Right Whales 66:10.7N 23:02W
Millybrown
Mark Hillmann
Fri 11 Jul 2008 19:27
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We were with
right whales today, or perhaps bowheads, (the greenland right
whale), getting as close as 20m.
They surface and blow 5 to 7 times,
swimming slowly and then the back comes higher and the flukes go
up as they dive.
 This one was a long way off as we first
saw them, but you can clearly see the blow.
We heard it first in calm weather with
the engine stopped.
You then look hard to see the
whale.
 A lot of pictures were taken to get the
classic tail shot
 This one was a long way off but has it got
weed on the tips?
 This pair we followed for over an hour as
they surfaced close together every 5 or 10 minutes.
They were a similar size, not obviously mother
and child.
When we motored towards them they seemed to ignore
us.
The lump at the front is the back end of their
head, which is about 1/3 of their length.
Another 1/3 along is the pectoral fin so they
are three times longer than they appear here.
Not that you can judge, as we didn't send
a swimmer for perspective, but pretty big...
We were in Isafjord, 130m deep, which counts
as inshore for whales, it is the area for right whales whereas fin
whales like deeper water.
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