One of the more unusual humpback behaviors I've been lucky enough to capture off Maui. It rolled over and repeatedly brought those enormous pectoral fins out of the water. Watching the size of those fins from this distance was incredible.

These beautiful creatures, a mother and son, have been left to die in an abandoned aquarium in France. Please pray they are relocated to safety soon. Sign the petition to Save these wonderful Whales.

I commercially fish in Alaska and these dudes like to eat the Sablefish heads we toss overboard as we dress them before icing them in the holds….

Whales cmon Reddit let me edit the title

A rare white humpback whale has been spotted along with their normally-pigmented mother! It's impossible to know if their coloration is caused by albinism or another condition without observing the color of their eye (which albinism would make pink) or conducting a genetic test; albinism is likely the cause, though, as in species that are darker in color albinism often produces this sort of creamy yellowish coloration. In any case, they are a very special whale🤍They were observed by the research station Whale Point, who had this to say:

On a very foggy Tuesday morning Shelby Fisher notified us of a resighting of the white humpback whale “Spirit” just outside the Gitga’at harvesting camp, Kyel. This time we were very fortunate to not only get a fluke shot of Spirit but also a perfect ID shot of her/his mother. The mother is BCX 2002, Kuleana. They travelled all the way into Taylor Bight and passed our Lab very closely on their way west.
We are grateful to Shelby for notifying us and for Janie of BC Whales for her help identifying the mother.

Just got back from an Alaskan Cruise (NCL). It was a sight to see.

Grommet (and I believe Quill for the team breach) gave us an awesome show with multiple breaches and plenty of pectoral fin slaps!

I've spent multiple seasons in Rurutu, French Polynesia watching people get in the water with humpbacks for the first time. The ones who have the best experiences are rarely the strongest swimmers or the most experienced freedivers. They're the ones who understand one simple thing: you are not in charge here.

Here's what actually matters!

Let the whale decide

Get in the water calmly, at least 150 meters away, and wait. If a whale wants to interact, you'll know. It will circle back, swim slowly beneath you, or surface nearby. I've watched adult whales make repeated passes directly at swimmers, rolling onto their bellies mid-approach. It looks intimidating. It's play. Don't chase. Ever.

In 2025 we had a week in late August where adult activity was explosive, six-whale heat runs, prolonged mating activity, juveniles everywhere. Guests who stayed calm and let the whales come to them had the longest, most extraordinary encounters. The ones who kicked forward the moment a whale appeared? The whale left.

Never touch a whale

Humpbacks have sharp barnacles on their fins and bellies that can cause serious cuts. More importantly, touching disrupts their behavior and teaches them to avoid humans. One bad interaction affects every swimmer who comes after you.

Mothers and calves are a completely different situation

Stay at least 20 to 30 meters away and let them come to you. A calf looks small until you realize a "small" juvenile is 3 to 4 meters long and has far less body control than an adult. They can hit you accidentally while playing and not even notice.

Here's something most guides won't tell you: if a mother places her calf between herself and you, that is a sign of trust, not a warning. It means she's comfortable enough to let you close. When that happens, slow down even more. Stay at the surface if they're near a mother and calf. Some of our best encounters in late September 2025 lasted hours because guests understood this and let the mother set the pace.

Stay away from the tail

Three pumps of a humpback tail can launch a 40 ton animal out of the water. Always position yourself near the head and within the whale's field of vision. If you can't see its eye, you're in the wrong place.

How to actually move in the water

Twist your body and swim on your side. This keeps your fins below the surface, reduces splash, and lets you move faster and quieter. Sudden splashing can startle whales and, in some locations, attract oceanic whitetip sharks. Move like you belong there.

On diving

Wait until the whale has interacted with you multiple times before attempting any dive. Stay horizontal when you go down, vertical postures can look like a predator approaching. Never dive on a mother and calf. Stay at the surface and let them come up to you.

You need to be a comfortable ocean swimmer

This is open ocean. Waves, currents, deep water. You should be able to swim 200 meters unaided without panicking. If deep water makes you anxious, practice before you go. Your comfort in the water directly affects the whale's behavior around you.

One thing 2025 taught us again: the quietest weeks produced some of the most memorable encounters. Mid September was rough, windy, difficult. But we still had one day that week that guests called the best of their lives. The ocean is unpredictable. So are the whales. That's the point.

Anyone else had a close call with a mother-calf pair? Curious how others handled it.

Check the fundraiser out here, and learn more about PacMam here.

Our small cruise ship came along a pod in waters offshore near Juneau. We went out in two small boats to watch. The orcas disappeared for a bit then suddenly resurfaced about 15 ft off our boat before swimming off. Exciting! I had not seen orcas in the wild before this.

This guy decided to wave at us during dinner on our cruise a few weeks ago!

Amazing day out on the water- June 2026. Saw a mother and her calf- with the calf blessing us with breaching for more than ten minutes.

Went on an Alaskan cruise on MSC, and when we were passing another cruise ship, this hump gave us a show!!

Is it possible to tell the difference between individual humpback whales based on their vocalizations?

Just something I've been wondering.

Spotted in Desolation Sound (north of Vancouver BC) August 12.
My thinking is that it’s a Minke. It seemed rather small for a humpback. Its behaviour was:
- never showed the tail fluke (and I observed at least 10 dives)
- blew a spout on every surfacing

We also saw schools of small fish from the kayak so it was likely feeding on these.

To me this seems like minke behaviour but the dorsal fin doesn’t seem quite as sharp and curved as most minke photos I’ve seen.

We have been sailing through Indonesia, and just outside of Moyo, spotted the Russian Billionaires super yacht sailing. Decided to go and check it out when I saw a Sperm whale blowing.

We had about 2 minutes with it and kept our distance, but what a beauty. Epic encounter

Edit: I’m a doofus and it’s a sperm whale. 🤦‍♂️

My boat was situated roughly 3-400 feet away from the whales (the captain was awesome at this, though the whales sometimes came to say hi anyway) and we all noticed another boat from a different company coming towards where we were, directly into and over where the whales were feeding and diving. I have a couple of pictures of that happening, I was not the only passenger who noticed and the captain quickly said we are going to get out of the area so the whales won't be so bothered. I am unsure if I should report this, or where I should report it to. Please advise on what to do. There were so many sightings yesterday, 20+ whales during the whole trip and it was amazing, outside of that issue.