The surfing behavior we
observed was attributed to the relatively large
swells that day (0.9–1.5 m) and the movement
of the observation vessel through the water
and swells. Our observers had never seen this
continuous repetitive, ‘‘leisurely’’ ‘‘surfing’’
behavior among sei whales, nor has it been
reported to occur in the literature. However,
sei whales appeared to ‘‘surf’’ swells frequently
during a 4-month vessel survey in
the Mariana Islands during winter 2007 (R.
Rowlett, pers. comm.).
Despite several decades of vessel, aerial,
and, more recently, acoustic surveys for cetaceans
in Hawaiian waters, Bryde’s whales
have never been documented near the main
Hawaiian Islands, and sei whales have rarely
and only recently (2002) been documented
there (Barlow 2006).