Hanauma Bay was closed after a rare and elusive whale washed up nearly dead from shark bites. Photo: Hawaii Travel Tips and Advice//Facebook
Hanauma Bay, a popular tourist snorkeling spot on Oahu, closed on Friday after a rare whale washed up with fatal injuries after it was attacked by a shark.
According to reports, the bay was closed with “an abundance of caution” when an adult female Blainville’s beaked whale was found still alive on the beach on the evening of June 5. Officials were worried about the amount of blood in the water.
“The report was of shark bites and of an animal that was bleeding,” Dr. Kristi West, director of the Health and Stranding Lab at the University of Hawaii, told Hawaii News Now. “A good portion of that animal’s tail fluke was removed by sharks.”
Blainville’s beaked whales are a little-known member of the beaked whale family. They live mostly in tropical to temperate waters around the world, generally sticking to deep waters off the continental shelf. Researchers don’t actually know too much about how many there are, because, as NOAA describes them, they are “cryptic and evasive, and distinguishing between species in the field can be challenging.”
When officials were called about the still-alive whale in Hanauma Bay, they called a veterinarian. The whale, however, succumbed to its injuries before they could arrive. As responders worked, the decision was made to close the beach.
On average, Hawaii sees about 20 whale and dolphin strandings each year. But a Blainville’s beaked whale is a rarity.
“We have our humpback whales that we’re all pretty familiar with, our spinner dolphins and about 18 other species that kind of fall in between,” Dr. West explained. “What’s so rare about this event is that it’s a Blainville’s beaked whale. Beaked whales strand much less frequently.”
The whale was a little over 13 feet long and weighed around 1,500 pounds. An external exam has been done, but a more thorough exam is due in the next few days. Lifeguards and the Department of Parks and Recreation reassessed the situation and reopened the beach on Sunday.
