We have all heard the occasional visitor from the Mainland, I'm sure, who points out Hawaii's apparent lack of seasons as a reason not to live here.

My reply to that notion has always been that we do have seasonal changes, but they are just a bit subtler than, say, the first big snowfall of the year.

Seeing the first kolea (golden plovers) flying in from Alaska to stake out their territories in our golf courses, front lawns and parks, for instance, is a sure sign that fall is approaching.

And currently, to remind us the first day of winter is just a couple of weeks away, some of the world's largest waves are breaking on North Shore beaches and some of the world's largest creatures—humpback whales—are beginning to congregate in our shallow offshore waters.

By the time we are deep into winter, the local whale population will have grown to as many as 10,000 and will include mothers giving birth and nursing their calves, as well as adult males weighing as much as 45 tons.

These awesome annual visitors usually begin their migration back toward the Bering Sea by March to mark the beginning of spring. However between now and then, safely sharing the ocean with the humpbacks is a major responsibility for Hawaii's recreational boaters, but a whole lot nicer than dodging icebergs.

Folks at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary work diligently to educate all ocean users on how best to coexist with our whale population. Understandably, their object is primarily to protect these endangered animals.

But for many years I have felt it is also important to remind boaters that the same laws that are in place to save the whales from harm will also protect them.

One needn't have a vivid imagination to picture the result of a high-speed collision between a pleasure boat and an 80,000-pound humpback. It would surely be a lose-lose situation, and it might be those on the boat that fared the worst.

Rain, sun glare, choppy sea conditions and darkness, along with running at high speeds, can limit a boat operator's ability to spot even adult breaching whales.

And all of these factors work against the most basic rule for boaters: to maintain at least 100 yards—one football field—between their boat and any whale. An alert boat operator, running at reduced speeds, with as many observers aboard as possible can help boaters obey this rule.

“;But what,”; I've been asked, “;if the whale doesn't know the rules and has approached my boat?”;

According to most of the authorities I have spoken with, boat operators should bring their vessels to a complete stop and allow the whale the complete right of way. Or, when it appears safe to do so, attempt to slowly increase the distance between the boat and the whale.

Complying with the humpback protection laws is unquestionably the right thing to do, and besides, it only lasts for a few months. And when the last of the whales have departed, it will be another sign of a seasonal change—it will be summer.