Massive, endangered whale spotted playing with baby off coast of Hilton Head
A massive North Atlantic right whale and her calf spent the day Friday playing in waters off Hilton Head Island.
The endangered whale was about 50-55 feet long and her baby was about 15 feet, said charter boat captain Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing, who is known locally for catching and releasing great white sharks this time of year.
Michalove was about four miles off the coast of Hilton Head fishing with a father and son from Tennessee when the trio saw “explosions” on the horizon.
“I sent the drone up to see if it was a school of redfish or a pod of dolphins,” he said.
As he watched the whale with his drone, he saw the baby emerge at her side.
Only about 400 right whales are believed to live in the Atlantic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which calls the whales “one of the world’s most endangered large whale species.”
Even more rare are calves. NOAA researchers estimate there are only about 95 breeding female right whales, and they documented only 22 births between 2017 and 2019.
Right whales typically migrate south down the U.S. coastline at this time of year.
“Typically, I see one or two every winter, but I’ve never seen a calf before,” Michalove said.
And more than just seeing the pair passing by Hilton Head as they headed south, the three fishermen had a chance to enjoy the experience for a while, even seeing the pair breach the water with their heads.
“She was just having a good time,” Michalove explained. “She did a slow circle around us for seven hours.”
The boat captain said he stayed well away from the giant ocean mammal, though he did run the battery down on his drone.
“I had the anchor down, and I wanted to make sure this whale didn’t get too close,” he said.
Four right whales — two females with two calves — were spotted off the Georgia coastline earlier this month, according to that state’s Department of Natural Resources.
Great white sharks
Michalove said this is the time of year when he would expect to be seeing great white sharks off the South Carolina coast.
He’s hooked and released dozens since 2014, tagging many in a partnership with scientists from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham, Massachusetts.
“The water temperatures off Nantucket are still warmer than usual,” he said “I think we’re going to just have a late migration. ... There’s no reason to believe they won’t be here soon.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Massive, endangered whale spotted playing with baby off coast of Hilton Head."
