...whale!
finally we have arrived in dominica--and by all accounts, the whale watching place of the caribbean--the water is ideal for their purposes and the abundance of food is what brings them here. dolphins also frequent these waters and today did not disappoint.
finally we have arrived in dominica--and by all accounts, the whale watching place of the caribbean--the water is ideal for their purposes and the abundance of food is what brings them here. dolphins also frequent these waters and today did not disappoint.
honestly, the chance to observe whales/dolphins and to see the vast amazon, were the two big deals for me on this journey. our day started out a bit slow with procedural delays caused by immigration. but maybe, had we not been delayed, we would not have found ourselves in the midst of three sperm whales. sperm whales are some of the largest whales on earth. dwarfed by the blue whale which we have learned is the biggest of all whales. perhaps the biggest mammal on earth if i recall correctly.
dominica, the island itself, is in fact the result of volcanic activity. in 1998, Morne Trois Pitons National Park was named by UNESCO as a world heritage site. the park includes: five volcanoes, three lakes, and more than 50 hot springs. we were told that the highest peak on dominica measure 3,000 ft and in addition, that the depth of the sea surrounding the mountain is equal.
our boat operator and his assistant were proficient in their duties and even managed to attend to such pedestrian matters such as refreshments all the while searching for whales that we might observe. their boat was equipped with a device that was lowered into the waters so that they could detect where whales might be. an unfair advantage for humans--but, in this case, i couldn't have been happier that they had "good" vibes.
another good indicator of whales being in the area--the other boats were charging ahead as if they were driving on solid ground. the boats have to work very hard to catch up to the whales and dolphins. though the dolphins came close, very close to the boat. almost like a dog-sled they escorted us through the waters.
suddenly we see "spouts"; small disturbances on the waters surface. oh boy! we see the water being sprayed up through the whales blowhole. it is beyond thrilling.
our experts tell us that they believe the whales we are seeing to be female because their "spray" was smaller. additionally, they make an entirely different level of noise than the males. the males make a louder sound that can be detected by their equipment.
we get closer and finally, we are able to see part of the body of this great giant. try as i did, i doubt i get a clear shot of the beautiful creature. and there is very little time to recalibrate and try again. suffice to say, my eyes will serve as the best camera i could have.
quickly, the time at the surface for this whale has passed and now it is time to go back below. their bodies are engineered in such a way that they can remain submerged for up to an hour or more. although we are not fortunate enough to observe a full breach, the body dips down into a diving position and before you know it, the tail makes an appearance. we get to see a real whale in the wild, and its perfect "fluke".
so exhilarating was this that i could have easily have spent the entire day on the water. just waiting for additional sightings if only that were possible. we were lucky though. we saw three of these "godesses". i feel very happy ... this was something i have longed to do and to see, for a very long, long time.
Travel is ninety percent anticipation and ten percent recollection - Edward Streeter
our boat operator and his assistant were proficient in their duties and even managed to attend to such pedestrian matters such as refreshments all the while searching for whales that we might observe. their boat was equipped with a device that was lowered into the waters so that they could detect where whales might be. an unfair advantage for humans--but, in this case, i couldn't have been happier that they had "good" vibes.
another good indicator of whales being in the area--the other boats were charging ahead as if they were driving on solid ground. the boats have to work very hard to catch up to the whales and dolphins. though the dolphins came close, very close to the boat. almost like a dog-sled they escorted us through the waters.
suddenly we see "spouts"; small disturbances on the waters surface. oh boy! we see the water being sprayed up through the whales blowhole. it is beyond thrilling.
our experts tell us that they believe the whales we are seeing to be female because their "spray" was smaller. additionally, they make an entirely different level of noise than the males. the males make a louder sound that can be detected by their equipment.
we get closer and finally, we are able to see part of the body of this great giant. try as i did, i doubt i get a clear shot of the beautiful creature. and there is very little time to recalibrate and try again. suffice to say, my eyes will serve as the best camera i could have.
quickly, the time at the surface for this whale has passed and now it is time to go back below. their bodies are engineered in such a way that they can remain submerged for up to an hour or more. although we are not fortunate enough to observe a full breach, the body dips down into a diving position and before you know it, the tail makes an appearance. we get to see a real whale in the wild, and its perfect "fluke".
so exhilarating was this that i could have easily have spent the entire day on the water. just waiting for additional sightings if only that were possible. we were lucky though. we saw three of these "godesses". i feel very happy ... this was something i have longed to do and to see, for a very long, long time.
Travel is ninety percent anticipation and ten percent recollection - Edward Streeter
