Gerlache Strait |
Coordinates Unavailable |
So far on the trip the weather had been great (except for Hannah Point)
and each day of activity had been more exciting and spectacular than
the last. Every day I was convinced that there was no way to top what we
had just done, and every day I was proven wrong....
On our way to Cierva Cove we spotted a breaching humpback whale in the
distance. We were heading right towards it. Everyone swarmed to the
outside of the ship to get a better look. Let me tell you there is nothing
quite as profound a sight as watching a 45-ton whale propel itself almost
entirely out of the water, again and again.
It didn't matter that the ship was approaching the whale, in fact I think
the whale liked the audience. Everyone on board the ship cheered like mad
after every breach, and every breach got better and better. I couldn't
believe what an opportunity this was.
The humpback would take a couple of different surface breaths, then disappear
into a deep dive, and finally spring up out of the water hitting it with a
tremendous crash. I positioned my camera where I thought he would come out
and was right most of the time.
One time he went down and didn't come
back up. I retracted my camera in confusion -- where did it go? It
seemed to have disappeared for good when suddenly, just off the side of
the boat, it launched itself. I whirled around quickly to get whatever
shot I could. I got it, but I totally missed the second breach right
after that one -- it happened so close to the bow of the boat that I was
surprised nobody got wet.
The ship turned towards our destination and left the humpback whale to
continue its breaching. After we turned the whale gave 6 lunges in
a row, as if to say goodbye. We sailed away from the whale and the
setting sun to our next destination, an evening Zodiac cruise amongst
the giant icebergs of Cierva Cove.
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