I had been out on a catamaran cruise around the West coast of Mauritius with clients when our captain received a call that there had been a whale sighting just a
little ahead of where we were cruising. Our catamaran sped through the
waters and soon enough I managed to catch sight of the tail of the
whale
I can't begin to even describe just how exhilarating it felt to be able
to see .. I mean actually 'see' a live whale right before my eyes ...
here was this mammoth size mammal that was at one point towards the
brink of extinction that has since slightly recovered due to the
introduction of a whaling moratoriums in 1996.
So here's this amazing mammal quite literally swimming circles around four catamarans
and a speed boat ....until finally the whale has managed to surface in
between the four catamarans giving all us wide-eyed passengers the
ultimate photo opportunity !
"The
humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral
fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching (throwing two thirds or more of their bodies out of the water and splashing down on their backs) and slapping the water."
fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching (throwing two thirds or more of their bodies out of the water and splashing down on their backs) and slapping the water."
Since it was my first ever whale sighting here are a few things I noticed
about this whale ...this one probably wasn't a full grown whale (but
then again - as if I would know this !!), it had a relatively stocky
body, with very obvious whitish bumps near the head.
The curious creature that I am - I turned to the google for all my answers ... I just wanted to know everything there was to
know about these mammals :) So the knobs which I saw are actually on
the head and lower jaw and are known as 'tubercles', which are actually
'hair follicles' and are a characteristic of the species.
Consider this ... thanks to Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and National
Geographic - we, as a population are increasingly aware of the various
species of animals and marine life that are currently existent ... and
I can bet that a relatively high percentage of those who watch these
channels would want to actually 'see' these magnificent creatures up,
close and personal.
Now most of us will at some time or the other, be able to take a land /
jungle safari and therefore be able to perhaps do a 'walk with the big
cats' or do a drive through and look at the other wildlife on land.
However, to be amongst the larger marine mammals ... that's another
story altogether ! Yes, we can experience the underwater world by
snorkeling, and those more adventurous will go scuba diving ... and yet
the fear of the unknown world of sharks and whales is enough to make
even that percentile of the population think twice before taking a dive
into the deep blue !
I feel honoured that I have had the opportunity to cruise alongside this gentle giant of the seas and watch
it at it's playful best :)
