Ua hōʻike ʻia ka ʻike ʻana koholā humpback mua o Maui i kēia lā ma kahi o ʻelua mau mile nautika ma ke kahakai o Mala Wharf ma kahi o 12:45pm (Poalua, ʻOkakopa 14, 2014). Ua ʻike ʻia ke koholā e ka poʻe o ka Pacific Whale Foundation's Ocean Quest: Kāpena Ben Eisenstein lāua ʻo Carols Cardenas a me Marine Naturalists Mark Danielson lāua ʻo Christy Kozama, nāna i kāhea mai e hōʻike i ka ʻike ʻana a hāʻawi pū i ke kiʻi ma kēia ʻaoʻao (e hōʻike ana iā Mark me ke koholā. pololei pololei o ke kikowaena ma kahi mamao).

Aia ʻo Ocean Quest ma kahi Lanai Snorkel and Dolphin Watch ma waho o ke awa o Lahaina i kēlā manawa. Ua ʻike ʻo Kāpena Carlos i ka pipiʻi nui o ka wai a hele akula i laila. ʻO kekahi moku ʻē aʻe ma ia wahi, ʻo Queen's Treasure, ua hōʻoia ʻo ia he koholā humpback a ua hōʻike ʻia ua ʻike ʻia ka haki a me ka luʻu ʻana. Ua ʻike ʻo Ocean Quest i kahi "round-out" a i ʻole peduncle arch ma kahi mamao. “He keiki makahiki a i ʻole he keiki makua paha ke kohola humpback,” wahi a Kāpena Carlos.

"ʻAʻole hiki koke mai nā kohola humpback e neʻe nei," wahi a Greg Kaufman, ka mea hoʻokumu a me ka Luna Hoʻokele o ka Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF). “Hoʻomaka lākou e puka ma nā kapakai o Maui i ka hāʻule, me ka hoʻonui ʻana i ko lākou helu a hiki i Nowemapa a me Kekemapa."

ʻO ka hapa nui o nā ʻike mua o ke kau ma Maui i ʻOkakopa. I ka makahiki i hala aku nei, ua ʻike ʻia ke koholā humpback mua ma ka lā 5 ʻOkakopa e ka PWF's Ocean Voyager i ka wā o ka holo moku snorkel Molokini. Eia nā lā no ka ʻike mua ʻana:

'Okakopa 5, 2013
'Okakopa 15, 2012
'Okakopa 6, 2011

Holo nā koholā humpback i Hawaiʻi mai ko lākou wahi hānai kauwela mai Kaleponi ʻĀkau a i ke Kai Bering. Hele mai lākou i ka wai mehana a pāpaʻu o Maui e hoʻopā, hānau, a mālama i kā lākou mau keiki.

He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:

Captains Ben Eisenstein and Carols Cardenas and Marine Naturalists Mark Danielson and Christy Kozama, who called in to report the sighting and also provided the photo on this page (showing Mark with the whale just right of center in the distance).
Another vessel in the area, Queen’s Treasure, confirmed it to be a humpback whale and reported seeing a breach and fluke up dive.
Last year, the first humpback whale was spotted on October 5 by PWF’s Ocean Voyager during a Molokini snorkel cruise.