Friday, 8 August (in USA)
Saturday, 9 August (in TONGA)
Had a good ride with Whales in the Wild. Saw many whales, tried to swim with two, and came close, but no cigar! My photos were terrible - just a fraction of a second off with my camera and you don't get much. So here are some whale pictures and diving pictures from Thursday's trip [Thursday in TONGA; Wednesday in USA] with Dive Vava'u. I may experiment with sending a video - will see how that works from here.
The internet was down yesterday. I'm going to try sending this before I check out of the Paradise this a.m., if the internet is back up.
It wasn't; I am writing this from Mala Island Resort . . . very rustic . . . no ceiling fans, mosquito net and mosquitoes are bad here, even in the wind!
We watched several juvenile males roughhouse for "courting rights" for a female whale. They were jumping all over the place, piling on top of one
another, pushing and snorting. The female did some Tail Slaps to encourage them to try harder . . . apparently she wasn't impressed with their efforts.
Blank spaces are pictures that have not yet arrived]
PICT0002(0602) Spotted a pod of about five whales in front of Blue Lagoon Resort on Thursday 8-7-08
PICT0004(0604) Same pod; that's a tail -
whale is diving
PICT0005(0605) There are four whales in a row on the surface,
bulls pushing each other around like tag-team wrestlers
The female is doing a Tail Slap to remind the boys just what it is they are wrestling over
Upper right, one of the males is climbing over
the back of another; female spouting just to left
A clearer shot of a male riding the back of another,
spouting to the right
Nudibranch on coral
[See HERE for more info on Nudibranches]
Cluster of eggs;
I'll try to find out eggs of what and update you on that
This one might be better - the cluster is about 10" in diameter
Another Nudibranch
Saw this puffer fish and got pretty close before it woke up
This is the first purple brain coral I've ever seen
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