Whale Day in Kihei is tomorrow

We will be in Kihei for Whale Day tomorrow, in Eco Alley bringing the live whalesongs to the event.  George Kahumoku, a Whalesong Project Director and three time Grammy winner, will be playing on the main stage around 11 a.m.  I think George may jam with the whales again this year in real time.  You can see our buoy from the stage.

I was out on a whale watch boat recently with friends and this whale reached out to us and made contact with many on board.  He would look us in the eye, roll over, and then roll over on his back and show his white belly,  then look at us again,  go under the boat and do the same for people on the other side.  It was a beautiful experience.

I hope to see many of you at Whale Day.  Thank you, PWF, for inviting us!  Aloha!

Whale Quest!!! A Fabulous Event!!!

Hereʻs Samuel ("Samuwhale") at our display at Whale Quest Kapalua.  Thanks Sam!!!

These two professors of music from Washington State University,  David and Heidi Jarvis, are here to study the whale song.  I look forward to reading the book.

Rachel (in front) is fascinated by the live whale songs.  She is a student at Punahou School, the same school our new President attended when he grew up here in Hawaiʻi.

I stopped by to see my friend George Kahumoku while on this side of the island.  Here is George with his students at Lahainaluna High School.  One of his students created this whale mural on the side of his class room.  George is a Whalesong Project Director, and now a three time Grammy Award winner for his music.  George and I will be playing with Pamela Polland and Special Guests at a benefit for the Maui Wildlife Sanctuary, known as the "Booboo Zoo" at the Tropical Plantation at 7 PM this evening.

Aloha to everyone out there listening! 

Whalequest at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua

Itʻs Whalequest time here in Kapalua and Iʻve just heard fascinating presentations by Flip Nicklin, my favorite whale photographer, and Dr. Jim Darling, one of my favorite whale researchers.  The event goes on all weekend, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in these fascinating whales.  Many researchers will be presenting, and there is always something new to learn each year.  We are here Saturday and Sunday bringing live whalesongs to the event.  Please drop by and visit our exhibit just to the left at the entrance to the main exhibit room.  Many thanks to Whalequest and the Ritz Carlton Kapalua for inviting us back this year.

Whales "Celebrate Obamaʻs Inauguration"

My friend Pamela Polland just sent me this link to an interesting YouTube Video with this description of what is happening with an active group of whales.


"Just minutes before a traditional Hawaiian blessing to honor Barak
Obama's Inauguration, a pod of joyful whales began gathering by the
temple where the event was taking place. People at the gathering who
have lived on the Big Island their whole lives, had never seen
anything like what took place on this special day. This happy pod of
whales began with 3 white belly breaches, followed by spyhopping,
slapping their fins and tails and a new behavior we have never seen
before that we nicknamed the full body slap... for a full 30 minutes!
The voice you will hear in the background is Haleaka Iolani Pule
Dooley, known locally as "Aunty Aka" and you can hear the excitement
in her voice as the whales celebrate wildly in front of her and those
gathering for the special blessing"

I have no comment as to whether the whales were indeed "celebrating" Obamaʻs inauguration, but if they were, I share their excitement.

Enjoy!

Aloha, Dan

Beautiful Whalesongs Every Day, Whales Everywhere, Everything is Working

I'm happy to report that everything is working very well now!!! It's been a lot of work, but we are where we want to be. The whales are singing new songs, new variations of old songs, and vocalizing things that scientists and whale observers can only guess about the meaning of. I find the late night peaceful singing to be extremely enjoyable.

On another "note"- I've heard chatter recently about the importance of the whales to the local economy. In these challenging financial times many people have jobs that are related to people traveling here just to spend time with the whales.

Speaking of challenging financial times, The Whalesong Project has lots of volunteer help, but very little money is coming in this season. Our largest contributor lost money in the stock market crash, and couldn't send money this year. This means we volunteers are also paying for the costs of operating this complex system. If you want to support our project, or you know someone who might want to support us, please let us know or visit our How You Can Help Page.

And please enjoy the ocean songs.

Aloha, Dan