A (True) Tale of Whales
Updated: 2 hours ago
I always knew I would be excited if I ever got to see a whale. I had no idea that the power of smell would be part of the sensory experience...
It truly was an emotional-sensory experience from beginning to end: visiting with my niece and getting to see Humpback Whales with Petit Passage Whale Watch in the Bay of Fundy.
There was the bone-deep excitement in advance that I might get to see a Humpback Whale. (This has been a strong desire since my teenage years of John Denver songs and Green Peace ethos that has transformed to a nature-loving, conservation-mindedness creation-care...)
Then there was the internal stillness and calm that what I'd long-hoped to see was actually right there. (Have you felt that before -- that deep-calm in response to an excitement? It's counter-intuitive, isn't it?) Some call it awe. Some call it wonder. Whichever, this was real and true and happening right now.
Too, there was the awareness of personal smallness. The massive size of the Humpback Whale's 46-56 feet was reiterated as the guide reminded us that we were only ever seeing 1/3 of the whale at any given time as it surfaced. (We never saw one breech.)
How incredible it was to witness as the Humpback Whale arched its dorsal before its
fluke came completely out of the water...the enormous breadth of the tail then sinking
below the water's surface as the great mammal dove down again.
Then there were the physical-sensory experiences, all of which play into my memory as I write:
The sound of the water as the boat cut through the waves and created its own wake;
The feel of the breeze against my skin depending on the boat's speed and direction and the actual movement of the wind itself;
The sound of the boat captain's voice, "To the right! I see a whale!" followed by the movement of the passengers to the starboard side of the craft.
The sight of the brilliant white of the Humpback Whale's pectoral fin as the great creature rolled to its side. That fin was displayed like an enormous flag that was stiff and upright. The boat headed in that direction.
The white pectoral fin of the Humpback Whale can be 15 feet long. Then, there was the smell. Eeeewww. This one is difficult to describe, and certainly not possible in nice terms. Every time there was the excitement of seeing the whale exhale through its blowhole and watching as a plume of water shot up and sprayed out, it was quickly followed by a HORRIBLE stench: the smell of 3,000 pounds of digesting, raw sea creatures that are the whale's meal each day.
I was getting to see and experience these incredible whales in their natural setting...another small glimpse into the enormity and beauty of the natural world. It was a time of seeing, experiencing, learning*, and being...a closer look I hope I never forget.
*Did you know that the underside of a Humpback Whale's flukes are completely different one-from-another (like a human fingerprint)? Individual whales can be identified and tracked based on different fluke characteristics. You can read about it here.
Thank you for reading! This post was written and photographed by Susanne Swing Thompson. I send a Saturday nature email called "A Closer Look" that is simply one of my nature photos and a short bit of original writing (much briefer than this post). If you would like to receive it (it's free), please subscribe here. Or, visit my website to explore other blogs, photos, and my Shop where I sell nature greeting cards, note cards, books, calendars, etc., all featuring my photography.
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