19.04.2021
After many hours on the water today, we unfortunately headed home without catching a glimpse of the main attraction, orca.
Although orca-less, our day certainly wasn’t without wildlife. Pilot Whales kept us entertained in the morning while we encountered energetic striped dolphins at midday and then a lone bull sperm whale in the afternoon.
Squalls of light rain whooshed past us, and on the horizon were more patches of this same weather. It provided an epic moody backdrop, with a waterspout appearing at one point! A waterspout is a vortex or column of water connecting the ocean to the clouds above. Basically like a mini cyclone. Ours juuuuust touched, enough for Machi to get a legendary photograph.
The highlight would have to be the striped dolphins. An easy 200 individuals were busting out of the surface, giving an appearance of boiling water! Every so often one particularly boisterous dolphin would propel itself easily 2 or so meters into the air! Wriggling it’s body for maximum hang time, it would “free Willy” back into the water almost 10 meters from take off. Like popcorn going off, they couldn’t be contained to their fluid home. Some even jumping higher than the shearwaters were flying!
We try again tomorrow where we will have a sunshine filled day!
