Humpback Whales

On our whale watching trip yesterday, we were allegedly out to see gray whales which are migrating this time of year from Alaska to Baja. Thankfully, we saw some other kinds of whales. It turns out gray whales don't do much of anything. They slide up to the surface, blow and then slide back down into the deep. Humpback whales, on the other hand (fin?), are lots more fun*.

We watched a pair of humpback whales play on the surface for quite a while. Sometimes they poked their noises out of the water to check things out, sometimes they rolled around and waved their fins in the air and whenever they dived, you got a great view of their massive tails.

I think this one was on a people-watching trip. The naturalist on the boat called this breaching, but there wasn't the kind of massive splash you normally associate with Shamu breaching.

I wanted to throw them some food after this one waved at us with its fin. It was like a Sea World performance. Only with a lot bigger tank for the whales.

Here, the whales were practicing their synchronized swimming. I certainly hope the pool at the next Olympics is big. Really big.

* - If you are throwing a party, always invite the humpback whales if you get a chance. They will mingle well with the other guests. Gray whales will just sit in a corner, nursing drinks and looking painfully awkward.