I just dont know what other title i could put for this post, this is my whale post, my incredible encounter, close encounter!!!      This is how it started, a family, off in the distance, photo taken with my zoom lens at 400. I counted 4 whales, one a very big fellow. (or lady).         They were busy feeding and i didnt think they would come closer, but that voice in my head told me to stay put, i was perched up at the bow, as high as i could get.    So i waited……..They dove, tails showing, which means a deep dive.        I took a deep breath, oh well, maybe we would see them again further down.      But, i stayed put……..

And here they were, right next to the boat!!!!     i never thought to change the setting on the lens, my heart just jumped , so did i !!!!    Bert, Bert!!! whales!!!!     Poor Bert had seen them alright, he veered off to Starboard, as three of them now surfaced right next to Curtsy!!!       i could have touched them!!!

The biggest one, which must be a female, kept coming up, looking at us, and i just could not contain my excitement, my heart just filled with the joy of seeing these magnificent animals , never once did i think that they might hit us, or bump the boat.    I think Bert did have that thought……

These photos are close up, yes, i could not possibly change my lens, they would have been gone, funny thing is that the zoom lens at 400 setting, NEVER operates like this, it was set on Automatic, and the only way to take them is put the setting on manual.  I did change to 200, as that is all i could do.

One of them started to dive, right in front of our bow, the smaller one followed , then the biggest dove right in front of me!!    What a tail!!!

What a magnificent sight!!      needless to say, to continue this trip, after the accident , was so meant to be!!        This encounter with them, to have them so close, made it all okay for me, i felt so immensely grateful, what a day!!!

I saw one of them dive further away, tail waving, as if to say “SO LONG”!!!