Hawaii

Archive for the ‘whale watching’ Category

http://live.pirillo.com/ – You had to be there.

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Technorati Tags: aquatic, crusie, Hawaii, ocean, pacific, pacificocean, review, trip, vacation, watching, whale, whales, whalewatching, wildlife

My family (the youngest is 12) is traveling to Oahu, Hawaii from March 15, 2007 thru March 22, 2007. There are so many choices of tours groups from catamarans to cruise type ships. What is a good choice in a tour group?

If you’re looking to go whale watching, I would suggest you stick with the catamaran type tours or even the smaller "big" boats. You’ll have a better chance of seeing the whales if you’re in a smaller boat. As far as actually seeing whales, any company that guarantees you see a whale is a good one since if you don’t see a whale, you get to come back on another day free of charge.

Good luck, happy travels, and happy whale "hunting"!

We are planning a trip to Newfoundland this fall. Will we see any whales.

You may see some. It depends on whether the fish they feed on are still around. There were still whales last week. You can actually see whales around NL almost any time, but summer is best.

VICTORIA – A prominent Victoria Zoologist says killer whales are intelligent, thinking beings who live with families.
Anna Hall says it isn’t possible to provide the massive orcas with an adequate habitat in captivity.

Hall has been part of the whale watching industry since 1995 and says it is dangerous to swim with any killer whale especially in a confined space.

She believes there are far better ways to educate people about killer whales than keeping them in captivity.

But she also acknowledges the value of SeaWorld and similar operations which she says have helped change the social perspective of killer whales.

Last week a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando was killed by Tilikum, a 5400 kilogram orca.

The whale was also involved in the deaths of two other people including a trainer at the former Sealand of the Pacific in Oak Bay.

A memorial service was held Monday in Chicago for Dawn Brancheau, the trainer who was killed in Florida.

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Technorati Tags: /A, Captivity, Erick, Island, killer, news, SeaLand, SeaWorld, Thompson, vancouver, Victoria, whale, Zoologist

I will be visiting Seattle-Victoria-Vancouver in September and was wondering if anyone could recommend the best company to go through for whale watching? Would ideally like to avoid taking another ferry to San Juan Islands, so perhaps leaving from Victoria or north of Seattle?

I would go from Victoria, only because I know the company Eaglewing is amazing. They have the fastest boats and give a great tour of not just whales but will also include sea lions, eagles etc.. My boyfriend works in a hotel and gets the best feedback about them. I would avoid the whale watching company called "Prince of Whales" the hotel workers consider them the McDonald’s of whale watching. They take you there and bring you back, end of story.

Have fun.

My dad was all like i’m super cool and i’m going to surprise my daughters and took us whale watching.

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Technorati Tags: boat, boring, day, rain, superman, video, watching, water, whales

I am trying to decide whether to use the commercial company Boston Harbor Cruises or to use the New England Aquarium whale watching tour. Anyone who has gone that has advice would be greatly appreciated.

I used to work on the Aquarium boats for six straight summers. I have done more Whale watches than I can count.

There is NO particular time that is better to visit the feeding grounds. The season is April to October. Depending on what time of year you visit will determine what types of whales you will see. As they migrate from the south, they come in pods. Certain species come first and others troll behind. On either company you are gauranteed to see "a" whale. What they don’t tell you is the types of whales-as like I have said it depends on the time of year.

This early in the season you will most likely see tons of Mikies, some Fin backs and seals and dolphins. It’s in my personal experience that the middle to the later portion of the season is when you see mostly humpbacks with a few minkies here and there. I would say the time frame is about June-September for them.

Like I said before there is no particular time of day that is best. Times don’t matter to whales….what matters is the food supply. In my own experience, I have seen more "active" open mouth feeding, breeching days after a storm. As that is when the ocean’s floor has been interupted and brings the plankton closer to the service. But bare in mind when you do go days before or after a storm the seas are rougher than usual. You can be prepared to possibly see 3-5ft seas. If you tend to get motion sick those days are not for you.

Now, I am not saying only to go during rough weather. You can see many other activities during the nicer weather. If you are bringing kids that is the best time to go.

As for planning ahead…..PLEASE don’t eat hotdogs or fast food prior to your departure. Too many people become sick and end up having a miserable time. Eat a decent lunch that is well rounded and balanced.

Choosing a company: I am partial to the Aquarium for a few reasons: they do not crowd the animals, they give them there natural space and NEVER get with in the limits that are mandated by law. Your safety is number one and is never compramised even if you have to be back for another trip. They will give you the 45minutes of "whale" time that you pay for with out question. Each and every naturalist on board is a trained Naturalist and gives you the correct information. You can find other activities on board, as well as examples of whale body parts, maps, and a staff that will answer any and all questions. Too, all of the outside programs that are part of the Aquarium also support research and funding for the Aquarium.

There are many companies out there just in the Boston area alone. The one and only company that I would never set foot on personally would be Boston Harbor Cruises…no matter what boat it was-Harbor Cruise or Whale Watch. They have had several mishaps and have compramised staff and patrons too many times for me to count.

I might be going there in six months to them but I’ve never done whale watching before. What is whale watching like? Have any of you been to Long Beach doing Whale Watching there? How close to you get to the whales? Please don’t send links. I want hear from your own experience.

whales can come up to the boat or not as they desire. boat is not allowed to get w/in certain distance but you can see the whales because they are so large.

very nice when you can find the whales, sometimes you don’t…off of orcas island near vancouver there is a pod of killer whales that live in the area yr round so good chances of seeing them. santa barbara/long beach/san diego is hit or miss…

Whale watching w/ Dr. Jonathan Opey on the Alala from Kona, HI accompanied by Teare, Dustin & Al.

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Technorati Tags: 2010, Feb, Jonathan, watching, whale, with

I will be in Seattle, WA on April 12-13 with my wife and would like to visit the San Juan islands near Seattle.

Please can you recommend –
1) which is the best island (San juan, lopez or orcas) for whale watching;
2) How can I find good whale watching boat services?;
3) which island has the best beach

Any help is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

They’re all great and wonderful, but personally I think Orcas is the most beautiful and has some excellent whale watching opportunities.

www.orcasislandwhales.com
www.thesanjuans.com

good luck and happy travels!