The trip continues to improve on a daily basis – not only did we get to swim with a number of whales, chase along next to two “rowdy groups”, and spend some time with a fin slapper, but a whale surfaced ten feet from the boat and snotted on us – from this day onwards anytime someone touches my face I can proudly say “That’s where the whale snot hit me”.
Visibility is improving but still murky, so when we’re diving with the whales it’s usually tough to make out any details until they near the surface. In some cases the surfacing can be pretty dramatic – I’ve got video of a calf rising from below, swimming at me, and passing a few feet away as I swim backwards; visibility was not a problem during this encounter. The above-water encounters are equally thrilling – three times now we’ve motored along at good speeds next to whales that were racing along, battling each other and surfacing a few feet from the boat. The cheering tends to be loud and spontaneous during these encounters. I’m writing this now from the boat’s top deck with crystal-clear stars overhead, the sound of three whales swimming past behind me, and the anticipation of tomorrow building.
that’s a pretty awesome slappin whale picture.
it helps greatly when you have a cooperative whale posing 🙂