What sailors should know before whale migration season
by Jodi Lynn Karpes 17 Sep 03:49 PDT
PredictWind's Orca & Whale Watch © PredictWind
With Pacific gray whales moving south from November to January, and humpbacks heading south from late autumn through December toward Hawaii, Mexico and Central America, it's peak season for whale encounters at sea.
Vessel strikes are one of the leading causes of death for large whales worldwide, and sailboats carry a particular risk here - moving quietly under sail means whales often don't hear a boat coming, and may surface directly beneath or in front of it.
PredictWind's Orca & Whale Watch feature helps with exactly that, showing continuously updated whale positions on compatible chartplotters and apps, and letting sailors add their own sightings back into the network. It's powered by the Whale Alert database (developed for NOAA and IFAW). More details below.
Given the timing, and with over 1.7 million PredictWind users worldwide, thought this could be a great fit for your tech/gear pages or 'must-have apps' roundup. Happy to send higher definition images or more detail if useful.
About PredictWind's Orca & Whale Watch
PredictWind's Orca & Whale Watch is a DataHub feature that helps sailors identify and avoid whales, reducing the risk of vessel strikes while supporting marine conservation. Built on Conserve.io's Whale Alert database, it displays reported whale positions on compatible chartplotters and navigation apps (including Aqua Map, Navionics and OpenCPN), updating regularly. Sightings are reported worldwide, with current coverage concentrated on the U.S. East and West Coasts and Hawaii.
Key Features:
- Continuously updated whale positions within an adjustable range around the boat's position
- Integration with popular chartplotters and navigation apps
- Ability to report your own whale sightings back into the network
- Powered by the Whale Alert database, developed for NOAA and IFAW
- Sightings drawn from public reports and NOAA Fisheries' acoustic detection programs
Requirements:
- DataHub with Firmware 4.24 or later
- A GPS connected to DataHub via NMEA2000, or built-in GPS in active status
- Compatible chartplotter/app
- High-speed internet connection (Starlink, 4G/5G LTE, or GO exec) - not available via Iridium GO!