CLAPPING HANDS FOR WHALE
Having a humpback whale checking out the boat is something really special and amazing to watch, but having a humpback doing that on all my three trips the other day was something unbelievable and indescribable for me.
We had just left the harbour for our 12:00 o’clock trip on Faldur and only a few minutes later we saw the first blows in a short distance. Slowly we went closer to the area where we had spotted the whales’ breath to try to get a closer look at the animal when it would show up for breathing the next time. Suddenly the humpback whale itself started approaching the boat, swimming in circles around us, not even a meter away, staying just underneath the surface. Since the weather and sea conditions were excellent we were able to see its whole body while the whale was checking us out at the same time.
But it became even better. For a second the humpback disappeared and then it came up really slowly, but straight with its head out of the water, turning around and having a look at us and our boat. It kept on doing that for minutes. After a while it turned around and was now lying on its side, again watching us with its small eye. Everyone on board was speechless, some children were squealing out of excitement. For minutes it was impossible to say if we were the ones doing whale watching or if the whale was just doing something like human watching.
After more than 20 minutes the whale finally took a last deep breath before it went diving, raising its fluke out of the water when going down.
31 passengers on board started clapping their hands for the show of that humpback whale!
But also those passengers on the trip at 15:15 on Faldur and at 20:15 on our other boat Sylvía got an amazing show and an really acrobatic humpback whale, which was breaching for more than an hour, rolling around in the water, lying upside down on the surface while relaxing, slapping its flippers and tail on the surface.
On all three trips the passengers, but also me and the Captain, could not believe what we got to see, the tours where just indescribably amazing for everyone.
Guide Sarah Arndt
Below are some pictures Sarah took that day...
