Whales again

Since my posting on the 20th, there have been whales on our little bit of coast just about every day.

This chap came in really close today - the kelp in the foreground shows how close he was. I guess the water is only 5m-6m deep.

He is upside down basking in the spring sunshine in this pic. When they are the right way up, it's interesting to hear them exhale - a great blast of expelled air. What you'd expect if you stopped to think about it, but surprising anyway. Occasionally, if the breeze is blowing in the right direction, you can even get a very maritime whiff of stale plankton-y breath.

Thank goodness they don't have teeth and plaque ;-)

Nikon D2x 500mm Reflex Nikkor