Early isle arrival for humpback
LAHAINA – A young humpback whale approached a snorkel tour boat off Lanai Wednesday afternoon as if to substantiate the single sighting reported by crew member SeanPaul Keanini on Tuesday.
Capt. David Larson of Safari Boat Excursions said the crew of the Lanakila first sighted a whale spout about two miles away as the vessel was on the southwest side of Lanai.Turning toward the spout, he said, he realized a whale was in the area and he cut power.
"It was a young adult male, about 35 feet long. We stopped and waited, and he came up about 200 yards away, dove and came up again.
"We were there about about 45 minutes. He’d go down about 12 minutes and come back up," Larson said.
He said the whale appeared to be healthy and fat, and was accompanied by the pod of spinner dolphins that congregate around Lanai.
