We had two superb whale sightings in addition to pilot whales. A couple of days out and this torpedo shape appeared. It was probably four – five metres long and came right alongside. Close enough for us to very clearly identify the species using our Dorling Kindersley handbook of whales and dolphins. It was a false killer whale. They have slightly bent flippers which is unique. We were delighted to read that they are classified as rare so we feel very lucky.
There she blows….
Towards the end of the passage we were just coming to the end of several hours spent setting up a different sail plan to make the best of a change in the wind….. and then deciding to go back to how we had it in the first place when Mike spotted something in the water. If we had not spent all that time changing sails Mike would not have been out on deck and this chap would have slipped past without us noticing. Mind you, it was 10 – 12 metres long, at least, so there was a lot to notice. That said it is a bit difficult to photograph because it is never all out of the water at the same time. |
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We noticed it seemed to have a hump so that was a bit of a clue when we looked at the book! A humpback. Wow, also classed as rare. |
This picture give a sense of how much of it is under water. Note the blow on the left then the hump in the middle and then the disturbed water all the way to the right.
One of the distinguishing features is the shape of the blow which along with the hump means we are sure of our identification. |
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