The mighty tail flukes of a deep diving humpback whale today. photo: CondorExpressPhotos.com
Nice humpbacks; tons of dolphins
A very light chop on the water with a corresponding light breeze greeted us today under a fairly gray marine layer. This made whale finding a bit of a challenge but the keen eyes of the crew, especially Ty, spotted the spouts for us. In total we closely watched 3 humpback whales, but there were 4 or 5 more on the feeding grounds. The grounds were occupied by many medium sized flocks of sooty shearwaters roosting on the surface, as they are starting to arrive now for their summer moulting and feeding period before heading back to New Zealand. There were some good close approached by the humpback whales and some nice tail flukes too (see photo above). We passed through at least 3 megapods of common dolphins, including one that came through the feeding grounds and the #humpback #whales. Finally, on the way home, Bernardo spotted a huge ocean sunfish (Mola mola) and we had some nice looks.
By popular demand, tomorrow I will post up the complete story of the humpback dis-entanglement rescue that took place yesterday, as told to me by our own Captain Dave who was part of the team.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
PS…today’s photos will also be up on CondorExpressPhotos.com tomorrow.