Sunday, August 28

Today we were treated to plenty of sleek moving whales. This morning we saw 14 Minke whales and 6 Fin whales. This afternoon the wind increased, the waves formed and we checked out 2 Fin whales and even a couple quick looks at 2 Minke whales on the move. This morning we were surrounded by calm seas helping to provide a backdrop where any disturbance at the surface could be evidence of marine life being the cause of that disturbance. We began in an area where multiple Minke whales were around.

First whale of the day, a Minke whale

While moving around the area with the Minke whales a Fin whale appeared. Then another and another!

Fin whale spout

Some of our whales were behaving better than others so we spent time enjoying any whale that would appear and disappear all around us.

Bolshoi the Fin whale

Eventually we continued on, passed by more Minke whales, and then found ourselves in another area where 3 Fin whales were on the move.

Minke whale

Another Minke whale, another uniquely-shaped dorsal fin!

Minke whale in the foreground while a Fin whale spout is seen in the distance

Fin whale surfacing

It was a nice way to wrap up the trip especially when we saw a Blue shark briefly at the surface.

This afternoon we headed out to where we had luck with whales this morning. We started with a Minke whale but soon found ourselves waiting for another whale to surface close by. A Fin whale was moving in towards us. We ended up spending time with this whale steadily traveling along.

Fin whale at the surface

Fin whale dorsal fin

We got some fantastic looks at this whale even when it began to hold its breath for longer periods of time. Eventually we pressed on, passed another Minke whale and ended the day getting a few looks at a sneaky Fin whale. This whale was not arching its back. Instead, it would suddenly just disappear after getting a breath of air.

Fin whale moving away from us

Always amazing how quickly one of the second largest mammals on Earth can elude us in their watery world.