The Happy Whale

The Happy Whale, Melchoir Islands (*occured on 2/18*)
The Historian has spotted a humpback whale closer to the opening of the Drake Passage. The Team Leader, speaks into a two-way radio and veers the zodiac in that direction. Along the way the dorsal of a Minke Whale and her baby is spotted. The ocean shines like mercury, the sky clear blue. To the left and right are white jagged mountain ranges.

A few zodiacs are seen in the distance and between them, above the water, surfaces a heart shaped tail. The humpback whale. The Team Leader silences the motor and we paddle towards the great mammal.

Spray pressures upward from the whale's blowhole, a deep bellow is heard. It pokes its knobbly head above the surface, slaps the water with its flippers, rolls in front of and under our zodiac, rising the question of whether our small floating device would be flipped over. The massive creature visits each of the surrounding zodiacs leaving behind a fishy smell. It seems as though this whale is playing with us and I'd like to think it's singing a song while smiling.


to give perspective on proximity - the black on the left bottom corner is the edge of our zodiac




To give an idea of the size of these creatures -

At the precise moment after a passenger on the zodiac says, okay, I think he's done playing there is a thunderous sound of the sea forced upwards and with it the great white belly of the humpback whale, in air, breaching. A momentary pause, eyes wet, a shudder through my chest. Amazing, intensely. The happy whale makes people cry.