As I’m traveling, I hope this gets posted on Sunday, the traditional day for photos from John Avise. Today John continues with his series on whales; his captions and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.
Whale-watching, Part 2. Other Whales
Last week I showed my photos of the Blue Whale, which is a big draw for whale-watchers in Southern California. This week presents my photos of three other whale species that occasionally can be seen in these coastal waters. It’s hard to get good photos of these beasts because the boat is moving and the animals typically appear only briefly on the ocean’s surface before diving. But at least these photos give a realistic glimpse of what you are likely to see on a whale-watching trip. The experienced guides on the boats can readily identify each species by subtle features such as the placement of the dorsal fin, the shape of the fluke, or the particular appearance of the spout.
Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus:
Fin Whale closer up:
Fin Whale, dorsal fin:
Gray Whale, Eschrichtius robustus:
Gray Whale fluke:
Gray Whale spout:
Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae:
Humpback Whale, closer up:
Humpback Whale, dorsal fin:
Yeah – if you’ve gone on a whale watch, you’ll instantly grasp how great a sight these exquisite photos show – it’s unlike other RWP photos – or, perhaps these are all about experience, less about color, line, etc… and usually just a fraction of the animal… sometimes it matches up, like the landscapes and such where I can almost feel them (Janet? James Blilie? Sorry if the spelling is off)..
“Are you experienced?”
-Jimi Hendrix
Fantastic! I’ve seen Orcas (many times) and Fin whales (a couple of times) in the San Juan Islands. We could sometimes see Orcas from our house!
I have been whale watching from cape cod several times and the experienced guides always enable us to view whales (mostly humpbacks) feeding on the famous and rich menhaden schools there but the most exciting whale encounter I had was last summer just swimming off the south shore of Long Island and two whales (also humpbacks I think) were close enough to shore to easily be seen in what I assume was a feeding frenzy (breaching, flipping their tails, rolling). I was the only one at that part of the beach having gone for a long run away from the beach access and it really felt special.
You have seen a good diversity of whales and managed to photograph more than just their spouts… I’m very impressed!
At this very moment it happens that I’m in Anchorage looking for belugas….
Good luck on finding the belugas, and we’ll look forward to seeing your photos!
You had a lovely calm day for whale watching and got some wonderful shots, especially the blue whale blowhole in the last post. Painful though it may be, it is always best to go whale watching early in the morning before winds kick up and remember your anti-seasickness meds if you need them. Being seasick is miserable.
For a completely different whale watching experience, go to the Mexican lagoons where the grey whales calve. The whales really do come right over to the pangas, moms bringing their calves, to observe you up close while you’re observing them. If you’re in the right position in the panga, you may even get a chance to give them a rub. It’s a unique experience. Long ago I went on a trip from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on a charter fishing boat type vessel (pre-digital photo days). These are not cruise ships. Cabins have bunks stacked three high and enough floor space for two standing people, but there are only about 25 guests onboard. In the Pacific it’s a little rough but we stopped at the San Benitos Islands to see elephant seals, sea lions and Juan Fernandez fur seals, then several days with the grey whale in the lagoons, then into the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) for sperm whales, fin whales, dolphins bow riding in bioluminescent waters at night, snorkeling with playful sea lions at Los Islotes, and for a finale a couple humpbacks put on a spectacular show breaching and fluke and tail slapping for a couple hours right off of Cabo San Lucas. You have to fly home. They don’t let you take the boat back to San Diego. Beating north in the Pacific is a pounding experience I’ve had on much bigger ships. Your pillow doesn’t go under your head, it goes between your head and the wall. I’m sure this is also when the crew cleans the boat.
I’m certainly not positive, but picture # 5 looks more like humpback flukes than grey whale flukes to me.
I certainly don’t know, so you may well be right on the fluke ID. I’m just going by what the guide told us. I’ve never been to the Mexican lagoons, but have certainly read about the wonderful experiences possible there with gray whales.