It was another great day on the water. With calm seas we set out in search of wildlife. The past week has been full of Humpback Whales so we were eager to see if we could find some more today.
As we ventured South of the Victoria Harbour we spotted some blows in the distance. We had arrived on scene with some Humpback Whales. As we watched we got a good look and some good photos of the tail of the whales. One was clearly identified as “Two Spot”. This was the same whale that approached our covered vessel, Marauder IV, yesterday (Check out the video here)! Humpbacks are identifiable as individuals by the markings on their tails, each spot and scar are as unique as a fingerprint.
Captain Yves got a great image of one of the Humpback’s rostrum (nose). The front of a Humpback is usually only visible for a second if at all. The whales usually break the waters surface with their blowholes, keeping their rostrum submerged. Seeing the rostrum was interesting as it gave a clear view of the many tubercles (bumps) on the whale. Inside each tubercle is a hair, like a permanent ‘goose bump’. Hair is one characteristic of mammals, in addition to milk production and warm bloodedness. The presence of hair on whales is a remnant of their evolutionary past as land based mammals.
We finished our tour by exploring Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. There we saw Harry the Sea Otter as well as some Harbour Seals. What a wonderful day on the water with so much wildlife.
Check out our Facebook album for more photos from today’s tours.