Flukes – Image courtesy of Joanne Lyons
Monday morning’s Wake up with the Whales Cruise was so much fun that we ended up staying out an extra 15 minutes!
We started the cruise watching a competitive pod of 4 whales — 3 of whom were definitely battling. We saw a whole bunch of pec slaps and tail lobs and even a few head lunges from this group. Most of the time when we watch a competitive pod we don’t get to see who “wins”, but this time there was clearly a resolution to the fight when 2 of the group departed suddenly, leaving the remaining two rolling around each other and diving and surfacing together calmly.
After that, we got to see some other whales breaching about 600 yards from us, but what kept us out late, was our end-of-the-trip encounter with a Mom/Calf/Escort pod. Baby was acting out on the surface, and we just couldn’t bear to drive away from his hyperactive shenanigans.
Mahalo,
Claire
Ocean Sports Whale Fact of the Day: In the early part of the 19th century, whales were hunted for more than just their blubber (which was used primarily as lamp oil). The meat was used mainly for fertilizer, the baleen was used for umbrella and corset stays, and their organs were processed to extract vitamins.