Hula Planet:What To Do In Hawaii

First Reported 2011 Humpback Whale Sighting

Per StarAdvertiser report issued yesterday, the first humpback whale sighting of this season was on Monday, September 26th of the coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. Sea Quest tour captain Tony Roensch witnessed Monday two tail slaps from a humpback whale yearling in Honaunau Bay, the first confirmed whale sighting in the sanctuary this season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. September 26th is rather early. Usually the first sightings are in mid-October. I believe this early arrival helps prove my theory that some whales don’t have calendars. This year’s winner of our annual contest to predict the first whale arrival is Robin A. Kelley with a guess of September 19. Congratulations to Robin! © Go Visit Hawaii – Republication of this entire post is prohibited without prior permission. Using extracts of less than 100 words are permitted with full attribution and link back to GoVisitHawaii.com .

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Aloha Friday Photo: Lana’i Dolphins

Today’s excellent Aloha Friday Photo comes to us from Lana’i resident and Four Seasons Lanai General Manager, Tom Roelens. What a great action shot of two playful dolphins zipping through Lana’i’s bright blue water! This dolphin photo reminds us that while humpback whale season may only last from December to April, you’ll see dolphins year round in Hawaii. By the way, if swimming with dolphins is something you’d like to do, when you visit Lanai’s Hulopoe Bay , you have a great chance of seeing and swimming with spinner dolphins. They visit the bay almost every day and usually more than once! I believe these are the first photos our Aloha Friday Photo Series from Lanai. Mahalo to Tom Roelens for sharing his Lanai photo with us! We’re on facebook! Please click here to join us. © Go Visit Hawaii – Republication of this entire post is prohibited without prior permission. Using extracts of less than 100 words are permitted with full attribution and link back to GoVisitHawaii.com .

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Humpbacks are Back in Hawaii

Humpback whale making a splash off Hawaii's Kawaihae Harbor On October 20th, the StarAdvertiser reported the first humpback whale sighting of the season. Megan Haertling, spokeswoman for the Pacific Whale Foundation, said that Capt. Chris Howard, skipper of the catamaran Alii Nui, reported seeing a single young male whale at 9:35 a.m. This “single young male whale” was spotted about 2.3 miles off the west coast of Maui. I bet he’s waiting for the “single young females” to swim on over. If you’re going to Hawaii between now and May, keep your eyes peeled for humpbacks — especially if you’re going on a sailing excursion. Even though I’m almost 5,000 miles away from Hawaii, I am thrilled to hear the humpbacks are back in Hawaii. Whale watching is one of my favorite things to do when I visit the islands of Aloha. As you may recall, we had a little whale arrival prediction contest . . The winner predicted the arrival with uncanny accuracy. On October 1st, Jerry Sullivan said, “[T]he whales will show up off of Maui at 8:26 am October 20th, 2010”. Jerry’s prediction was only 69 minutes early. Wowza! Congratulations, Jerry. © Go Visit Hawaii – Republication of this entire post is prohibited without prior permission. Using extracts of less than 100 words are permitted with full attribution and link back to GoVisitHawaii.com .

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Air travel smooth, smoking down, whale finally freed, First Family vacations, unions drag feet, more news

Despite increased security at airports following two scares in Detroit, many passengers arriving in Honolulu Sunday said they did not experience any unusual travel delays. The quarantine station at Honolulu Airport is seeing a lot of international passengers arriving with swine flu but no illnesses requiring quarantine or isolation, say Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials. A series of tobacco tax hikes are helping to curtail local sales of cigarettes and cigars. Businesses in Kailua said they have seen a surge in customer traffic since the first family arrived for the holidays. It seems the teachers union, along with blue-collar workers, are dragging their feet in hopes that they can make it to the finish line called the legislative session and make their case before lawmakers that they should not have to take a hit. A whale entangled in fishing gear off of Maui was freed on Christmas Day by rescuers led by the Hawaiian Islands Entanglement Response Team. Whale expert Ed Lyman of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said he believed the team freed the whale of most or all of the material it was dragging, which included an anchor; but that he could not be sure because he didn't get a chance to look under the animal before it swam away. The Christmas shopping season was a mixed bag for Hilo merchants, some of whom did strong sales, while others are hoping for better business in 2010. As the number of homes in foreclosure grows larger and larger, so do the problems caused by an increasing number of homes sitting vacant, ownerless and uncared for in neighborhoods around Maui. Living in a grass hut, tepee or igloo may not be ideal for most people, but these structures provide the fundamental concepts of sustainable living that have been around “a lot longer than we have,” said architect and sustainability consultant Peter Arsenault.

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