and they can be just as curious about us as we are about them!

Actually most bites are from the little benign species of sharks, because people tend to poke them thinking they are just a sand or a reef shark. You can't poke a wild animal.

While attacks by larger sharks are possible they are unbelievably rare. It's the same thing with bears. You can teach your children to remain calm when confronted by a wild animal, and not to trigger some primal instincts.

I had a friend tell me he remained virtually still in Namibia when being charged by a female lion. It is difficult, but they have no instincts with stationary prey. The attacker veers off.

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

On the news last night. There is an enormous congregation of whales (probably grays) off the California coast. They are way out of position for the time of year, but there is some sort of "bloom" of sardines and the whales, dolphins and seals are feasting. The water is solid with them. It's really amazing to see.

The Orcas are also there feasting on the seals.

If the Hawaiian whales are late, they might have discovered one of those massive sardine over-populations somewhere along their route, and they won't move on until the food is gone.

There have been a number of articles about this and they're Humpbacks
Whales put on show off California coast - SFGate