By Jen.
Since I was bound and determined to see these sperm whales that are regularly off the coast of Kaikoura, we made our way back to the peninsula for our third attempt. This time, learning from previous lessons, I scheduled us in the afternoon (didn’t want to be the guinea pig) and asked about the success of the day before I got our tickets. At noon, it was looking good and we were out on the water by 1:30pm. On our way out, they spotted an orca. Surprisingly (unlike the 2 other times we had been out), they made a detour to get us up close and personal with them.
It was looking like a beautiful day!
There was a male-and-female pair. I think this was the female (shorter dorsal).
I think this was the male (taller dorsal and slightly bent).
https://youtu.be/5p4WhZdQgoc
The spotter thought perhaps he was mating, as he was behaving erratically.
Landing albatross nearby.
The spotter thought perhaps he was mating, as he was behaving erratically.
Landing albatross nearby.
They were cool! But, now I was afraid that our main target (orcas can be seen everywhere) was no longer going to be in the vicinity. Supposedly, the orcas had scared off all the marine mammals on our last two trips out. We went out to the location where the whales had last been seen, and sure enough, there was no sign or sound. Just as I was mentally preparing my spiel on why I should be reimbursed 100% and not 80% this time around, our spotter let out a big yell. She and I had already come inside and were preparing to leave. We caught the tail-end of a sperm-whale breach just off the port side of the boat! I didn’t get to see it in the air, but the waves it sent up were massive! Whale spotted!
There were two of these gentlemen in the vicinity. Both were snoozing quite a bit.
Sperm whales are unique with their spouting, as instead of a hole on the top of their head and centered, it is forward and off to the side. See how the water is coming from the left side of his head (viewing from behind)? It also is at a 45 angle (see below).
After he dove, we drove away to see the other whale, but apparently he missed the crowds, as he decided to do a breach to bring us back! This was followed by another breach. Sadly, all I ever saw was the aftermath, which itself was impressive (water as high the boat).
They had some interesting rippling on their backs. Not sure if it was muscle or scar tissue. These giants’ favorite food is squid, especially the giant squid in the deep darks of the ocean. The giant squid fight for their lives with tentacles and claws.
It was time to head back in, and we were behind schedule. But, as we approached the harbor, we passed the marine mammals that stole first place in my book. Hundreds of dusky dolphins were on their way back out to see and doing amazing antics! There were so many doing such fun feats that it was difficult to know where to focus.
Check out those backflips!
No photoshopping or trickery here! Literally a 2-3m jump! Maybe more! The dolphin is about 2m in length.
Dusky and common dolphins. The common are fairly rare here and have a yellow-ish underside, which are the group at the end of the video.
Dolphins swimming right next to the boat.
I had sent my oldest nephew a postcard with these fellows on them doing an impressive jump. I thought it was probably a bit deceiving, though (use of angles or photoshop, etc). But, boy, was I wrong! These impressive little guys can do some aerobatics. And, they were fast. You could tell that they wanted the boat to go faster so they could use the waves better. They were a lovely end to the day.
What a wonderful excursion!! ! Love the 6 second videos!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely better than the last two times out!
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