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An incredible scene unfolded off the coast of Hualien on Thursday, as a massive pod of more than 50 short-finned pilot whales appeared together in the open ocean. The lucky tourists on two whale-watching boat tours caught a sight of mothers and calves swimming side by side. But the star of the show was that the whales were peeking their heads above the surface, in a rare behavior known as “spyhopping.” It marks the first appearance of short-finned pilot whales off Hualien this year, and it was unusually early, as they usually only show up in late summer.

A boat cuts through the waves of the Pacific Ocean and happens onto a group of whales surfacing from the sea and blasting mist into the air. Wow. This huge pod of short-finned pilot whales was spotted off the coast of Hualien on Thursday, the first one of the season. Tourists were delighted.

There were dozens of whales out for a swim, some of which brought their little ones along. Hearts melted when a couple of the whales poked their heads straight out of the water for a peek at the humans. This behavior, known as spyhopping is a rare treat.

Chen Hung-ming
Whale-watching tour guide
There’s a better chance of seeing them in late summer or early autumn. This last time, we saw more than 50 pilot whales. There were mothers with their calves. And what’s more, we were lucky to catch them spyhopping.

Short-finned pilot whales have stocky bodies and rounded foreheads. They are also commonly known as “blackfish” despite being part of the dolphin family. They mostly live in the deep ocean waters. Whale-watching tour operators say only six boats encountered the species last year, and their first sighting didn’t occur until August. This year they are unusually early and numerous.

Chen Hung-ming
Whale-watching tour guide
Since they were spyhopping, we suspect they might be monitoring the sea surface and checking out the environment. We saw them peek up many times, which is extremely rare. It’s something we will treasure even after so many years observing pilot whales.

The appareance of the majestic whales left the tourists squealing in awe, but even for experienced whale-watchers it’s an unforgettable memory.

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