[CINC] Feb. 24, IPCO - Fantastic

[JOANNA GUTTMAN]

Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, IPCO Whale Watch Trips

 

AM trip:  7 Humpbacks

27 passengers from Germany, France, Ireland, East Coast of the US, and locals.

 

FANTASTIC! It was calm but overcast, visibility about 8 miles.  We followed a pair of relaxed, slow moving whales for quite a while; passengers got many good fluke shots.  We could see blows and flukes a little farther away. Saw 2 spy hops and a breach in the distance.  We moved to get a better view of one whale that was rolling and raising its flippers.  It was rolling through a field of floating kelp, catching the stems of kelp on its head and flippers.  One, lone sea lion was playing in the kelp with it.  After a short time the whale approached the boat.  It passed under the boat several times, floated along side the boat three times and stuck its head up next to the boat twice, looking at us and exhaling whale breath and steam on the passengers. It was the most fantastic sighting of a humpback I have experienced in the ten years I've been going out.  I expect IPCO will be posting pictures of this experience. 

 

 

PM trip: Think it was the same 7 whales but in two groups.

12 passengers, mostly local with nice cameras.

 

Calm seas but fog had developed, visibility in places only about ¼ mile.   The whales were apparently feeding at a depth.  They were coming up all around us but just taking one or two breaths and diving again.  This behavior and the fog made it difficult to get good photos.  A pod of 200 common dolphins joined us for a short time.

 

CINC Naturalist Tom Boyd, Captain Jimmy, and mates Luke and Dani added to the education and enjoyment.



 Joanna Guttman
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