Navatek I docked at Pier 6, Aloha Tower Marketplace
Before departing for Hawaii, I was unsure what we were going to do on the 25th of December because almost all establishments were closed for Christmas. Luckily, we found this whale watch cruise that goes around Waikiki in search of migrating North Pacific humpback whales.
A humpback whale going for a dive
Since it was just the start of the season, we were lucky enough to see two whales. However, it was hard taking a photo of the whale when you’re not alert. Sadly, this shot was the best I could get of the humpback whale.
A humpback whale blow
The naturalist on board mentioned as we left the docks that the humpback whales don’t always breach or come up the water very long. They usually just take a deep breath which can be seen as a huge white smoke above the water. After that, the whales can go down for a dive that usually takes 10-20 minutes. But it still depends on the whales.
A spinner dolphin
After waiting for more than 20 minutes for the whale to resurface, the captain of the Navatek I decided to keep going and maybe we’ll find more whales. Instead, we were given a different surprise – a pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins!
A spinner dolphin swimming with its belly up
This was a really sweet Christmas present. A pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins swam close to the Navatek I and they did a lot of acrobatic stunts for the young and old aboard the ship.
Hawaiian spinner dolphins - a mother and child
What really made my day was seeing these two dolphins together. A mother and a child swimming together, they take breaths together and dive together. It was just amazing seeing these dolphins out in the free waters and not in a park, trained and confined in small tanks.
More dolphins than whales
The cruise was supposed to be for whale watching but we saw more dolphins than whales. It was explained that the whales were just starting to migrate from the cold Alaskan waters down to the warm waters of the Pacific near Hawaii so there weren’t much of them yet. The whales were still getting acquainted with the Hawaiian waters and they were still searching for other whale pods that might have come early to the Hawaiian waters.
Top observation deck of the Navatek I
I’d recommend joining a whale watch cruise like this one offered by the Atlantis Adventures somewhere mid-season. There’ll probably be more whales rather than the beginning of the season and it would be a great experience for children and adults alike. Seeing animals roam freely in their natural habitat has a whole different feeling from watching shows in parks where trainers and trained animals perform.
However, if you’re not used to riding a boat or a ship, I’d advise you take some anti-seasickness medicine with you to avoid getting seasick during the whole trip. Stay out where you can get some fresh air and don’t stare at the water right below you. After a while out on the deck, you’ll get used to it.
