Sunday, March 7, 2010

Hawaiian humpback whale boundaries?

If you didn't know, the humpback whales are here in Maui right now.  The peak season occurs during the months of January, February, and March.  As we take tourists out snorkeling, we inevitably stop to watch the whales breathe, breach, and slap.  We, as boat operators, have always been told to stay at least 100 yards away from whales at all times.  However, while reading the Maui Weekly, I found an article on the established Pacific Humpback Whale Sanctuary and the sanctuary boundaries.  The protected area seems quite small and does not cover the entire Hawaiian Island chain as I assumed.

So does this mean we can motor outside of the boundaries and then snorkel with humpback whales?

http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/




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