Catamaran gets a whale 'bump'
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
When humpback whales casually swim around a boat full of tourists, it's often called "a mugging," even though the huge mammals never touch the boat.
But on March 15, a catamaran full of tourists off the southern coast of Maui got "a bumping." Their vessel was accidentally lifted several inches out of the water by an adult male humpback, something marine biologists are seeing more of every year.
No one was hurt, the 65-foot catamaran Ocean Spirit was unaffected and the whale swam off without damaging anything more than its pride.
Federal protection laws require moving boats to stay 100 yards from humpback whales but it's all right if the whales approach the boats, which happened in this case. They often cut their engines and watch, said Anne Rillero, a spokeswoman for Pacific Whale Foundation, owner of Ocean Spirit.
In this case, four male humpbacks were escorting a mother and her calf when the catamaran spotted them.
"When males get together around a mother and a calf, there is a lot of pushing and shoving to get near the female," Rillero said. "During this time, one of the escorts bumped into the boat."
Ocean Spirit was lifted only 6 to 8 inches by the 40-foot whale, she said.
Rillero did not know the time of the incident but said Ocean Spirit had left Ma'alea Harbor about 8 a.m.
She likened the bump to a bunch of rowdy boys at a party.
"You can imagine it in human terms — if there is a group of guys pushing and shoving they might not notice the lamp on the table behind them," she said. "This is a similar situation."
Rillero said the foundation's research boats, which are allowed closer to the whales, have been bumped my humpback whales. But she could not recall a tourist vessel getting similar treatment.
John Naughton, Pacific Islands coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said whales off Maui have grown accustomed to boats in the area, so they generally do not avoid them.
Accidental contact is being seen more often, he said.
"They are just getting used to boats being around and realize they are not in any danger," Naughton said. "The whales will swim right up to the whale-watching boats."
The whales do not pose a threat to the boats, he said.
Reach Mike Gordon at 525-8012 or mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: Research vessels owned by Pacific Whale Foundation and operated in Australia have been bumped by humpback whales but not on a daily basis. Information in a previous version of this story was incorrect.
