A Humpback suddenly pops up aft of my boat, rewarding all of those aboard with one of those shots you wait five years to take. 13 February 2011

A Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) pops up aft of my boat, rewarding all of those aboard the MV OCEAN INTRIGUE with one of those shots you wait five years to take. 13 February 2011

Sideways breaching, Ma'alaea Bay, Maui, 20 February 2011.

A large mature Humpback performs a nice sideways breach, showing off its ventral pleats (linear grooves on its underside). 20 February 2011.

A rare mother-and-calf double-breach. The calf is breaching just in front of the larger female. 19 January 2014

A Humpback rolls over onto its back, completing a near-360-degree rolling breach. 13 February 2011

A Humpback rolls over onto its back, completing a near-360-degree rolling breach. The pink blotches at the base of the pectoral fin are minor cuts and scrapes caused by the force of the impact on the water's surface after multiple breaches. 13 February 2011

A Humpback rolls over onto its back, completing a near-360-degree rolling breach. 13 February 2011

A Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) pops up aft of my boat, rewarding all of those aboard the MV OCEAN INTRIGUE with one of those shots you wait five years to take. Ma'alaea Bay, south Maui. (13 February 2011) This shot is the first of a series of shots of the same whale; it was taken on a day in February when I witnessed and photographed more breaches IN A SINGLE DAY than I had seen in more than five years of whale watching on Maui!A Humpback rolls over onto its back, completing a near-360-degree rolling breach. The pink blotches at the base of the pectoral fin are minor cuts and scrapes caused by the force of the impact on the water's surface after multiple breaches. Also visible is a nice crop of barnacles (round white blotches) encrusting the whale's lower jaw. 13 February 2011

A Humpback suddenly pops up aft of my boat, rewarding all of those aboard with one of those shots you wait five years to take. 13 February 2011

A Humpback performs a rolling breach. Its left eye is clearly visible on the prominent bump just above and to the right of the base of its left pectoral fin. 13 February 2011

A Humpback performs a spectacular rolling breach as the crew of a six-man canoe (upper right, background) looks on from a safe distance. 13 February 2011

As its mother rolls over on her side to do some "pec-waves", a new calf practices breaching offshore from Ukumehame, leeward side Maui. 1 February 2013 This photo demonstrates the strongest (and ONLY long-term) bond in the Humpback's world: that of a cow and her calf, which lasts for about a year after the calf's birth. It's believed that the mothers of newborns encourage this and other energetic behavior in order to strengthen their swimming muscles in preparation for the long journey back to the Alaskan waters.

As its mother rolls over on her side to do some "pec-waves", a new calf practices breaching offshore from Ukumehame, leeward side Maui. 1 February 2013 This photo demonstrates the strongest (and ONLY long-term) bond in the Humpback's world: that of a cow and her calf, which lasts for about a year after the calf's birth. It's believed that the mothers of newborns encourage this and other energetic behavior in order to strengthen their swimming muscles in preparation for the long journey back to the Alaskan waters.

As its mother rolls over on her side to do some "pec-waves", a new calf practices breaching offshore from Ukumehame, leeward side Maui. 1 February 2013 This photo demonstrates the strongest (and ONLY long-term) bond in the Humpback's world: that of a cow and her calf, which lasts for about a year after the calf's birth. It's believed that the mothers of newborns encourage this and other energetic behavior in order to strengthen their swimming muscles in preparation for the long journey back to the Alaskan waters.

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13 February 2013