Acrobatic Humpbacks

Today we were blessed with Humpback whales that showed a display that they are famous for. They are one of the most acrobatic whales in the world which means they are often seen leaping out of the water and splashing straight back down again. It made us realise how powerful their flukes must be to create enough power to lift a 30 tonne animal completely out of the water. We observed them breach at least twice and by the sounds of the radio chatter, they had been breaching before we even got to the location.  They slapped the ocean surface with their tails and pectoral fins and due to the glassy calm sea; a huge splash was created and could be seen from a good distance away.

The sun made all the animals sparkle and shine today including a rather handsome Harbour Seal which was uniquely coloured. Its body was mostly white with a scattering of speckled dots. The group we passed laid on the rock like bananas, their heads held high on one end and their tail curved upwards the other. It is important that we give them space, and go past their haul out slowly, quietly and gently as to not scare them into the sea. They are resting after all.

As we cruised amongst the islands in narrow picturesque channels we came upon a small group of traveling dolphins. When their dorsal fins were in the shadow of the sun they could be mistaken for young or female Orca, due to the size and curve of their dorsal fin.

We delighted in watching a Bald Eagle follow its prey, and as this individual flew over our boat, we could actually see the Eagle turn its head either spying on us or perhaps prey in the water.

Today with all its wonders, gave us the chance to show our guests our very beautiful and dynamic back yard.