Thursday, 24 July (in Kenosha, WI):
Had a great first day of Whale Watching - saw about a half dozen, but none we could swim with.
The camera has to dry out after rinsing before I can upload any photos or sounds - I recorded some whale singing. Met four Kiwi's who were over here sport fishing and had a day off, so we decided to go whale watching. Picked them up at the Tongan Beach Resort (the place I move to on the 28th). Also did some snorkeling on a reef.
Whale Back
Thar She Blows!
Whale is diving - I shot just a scootch too early to get the tail fluke
Yesterday was a beautiful day for a boat ride. The bay was like glass and the air temp was 78°F. Water temp cool but not cold. I was comfortable in my heavy diveskin, but if I get a chance to go in the water with a whale, I will wear my 3-mil wetsuit, too, as just floating for up to half an hour can get pretty chilly.
We can't dive down at the whales, but can swim toward them from the front, and mostly just float and bask in the experience. Only four people & a Kite (guide) are in the water for a time and there's a 1.5-hour limit on a boat's interaction with the whales so they don't get too stressed.
It's difficult to get a picture of a whale breach, as the time it takes a to see the breach, press the shutter, have the camera caluclate the focus and exposure means you almost have to be psychic to get a good above-water shot.
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