Well, I’m now on Atauro Island and the two week whale and dolphin expedition is over, and I did get the chance to see some Pygmy Blue Whales. The internet connectivity here isn’t the greatest, so I can’t upload too many photos, but here are a few.
These animals are absolutely massive and you only ever get to see such a small portion of them at any given time.
For the scientific work being done, they were most interested in photographs of the small dorsal fins, so hopefully photos like this one will help to identify and track specific individual whales.
We did get an opportunity the cruise alongside a nice sized pod for a bit the one day, and with the rather calm seas, I was able to see the whale just below the surface and managed to get a couple shots of the “blows”.
We did try to get in the water with them the one day, but it is rather tricky timing when to jump into the water in order to see them. Our guess is that the group we tried to jump in with simply dived a little deeper and swam underneath us without us being able to see them.
Honestly, even that was an experience. To be in the water and knowing that such a huge creature was there somewhere, and wondering if one might just appear out of the depths. I would have loved to have been able to get some photos or video, but even just being in the water was really cool.
Dusk
November 21, 2019 at 12:46pmYou’re certainly brave. One of the many reasons the big, open, wild frontier of the ocean terrifies me is knowing _something_ is underneath you, but not being able to see it. At least you knew what it was. They look beautiful!