In spite of yesterday's gray skies, drizzle and rocky seas, the Prince of Whales and her passengers- hearty students from the Charter School, and a group of staff from the Seacoast Science Center, were happy to find two very cooperative fin whales!The second of the two whales really gave us a surprise. At first, this large whale was only spending about 3-4 minutes underwater. It surfaced fairly close to us once, and turned toward our bow as we idled nearby. The huge whale swam close to us before diving, almost like it was doing some "people watching"! Then it disappeared for about 12 minutes. Where did it go?? Fin whales can move quickly, so within that amount of time, it could easily be out of our range. But then we spotted it, only about a half mile away. As we slowly approached, the whale submerged and was no where to be seen.....until......PPPPSSSSHHHHHH!!!
The fin whale blew right next to the boat, surprising not only myself but our interns, Philip and Kirstin, and our crew! The beauty of a graceful fin whale always amazes me, but when they approach so closely, so stealthy, so unassuming, I am again reminded of their immense size and power and place on the planet.
(Fin whale #0407- seen in 2004 and 2007)
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