The saga of the Pygmy Whales my brother spotted of the coast of Kihei several weeks back continued and has seemingly come to a fatal end.
One of the whales in the pod of 5 was recently euthanized as it stranded on McGregor’s Beach. Bystanders pushed the whale back into the water, but it didn’t recover. After having been transported back to the NOAA whale sanctuary in Kihei, it was given a Hawaiian prayer ceremony and was put to death. A CAT scan confirmed that the whale had severe pneumonia and was basically just a very old male.
KITV4 one of the island TV Stations reported about this. Read the entire article on the Maui Pygmy Killer whales here.
What has really excited marine mammal scientists is that this Maui sighting has shed light on the otherwise elusive and unstudied Pygmy whales. What this incident showed is that the pod will stick with a distressed or diseased member, even to the point of venturing far from their comfort zone of deep open ocean waters.
In a way, it mimics human behavior. As family (and extended family when you marry your sweetheart) we will stay with an ailing member, often to the very last breath. That’s what these Pygmy whales did, up until the final moments when he beached himself at McGregors.
E hoÊ»omaha me ka maluhia (rest in peace) old Pygmy Killer Whale visitor. We’ll miss seeing you around.
You start getting the idea that we here at Live Maui Webcasts and Video are quite adventurous folk! A few days ago, one of our producers, Thomas, went out for an early morning (6:30AM!) standup paddle in North Kihei.
When he got back home, he was so excited, it prompted me to ask, “what’s up? Why the excitement?” I mean, last week he encountered and swam with a pod of spinner dolphins, the day before he SUP-ed with a bunch of turtles, so what was it going to be this time?
“I have no idea what I saw out there today, but they must have been some kind of melon head whales or something! I was right next to them! A little freaky, but so amazing at the same time!”
He did some frantic research the next few days and just today, lo and behold came across this article in the Honolulu Adviser.
Advertiser Staff
KIHEI, Maui — Members of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network were standing by at Mai Poina Oe Iau Beach Park today to keep an eye on a pod of seven or so pygmy killer whales that was lingering unusually close to shore.
That just goes to show you, when you decide to have your wedding or honeymoon on Maui, you never really know what magical things you might encounter! Imagine spotting a mammal that scientists have never really been able to study because of their remote nature! Of course, we hope they are not distressed and will find their way back to deeper waters.
That’s Maui for you. Whether it’s discovering the perfect Mai Tai, learning about Hawaiian Culture at a Luau or exploring this one of a kind ecosystem, you’ll find something that will change your life forever! We look forward to seeing you here!
Stephan is known as the “Live Webcast Guy on Maui†and is the author of “59 Maui Wedding Secrets Revealed: The Essential Guide to Planning Your Perfect Maui Wedding.†Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information on live webcasts in Hawaii. Go to http://LiveMauiWebcasts.com
Live Maui Webcasts is not only involved in Maui weddings and webcasting for thousands of brides and groom, but we’re also involved in the community and we love to be in the thick of all kinds of things.
Here’s a video highlighting Olympic Gold Medal skier Julia Mancuso taking part in the 2008 Maui International Paddleboard Championships.
Well, if you’re thinking about coming to Maui, then you should know that this is the premiere windsurfing spot in the world. You may have heard of “Hookipa” or the “north shore of Maui” and yes, it is windy enough to windsurf there for probably around 300 days a year if not more.
The north shore has conditions fit for every skill level, from first-timers to the expert. Beginners typically will go out at Kanaha Beach Park at the very last parking lot, because of the more sheltered conditions in the bay. Most all of the windsurf schools will start you off there.
Interestingly enough, just outside of the Kanaha beginners spot is Spartan reef, otherwise known as “Uppers.” In the autumn, winter and spring seasons, this spot (along with “lowers” which is just down wind) can have some amazing waves, especially when the rest of the coast towards Hookipa is “closed out” (that means, basically unridable).
This video was taken by my friend Sven on a nice day out at Spartans. You can see him doing forward loops and jumping all over the place. On the very last shot, however, he breaks his mast, and you’ll hear him voice his displeasure (if you understand German, you’ll know what he’s saying).
The bummer is, if you break down at uppers, IT’S A LONG SWIM IN (2 hours). I recently broke down out there when I broke my mast on a forward loop. Luckily, the lifeguard gave me a tow with his jetski. That saved me a lot of time and exhaustion.
The ocean is definitely to be respected at all times. When in doubt, do not attempt to go out.
I recommend taking lessons with a pro and also renting locally. There is no reason whatsoever to be lugging your gear to Maui (and pay all that money on extra baggage fees), when you can get the state of the art gear right here.
Shops I Recommend:
Neil Pryde Maui
Email: info@neilprydemaui.com
Toll free: (800) 321-7443
Maui: (808) 877-7443
Location: 400 Hana Highway, Kahului. Maui, Hawaii 96732
Personal Notes:
Top Service, Best Gear in Town.
Tell them “STEPHAN IS MY FRIEND; HE SENT ME” and they will most likely give you a discount.
They have all the information you need on lessons as well.
Maui Windsurf Company
Email: info@mauiwindsurfcompany.com
Toll Free: (800) 872-0999
Phone: (808) 877-4816
Location:
22 Hana Highway
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 96732
Personal Notes: Next to Neil Pryde, Goya boards and sails are top flight gear. Can’t go wrong with them.
Windsurf Lessons I recommend:
Action Sports Maui
Email fun@actionsportsmaui.com
Phone (808) 871-5857
Mobile (808) 283-7913
Location: Store Address: 415a Dairy Road, Kahului, HI, 96732 USA
Personal Notes: These guys are perfect for beginners with knowledgable and fun staff and great beginner equipment.
Pritchard Brothers Windsurfing
Website: http://www.pritchardwindsurfing.com
Personal Notes: If you want top notch personal instruction, especially if you are intermediate to expert wanting to get out of your rut and to the next level of windsurfing action, Matt Pritchard is the right guy to see. His site even has free windsurf instruction as well. Contact him at his website. Tell him “STEPHAN SENT ME!”
I’ll leave you this week with some insane windsurfing from the pros…
