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41 41 Most humpbacks that live in the waters of the North Pacific migrate to warm water areas to give birth to their young. This usually happens from November to April. Then, when spring arrives, they travel back to cool northern waters to feed and rebuild their supplies of blubber. But whales that live in the Antarctic region do exactly the opposite due to opposing seasons. From December to April, they feed in the Antarctic, then migrate north to areas near the equator from May to September. Some marine researchers believe humpbacks stay an average of just a few weeks in Hawaiian waters before migrating back to Alaska, but depending upon breeding circumstances, it can be longer. Recently impregnated females are likely to return north right away, but a female who has recently given birth will stick around, waiting until her calf is strong enough to make the remarkable journey back to their feeding grounds in colder waters. The long summer days in Alaska provide plenty of hours of sunshine for photosynthesis, which is why Alaskan waters are so green. Small schooling fish like herring and capelin depend on this plant life as their food source. An adult humpback whale can easily eat over 2,000 lbs. of these little guys in a single day. Because of Hawaii's location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the water is relatively nutrient free (which is why our waters are so clear and blue), and too warm to support enough of the humpback's food to sustain them year round. So, during their stay here, humpbacks are said to be "on a diet," living off their accumulated fat reserves, called blubber. Sometimes, when humpback whales migrate, they travel in groups called "pods", that are spaced fairly far apart. Since whales need to eat a lot every day, by scattering themselves they are more likely to find a suitable feeding place. While in Hawaii, humpbacks congregate mainly in two areas - around the four islands that make up Maui County, and near the Penguin Banks southwest from the west side of Molokai. But during the past ten years, researchers have also noticed more humpbacks around the other Hawaiian Islands and even into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The waters surrounding our beautiful Islands have become such an important humpback whale habitat that, in 1992, the U.S. Congress designated critical areas as the "Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary." MIGRATION KAYAK-MAUI.COM See all the Trips at Hawaiian Culture Ocean & Land Ecology Educational Guided Tours SNORKEL KAYAK PADDLE BOARD Responsible Eco-Tourism Plenty of Sea-life! We offer small group kayak snorkel tours and private paddle boarding for all ages and abilities that will lead you to some of the hidden jewels of Maui. Years of experience and 5 star customer service is what you get when you book a trip with Aloha Kayaks Maui! For Reservations & Information Call (808) 270-3318 Toll-free: (866) 308-9361 AlohaKayaksMaui.com P e r C o up l e S pe c i a l O ff e r SAVE $ 15 Photos by Marty Wolff