Sunday, February 23, 2025

Sperm Whale video


 We were in the San Jose channel and there were a few blue whales around, but it was about time to start doing the morning talks and go inside, except we saw a blow that looked funny.  When it fluked we decided to wait for it to come up again, but it took 20 minutes, and then we had a really good idea that it was not a humpback.  When it came up we had some looks at it as it breathed a lot, something like 10-15 times, then it was down again, and the third surfacing we ended up reasonably close to it and I got this video.  The sea state was kindy bumpy, but I'm on the ship, so its more smooth than in a skiff.  

There is a cookie cutter shark bite in the tail, and I think a scar from entanglement in a net or fishing line, like a long line, on the right side fluke.  I wonder if this whale was poaching fish from lines off southeast alaska at one time.  I have heard they used to do that a lot.  

Its also amazing, the wrinkles on the body.  A beautiful animal.

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