Tuesday 6 August 2019

Humpback Whale

Last weekend I went on (another) whale watching trip, based out of San Remo in Victoria.

This time we found a whale!

After about 40 minutes of searching we cam upon this youthful - not full grown according to the crew - and energetic Humpback Whale.

Although I have seen whales in the past, my views have been limited to tails and few fins.  This whale put on a wonderful display of breaching and pectoral fin slaps.  At one stage the whale breached close to the boat - but of course I was on the other side, although I did manage to see it crashing back into the water.

Fast focus and burst mode were the order of the day.  I have to say, that this was a pretty special experience.























At one point, while the whale was slapping its pectoral fins, the boat engines were turned off - I was great to be able to hear the amount of noise that this behaviour creates.  Just wonderful.

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  SM

21 comments:

  1. OMG..I am so envious..I am much more a sea and water fan than a bird watcher..Those are wonderful shots..I have always found it hard to take pictures at a time like that..I would much rather just observe but the pictures are amazing..SO happy that he wanted to put on a show for you...Like the picture of him waving to you..Fantastic experience and photos...

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  2. PS..I just went back and looked at them enlarged..You actually got a bird in one of them..The one where he is waving at you..Always true to the" flying feathers.".

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  3. Hari OM
    Astounding sight... they take the breath away with their majesty, do they not, such moments? YAM xx

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  4. Outstanding, Stewart. Seeing whales is always a grand experience.

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  5. Outstanding post Stewart,fantastic images,once in a life time for some people.
    John.

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  6. Wow, magnificent photos Stewart! Lucky you! What a fantastic animal to get to see and photograph.

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  7. You lucky man!! Seeing the whales is one of the reasons I loved going to Maui. Thousands of humpbacks breed and give birth there in the triangle between Maui, Molokai and Lanai islands. Sometimes you see them breaching whichever way you look. If you've never done that, a trip during the winter in Hawaii (Dec-March) would be a thrill.

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  8. You got some great shots Stewart! I love whale watching! I've been very fortunate to see whales bubble feeding several times on two different whale watching experiences...it's fascinating!

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  9. I have seen them off the South African coast. They are just amazing. Great photos. Thanks for sharing, Diane

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  10. One of the greatest thrills of my life was watching humpbacks put on a show off the east coast of Newfoundland.

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  11. Wow! Fantastic! What a wonderful experience!

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  12. Great breaching shots Stewart. I have been twice out of Harvey Bay, QLD and both times it nearly brought me to tears to see these magnificent creatures in the ocean.

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  13. A breathtaking experience, indeed!
    Thanks for sharing with us.

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  14. How exciting! Great shots! I too have only seen tails and fins (mostly tails).

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  15. Awesome whale photos! !!

    Happy Day to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  16. You were rewarded with great photos. What an experience.

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  17. My goodness, what a beauty! I can imagine the adrenaline rush watching the whale putting on a show.

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