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2:30 am February 27^th… Second to last 1am to 1pm shift and I’m haggard from sacrificing so much sleep this week on account of amazing whale sightings. This past trip has really given me an entirely new appreciation of both the immensity and splendor of whales. Three days in Particular are worthy of mention:

2/21/10 7:45 a.m. 5 miles SE of Isla Carmen a naturalist spotted a very large blow in the distance coming from what could only be a blue whale. Captain altered the course a few degrees in order to pursue, which was our main objective that morning; “cruising for blue whales” as posted on the morning half of the days itinerary. Prior to this blow we had only had one sighting of Blues to date, and knew they can be tricky. Not only do they tend to stay down for 8-9 minutes at a time, they don’t always follow a linear path. You would think that the largest animal to have ever lived would be easier to spot, but when compared to the vastness of the ocean this is not the case. Fellow deckhand Ian and I were up on the top deck chatting away, doubtful of a close view when all of a sudden there was a blow only 200 yards off our port beam. The time between the blow and the whale disappearing below the surface was obviously much longer than typical whale sightings. We thought that was our only opportunity until it came up again still heading in our direction, and then again. The third time it couldn’t have been further than 90-100 yds out and its true size became apparent. All we could really do was laugh in shock from the phenomena we were witnessing. Three close sightings of a mammal that can weigh up to 200 tons (growing 200 pounds a day) and reach a length of 105ft, right before our eyes. Guests are paying $1000.00 a day and here we are getting paid for such a sighting.

2/23- 6:55-8:30 a.m- La Fortuna / Gorda Banks- Humpback world-

I awoke this morning in a great mood for the fact that it was not only my dads birthday, but because he and my stepmother were coming by the San Jose Marina to hang out with me for a few hours. I easily got through the early hours of the morning with the thought of seeing family after a few months of being at sea. One of my morning chores as the sun is rising is to polish the brass bell found at the bow of the Sea Bird. When I arrived a handful of guests and naturalists were already perched on the deck in anticipation of a breaching humpback, which is a common occurrence in the specific area. No less than five minutes later I heard some screams and a splash. A full-grown humpback had breached around 100 yards off the bow! Usually when we see a breaching whale so close, it is the last time before they are spooked and we don’t get another sighing as close. This was not the case today. This particular whale wanted to put on a show for us and continued to do so for 30 minutes. His act included tail lobbing, pectoral fin slapping, and a breach every 4-5 minutes. The show was spectacular, but what really made it so memorable was a radiant pinkish/ orange sunrise as the backdrop! As the wind picked up, so did the waves; resulting in the loss of a couple of glasses and a batch of pancake batter in the Galley. Captain decided that we had to move on despite such a receptive whale. Just as we kicked out of neutral, the whale gave us a farewell breach no less than 100 ft away off the starboard quarter. I had never seen a breacher at this distance, and it was almost scary. A 45 ft 40/50 ton animal flying out of the water directly in front of you, can be quite startling. Everyone who saw it was screaming in both shock and joy. It was the epitome of a “jaw dropping” experience. Amazing! I didn’t have my new camera until 3 hours after once I meet up with my dad, but for sure the next time we are in the area, it will be out and ready!

2/26- 1:45-3:30pm- Magdalena Bay- Tales of the Gray whale!

Yesterday, alone made the purchase of my new camera completely justifiable. As far as my encounters with wildlife go, this was the most amazing interaction I have ever had. For over a month now we have been taking guests on these gray whale adventures with touching one being the ultimate goal. Only a few have come back with huge smiles on their faces from a mother offering her curious new calf to the watchers in the zodiac. Yesterday however we encountered a friendly full grown gray. A 45 plus ft of whale coming up to the surface to be pet by the frantic hands is something I never expected to be so powerful. First off, just watching it approach and come under the small crew panga we were in was a little nerve whacking. With one violent whip of its tail we could easily be sent flying into the water, but that was not the case. This whale was incredible and quite intrigued by the collection of 5 boats loaded from guests from all over the world who had come with hopes of finding it. The Zodiacs each had 8-10 guests in them and the local pangas each contained 4-8 guests. Our Panga, organized by Captain Cay had a driver, 3 other crew and myself in it. With the whale being so friendly, everyone was ecstatic causing all the boats to cluster up into one huge mess of competing hands to touch this massive creature. Our driver however, was a badass and knew that the whale would get annoyed with all the chaos, so he positioned us a little outside the nonsense which proved to be exactly where the whale kept coming once frustrated with everyone else. This allowed me to touch it on 3 different occasions and get some amazing photos. The highlight however was the whale coming up under the Panga to scratch its barnacles! It shifted us back and forth, and could have easily taken us wherever it wanted and definitely was capable of tossing us into the water. In the end we had a mutualistic relationship in which the keel of the panga scratched its back, while it posed for amazing photos, and allowed us to rub our hands across its rubbery skin. I can’t explain how insane this day was, but I can assure you that it was quite euphoric! Viva la Ballena Gris!!!!