Watching gannets

A back-blip for the 'diving gannets' boat trip from Bridlington on Saturday.
We had a beautiful day for it. This was a trip that I'd originally booked last year; it got postponed then, because the sea was too rough on the day to take the small boat out. The trips are organised by 'Yorkshire Coast Nature', and this one was specifically for photographers.  'Chumming' is used to attract gannets, in particular - i.e. throwing dead fish from the boat, which the birds dive to retrieve.

What a treat. We were out for around 5 hours, in a largely calm sea. For once, on the Yorkshire coast, the challenge was to avoid sunburn, rather than to avoid hypothermia :-)   We sailed out of Bridlington harbour and around to Bempton Cliffs, watching seals and various seabirds on the way. A little way out from the cliffs, the chumming session began and this meant an opportunity to see the gannets really close-up.  They are spectacular divers, shooting into the water at speeds of up to 60 mph, becoming pale streaks under the waves.

After a while we all began to slow down with the frantic shutter-clicking, and just enjoyed the spectacle.