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October 08, 1987 - On the Whale WatchPage SA/The Suffolk Tim_ .es /OctgbQr 8, 1987 On the Whale Watch By PAUL STOUTENBURGH This is the last bit about our trip along the Maritime Provinces, and like the dessert of a good meal, we left the best for last. We kept a log of the trip to be duplicated for all aboard and now will share a bit of that with you as we thrilled to the sight of those beautiful creatures, the whales: Our first sighting was an elusive whale that must have been moving from one area to another for it was hard to keep up with. When we did get close enough to identify it, we found it to be the blue whale, the largest animal that lives on earth. What a beautiful sight it was as we looked down from the upper decks into the water below to see this beau- tiful, long, sleek, blue (blue under the water) whale. It was estimated to be about 75 feet long. Records go over 100. We were now keyed for whale watching. Rain had come and gone but the wind blew stronger from behind us; so we steamed ahead with a following sea. Itwas a satisfying day and one we'd all remcrnber. Sept. 15: La Have Basin As predicted by the weather sta- tion at Sable Island we had strong winds which gave us a rather rough night but by morning the winds had subsided and fog moved in. This lasted only a short while and soon the crisp northwest wind cleared the air and the ship was ready for another day of whale watching. About 9 a.m. we saw our first spout and the captain did his best to get close but this whale was moving. Every once in a while we'd get a glimpse of its shiny back and fin that identified it as a fin whale. This whetted our appetite and by now the rails were lined with passengers with binoculars and cameras ready for the next whale to appear. Again we heard a call "11 o'clock" and the captain maneuvered the ship to get in close. This time it paid off for the whale now paralleled us and rose and blew right alongside. "Oohs" and "aahs" almost like watching fireworks filled the air. How sleek and long the fin whales are. From then on it was a continual game of hide - and -seek. About 11:30 the most spectacular view of all oc- curred when two fin whales ran up to the ship and surfaced, blowing time and time again between their dives. We could see plainly the white markings on the right side of the long mouth and streamlined body, so characteristic of this species. The weather was clear but brisk and many lounged around on deck chairs. The ever - present shearwaters and occasional fulmars worked over the water letting us know there were fish below. We even had an imma- ture gannet join in at one time. After lunch the captain headed for Baccaro Bank where he felt right whales might be found. By three in the after- noon, the first spout was seen, but this whale didn't cooperate so we kept going. Now we started to see three -- four spouts on the horizon at one time and the captain, of course, moved the ship in towards them. Whale Fever Whale fever was everywhere. People scurried about. First on the bridge, then below. First one side, Focus on Nature then the other. By now, whales were so close you didn't even need binocu- lars. Cameras clicked and hands fumbled to change film. At one time four right whales could be seen in the camera's viewfinder. Excitement ran high as more and more spouts were seen. Still the captain moved on, hop- ing for better things to come. Often we'd slow down to watch the right whales feeding all about the ship. Time flew and hours seemed like mi- nutes. There was never a time that whales were out of sight. How beau- tiful their bodies slid into the water and often, like waving goodbye to a friend, the tail would come out and then slip into the deep. Our last spectacular view of this most endangered species of whale came about 1700 hours when a pod of whales was spotted about two miles ahead. Spouts and tails could be seen through our binoculars and once again the people rallied to the rails in anticipation of seeing these handsome animals. We were not dis- appointed for we had five or six right below us. The camera lens couldn't take them all in at one shot. We saw them in every conceivable position, first their big mouths and bumpy heads, their smooth glistening backs, minus a fin which is characteristic of the right whale and then the big, black tail that always implied the finale of the show. Then there'd be nothing left but a footprint in the water, a smooth circle designating their descent. The whole afternoon was spent under a perfectly clear sky. The winds had dropped off and we had whales galore. It didn't seem possible we had spent the whole af- ternoon in such splendor. As the sun started to set we said goodbye to those marvelous creatures and turned our backs on the sea. Our day was complete. A more perfect whale - watching day would be hard to im- agine... Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh RIGHT WHALE -- With only a few hundred of these robust whales left in the northwestern Atlantic, we considered it a special day when they performed for us alongside our ship. At one time we saw eight spouts on the horizon around us. Eye -to -Eye Goodbye One last incident I'd like to relay to you. Another good day with the right whales was when we loaded the zodiacs (rubber boat$) overside and a few bold adventurers put forth to get closer to these great whales. We had watched this particular group for perhaps an hour and, as we moved up to them, they seemed to care less about our presence. They were in a slow feeding pat- tern, three abreast. As we ap- proached, at a very slow speed, we could hear their loud puffs of air as they surfaced and blew their v- shaped plume of spray in the air. At one time we got so close I had to change my telephoto lens to a stan- dard lens. Up they'd some -- blow -- and then down -- they'd disappear. Just before and after they surfaced, we could see their huge body outlines in the clear water below. At one point we got so close I had a feeling our eyes met as I looked at the big, dark eye moving by. What a thrill to be amongst such giants. By now the sun was lower and fog started to settle in over the water. A chill was in the air and so we thought it would be wise to head back to the waiting ship. One last wave of a large black fluke and they were gone. We had been privileged to look into just a tiny fragment of their lives but that frag- ment would long be remembered by those who watched in awe these most splendid creatures. 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