Humpback whales are showing up again in Hawaiʻi waters, and federal officials have a blunt message for boaters: slow down. As the massive mammals return for their winter breeding season, officials are urging vessel operators to cut their speed and keep their distance to protect both whales and the people sharing the water with them.
Humpback whales travel to Hawaiʻi each year between November and April to breed, give birth and nurse their young, according to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Whale numbers in the islands typically peak in January and February, according to Kim Hum, superintendent of the sanctuary, as reported by Maui Now. Hum said collisions with whales are a very real risk for the next several months and asked boaters to stay vigilant and slow down in and around sanctuary waters to reduce risks to both the whales and the people on board.
Why Speed Matters So Much Right Now
Vessel-whale collisions occur every year in Hawaiʻi and are a serious risk to boaters and whales, per a sanctuary boating guide, which also notes that ocean users face their own safety risks when whales surface, breach or slap their tails and flippers. The sanctuary recommends boaters travel at 15 knots or less, or at a safe planing speed, in water depths of 600 feet or less, according to the same report. The guide further advises maintaining that top speed while transiting, then dropping to a maximum of six knots until more than 400 yards away from a whale when approaching or leaving the area.
Hawaiʻi's Division of Aquatic Resources echoes that guidance, advising boaters to reduce speed to six knots when approaching and departing whales within 400 yards, and to slow down even further at night since whales are harder to spot after dark, according to the state Division of Aquatic Resources. A related state boating page recommends the same 15-knot threshold in water 100 fathoms, or 600 feet, deep or less during whale season, per the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.
The Rules Boaters Are Required to Follow
Beyond the recommended speeds, federal rules prohibit approaching a humpback whale closer than 100 yards by boat, kayak, paddleboard, drone or any other means, and require aircraft to remain at least 1,000 feet away. Under the federal regulation, approaching a whale by interception, meaning placing a vessel, aircraft, person or other object in a whale's path so the whale ends up within those distances, is treated the same as a direct approach, according to the Code of Federal Regulations. Hawaiʻi is the only place in the United States where humpback whales mate, calve and nurse their young, and the animals need that space before migrating more than 2,500 miles back to Alaska, according to the sanctuary.
The stakes of ignoring those rules are not abstract. In February 2024, NOAA Fisheries and partners responded to a dead spinner dolphin yearling and a dead humpback whale calf in Hawaiʻi, and examinations revealed their deaths were likely due to vessel strikes, according to a NOAA Fisheries report.
What to Do If You Spot a Whale in Trouble
Ed Lyman, a natural resource specialist with the sanctuary, said following the regulations and recommendations helps ocean users protect whales and their habitat while also helping the sanctuary monitor whales across the islands. Anyone who sees an injured or entangled marine mammal should keep a safe and legal distance and immediately call the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline, according to NOAA Fisheries, or radio the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. That statewide hotline number is 1-888-256-9840.
Boaters who witness a vessel approaching too close to a whale have other reporting options as well. They can call the NOAA Fisheries enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964, or contact their local Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement office by phone, email or through the DLNRTip app.
A Sanctuary Decades in the Making
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1992 and is jointly administered by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the state Division of Aquatic Resources. The sanctuary works to protect humpback whales and their habitat through research, education, conservation and stewardship, a mission that officials say depends heavily on boaters doing their part during the months the whales call Hawaiʻi home.
