Humpback Whales are indeed social animals among humans. They are easily approachable, curious, and display many behaviors such as breaching the water. This makes the animal ideal for whale watching.
The humpback whales that come to the ocean waters off the Hawaiian Islands swim alongside people and have never been known to harm anyone.
They seem to be just as curious about people as people are about them. They will swim very close, just an arm’s length away, and remain there for quite a while. In fact, many whales swim this way for a good half hour.
Two scientists that were studying the humpback habits had a group of the large whales stay with them for five hours. These gentle creatures love to play in the water, making shallow dives and doing a variety of acrobatics.
Scientists do not know why, but dolphins, pilot whales, and spinner dolphins often gather around the gentle humpbacks. They swim and play together for no apparent reason except to enjoy each other’s company.
The humpbacks migrate up to 25,000 kilometers each winter to warmer waters where they give birth to young. In the winter, they do not feed, and live on fat reserves instead.
