With as many as 10,000 humpback whales in Hawaiian waters during the winter breeding season, collisions between whales and boats occur sporadically. But three collisions within 24 hours--two off Maui and one off Kona on the Big Island--is an alarming number.
Hawaii News Now reports that a calf was struck off the Maui port of Lahaina on Tuesday evening. NOAA was alerted after blood was spotted in the water.
On Wednesay morning a boat struck a larger humpback, leaving it with three gash wounds. It's not clear whether either if these incidents involved a commercial tour boat, or a private vessel.
The Kona incident was unique in that a whale surfaced and revealed its fluke, flipping a 20-foot single-outrigger kayak. The man in the kayak, who was not seriously injured, was rescued by the crew of a nearby tour boat.
Boaters throughout island waters are asked to exercise extreme caution during the whale season, and to call 888-256-9840 if they spot marine mammals in distress.
--Image posted above is generic. Video posted below shows interaction between a humpback whale and tour boat off Kona in mid-July
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