As surely as some tourists return to Hawaii each and every year, thousands of humpback whale families, like the one seen in this photo, make an annual winter visit to the waters off Maui. They"re the reason behind today"s cetacean celebration: World Whale Day. While the observance honors whales of all kinds in all the world"s oceans, it was here in Maui that the Pacific Whale Foundation first held the event and timed it to match the yearly return of the humpbacks.
© drewsulockcreations/Getty Images
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