How many endangered right whales can you spot in this image?

Experts in Georgia explain why North Atlantic right whales are so difficult to spot, and why boaters should exercise caution.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Monday asked social-media followers: “Where’s the whale?”

The quiz is part of an effort to explain why critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are difficult to spot and why boaters should exercise extreme caution with the mammals present for the winter calving season.

But there are actually three adult female right whales in the image shared by the Georgia DNR (and posted above and immediately below). Can you spot all three whales? (Answer at the bottom of this post.)

Can you spot the right whales in this image? Photo: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

The Georgia DNR explained the visibility issue in a news release and via its blog: “Although they can be as big as a school bus, North Atlantic right whales do not have a dorsal fin and their profile is usually low in the water.

“In the Southeast, which is where pregnant females migrate to from New England and Canadian waters each winter to give birth, they also spend much of their time at or just below the surface.

“This is especially true for mothers and calves, because calves are unable to dive for long and their moms keep them close during this vulnerable time for the young.”

Vessel strikes are a leading cause of death for North Atlantic right whales. And because there are only about 370 whales left, including a mere 70 breeding-age females, every life counts.

Interestingly, the waters off Georgia, the Carolinas, and northern Florida are the species’ only known calving grounds.

As for the quiz, the three whales are circled in the image posted below.

Hard-to-spot right whales are circled. Photo: Georgia Department of Natural Resources

The Georgia DNR explained that the image was captured by a research crew with a permit to be within 100 yards of the mammals.

The DNR stated: “The photo illustrates what a challenge it can be to spot these whales on the open water. But being vigilant and going slow can provide boaters time to react.

“Collisions have not only killed and injured right whales, they have caused extreme damage to vessels and put people at risk.”

The calving season runs from November through April. Boaters are urged to follow guidelines for Navigating in Right Whale Waters.

Boating safety tips for smooth sailing

Keep your trip above board.

Cool water is a great relief as summer heats up. So, many people take to the rivers, lakes, and oceans on all sorts of vessels. While this usually results in a fun day out, never underestimate the power of water. Accidents happen. Fortunately, a little preparation and education can minimize risks for you, your friends, your family, and your water-loving pets. Here’s what you need to know, with tips and accident stats from the U.S. Coast Guard and other venerable bodies. Whether you’re piloting a motorboat, pontoon boat, canoe, or kayak, reduce your chances of collision, drowning, and other water-related hazards with these tips.

Marvel at natural wonders on this unique Desolation Sound cruise

Hop aboard for adventure.

It’s 7 a.m., and six of us are looking for pictographs while cruising along Canada’s British Columbia coast on a small boat. The air is cool, and the still water reflects pines and snowy mountains.

Our guide, Greg Shea of Maple Leaf Adventures, lives on the islands off the British Columbia coast. He won’t say exactly what the red marks on the rock faces symbolize — First Nations people have different opinions about what they signify, and if anybody knows for sure, they’re not telling the general public. One looks like a fish standing on its tail. The pictographs (made with red ochre and oily fish eggs, then sealed with urine) date back perhaps 250 years.

A red paint pictograph on a rock face.
Desolation Sound pictographs. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

Shea is a fast talker with endless knowledge of the British Columbia coast. While we ponder pictographs, he explains the Grease Trail that First Nations people developed for trading valuable eulachon (also called ooligan or candlefish) oil. They’d transport it inside the hollow tubes of bull kelp sealed with cedar corks. 

“You’d put a stick across your back like this,” he demonstrates animatedly, an enthusiastic guide no matter what time of the day or night. “And then you would slide the tubes of your grease onto your stick. And you know, then they would walk. And you’d basically be going through the forest with a stick full of tubes.” 

Then, he interrupts himself, saying, “Oh, a merganser!” He seamlessly slips from discussing First Nations culture to the natural world to George Vancouver’s travels and the difficulties of reading the complicated tidal patterns within Desolation Sound.

A cruise ship on a lake in front of forest and mountains.
Photo by Teresa Bergen

For nature lovers who enjoy slow-paced adventures and lots of talk about trees, critters, and sea life, cruising Desolation Sound with Maple Leaf Adventures is bliss. Our group of 12 passengers and 10 crewmembers aboard the 138-foot luxury catamaran Cascadia had the extra luck of temperatures in the 60s and low 70s and no rain during our four-night springtime cruise.

What is Desolation Sound?

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park is well known to boaters. This area of fjords and islands lies between mainland British Columbia and about halfway up the east side of Vancouver Island. Our cruise started in the Vancouver Island town of Campbell River.

As we wound around uninhabited islands looking for wildlife, snow-capped mountains towered over us. At Desolation Sound’s most dramatic point, the peak of Mount Addenbroke rises 5,200 feet above the water. Our boat floated 2,300 feet from the bottom of the sea.

Sunrise over a lake in front of a forest and mountain.
Sunrise over Desolation Sound. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

“It is very awe-inspiring,” said Emily Grubb, our boat’s naturalist. “You feel so small because there’s so much water below you and so much land above you.”

“The beautiful blue color of the water is really special to this area,” Emily Grubb, our boat’s naturalist, said. “It is very awe-inspiring in the sense that you feel so small because there’s so much water below you and so much land above you.” Add in powerful waterfalls and some black bear sightings, and you have an incredible nature break.

A waterfall flowing from within a forest and off a cliff into a lake. A boat on the lake looks on.
One of the giant, crashing waterfalls of Toba Inlet. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

During our trip, we were often the only boat visible. But the area gets crowded during summer, when boaters come for the sunny days and warm water. In certain places, Desolation Sound heats up to a swimmable 75 degrees.

Cruising, hiking, and kayaking

Our main activity was cruising around admiring the scenery, either on the Cascadia itself or the two small crafts (called tenders) that took us into places too tight for a deluxe, oversized catamaran. As we sat comfortably on the padded seats of the Auklet and Puffin, Grubb and Shea pointed out trees and wildflowers.

We were a little early for the humpback whales that visit the area in summer. But one day, a pod of graceful and glistening Dall’s porpoises played in the tender’s wake. We also saw Pacific white-sided dolphins, harbor seals, Steller and California sea lions, and two black bears. Binoculars were a must for this trip, especially for safe bear viewing.

The Cascadia carries a fleet of tandem inflatable kayaks. Twice, Grubb took four of us avid kayakers out to see the wilderness at an even more intimate level. We got right on the shoreline of the inlets, where we could see ochre sea stars and watch barnacles in action. We almost tipped our kayak, peering into the water to watch the feather-like appendages sticking out of the holes in barnacles, combing the water for edible microscopic organisms. Curious harbor seals stuck their heads out of the water to stare at us. 

Three blue kayaks paddling on a lake.
Photo by Teresa Bergen

We also got a good look at many seabirds. Grubb, a bird enthusiast, is always happy when people hoping to see bears and whales develop an interest in birds.

“It is kind of neat how quickly people kind of jump on the bird train,” Grubb said. “Especially when you start talking about some of their weird characteristics.” We saw plenty of her favorite sea bird, the black oystercatcher, with its long red beak.

Our group also had chances to go for short hikes in the forests of red cypress, Douglas fir, hemlock, and Sitka spruce. There, we saw remnants of 1920s logging operations. A hundred years later, we could still see the holes in gigantic stumps where loggers had driven in springboards to stand on while they worked two-person crosscut saws.

A person in the woods standing next to a large tree stump.
Grubb explaining old logging techniques. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

Maple Leaf Adventures’ three-ship fleet

This family-run business based in Victoria runs British Columbia and Alaska cruises on three distinctive boats. The Cascadia is by far the poshest, with a jacuzzi, spacious staterooms, and large lounging areas both inside and out. It even has a helicopter pad for winter heliskiing trips. 

Guests can also choose to sail on the Maple Leaf, a 92-foot schooner built in 1904, or Swell, a 1912 tugboat. Each has a very different personality and feel.

A helipad on a ship on the water.
When the helicopter is absent, Cascadia’s helipad is a perfect morning yoga spot. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

“[Guests] go onto the website and they will identify with one of three vessels,” said Shea, who frequently captains the Maple Leaf.

I initially chose the gorgeous tugboat Swell. But the dates didn’t work out, so instead, I wound up on the Cascadia. And it’s hard to argue with luxury.

“For some it’s a little bit uncomfortable on the smaller boats,” Shea told me. “Where Cascadia’s kind of bridging that and bringing that comfort to the wilderness, but also the adventure and the ability for the ship to go into remote places.”

A person standing on a ship and taking a photo of the lake and mountains nearby.
Photo by Teresa Bergen

One of the other guests told me that she and her husband had also wanted to cruise on Swell — until they contemplated how his six-foot-plus frame would feel in the cramped confines of the tugboat.

Whichever boat guests choose, traveling with Maple Leaf Adventures is a slow tourism experience. During our five-day trip, the Cascadia only covered 132 nautical miles (151 miles for you landlubbers). Our average cruising speed was 8 knots (9.2 mph).

If you have a voracious appetite for scenery and want to enjoy watching waterfalls and bears, this trip is for you.

A stone sign reading "Desolation Sound" on a hill of rocks.
Photo by Teresa Bergen

Angler mistakes rod holder for boat’s fuel tank; ‘expensive mistake’

Video footage shows where the angler mistakenly put the gas pump nozzle and how much the blunder cost the fisherman at the pump.

A fisherman in Australia made a costly blunder when he went to fill up the gas tank of his boat at a 7-Eleven in West Pennant Hills, New South Wales. He mistook a rod holder for the gas tank, and the end result was not pretty.

With the nozzle securely sitting in the rod holder, 231.46 liters of gasoline poured onto the floor of the boat and into the bilge, as reported by Yahoo! News Australia.

The total cost? $536.76.

A man shot a video posted on Facebook showing the floor of the boat filled with petrol. It later shows the gas pouring out the back of the boat like a waterfall. A man is seen hosing away the gasoline. The video also shows where the mistake was made.

Remarkably, a similar incident occurred in January 2021, as reported by Marine Rescue NSW. That time, the fisherman pumped 150 liters through the fishing rod holder.

Though it is a bit mind-boggling, this sort of mistake has happened many times before, and some commenters on the Fishing Sydney Facebook page confessed having done the same thing. Among the comments:

“Not even gonna lie. I did that same thing once.”

“I did that once, bloody stainless rod holder right next to my stainless fuel cap. Fortunately, only a couple of liters before I realized.”

“I’ve seen it happen, fuel cap on the gunnel next to a rod holder in the gunnel.”

“More common than you may think, working in the boating game I can tell you it happens way too often.”

“Done it before but not to that degree.”

“It happened to a mate in Mandurah over Christmas. He took another guy with him and my mate took the cap off and went on doing something else. He only put about $40 down the rod holder into the bilge. He turned the bilge pump on [and] it caught fire at the bouser. Burnt the rear of the boat before they put it out.”

“You’re not the first and won’t be the last. I feel sorry for your wallet.”

“My partner did it years ago with his Kevlacat, but realized after about 50c not $500.”

“Don’t worry that’s happened plenty of times.”

“Have heard of it happening. Bloody expensive mistake.”

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Other commenters weren’t as sympathetic or kind, as evidenced by their comments. Some didn’t believe it even happened:

“Shouldn’t have a boat if you don’t know how to fill up the tank.”

“And it took 231 liters to realize [it]!”

“That’s unbelievable. I wonder what he was on. Must have been very strong to scramble the brain for him to do that. I still can’t believe it.”

“So many people don’t engage their brains before doing something. Thankfully it hasn’t cost anyone else yet.”

“Wow is all I have.”

“Some people cannot be helped.”

“Don’t you have to unscrew a fuel cap to start? Just saying.”

“This has gotta be staged for clicks. Doubt anyone is that stupid.”

Photos courtesy of Fishing Sydney.

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Tense moments for family as orca pushes and spins boat

A close orca encounter Tuesday in Puget Sound, Wash., included several anxious moments for a family whose boat was shoved and spun by the mammal.

A close orca encounter Tuesday in Puget Sound, Wash., included several anxious moments for a family whose boat was shoved and spun by the mammal.

“Why is it doing this?” Deb Syna, one of the boaters, asks in the accompanying footage.

The footage, captured by Syna and her 16-year-old daughter, Nina, begins with the male transient orca alongside their 17-foot boat. Syna’s husband, Dirk Morgan, also was aboard.

The boat was idle during the orca’s visit.

After Syna’s “Hi, how are you?” greeting the mammal begins to gently nudge and shove the vessel. “It’s pushing our boat!” Syna exclaims, and later adds, “Why is he spinning us?”

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(The second clip shows the orca swiftly pushing the boat.)

The family remained calm throughout the encounter, and at no time did the orca appear aggressive. But Syna was concerned enough to suggest to the killer whale, “Keep going. Go on,” and advise Nina to grab a safety railing.

Syna told the Orca Network, which shared both videos: “He played with the boat for about 10 minutes, going under and rocking, then pushing and then spinning us before he swam off.”

She explained to Go Skagit: “We went around a couple of times.”

Morgan, smartly, did not start the engine because that could have injured the mammal.

So why did the orca, a 17-year-old male cataloged as T65A2, behave in this manner?

The Orca Network’s Facebook posts inspired dozens of theories, while the Washington-based nonprofit offered what it considered the most plausible explanations:

“Some of the many possibilities for his behavior: trying to flush out prey, curiosity, aggression, play, enrichment, communication, and/or a behavior/communication in orca language that we humans don’t know or may never truly understand.”

Ralph Downs, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officer, told Go Skagit: “It’s a rare thing, but every now and then they decide to get a little frisky. Sometimes the whales just decide to check us out and use us as toys.”

Watch: Boaters euphoric as massive whale ‘mugs’ vessel

Whale watchers on a recent voyage out of Newport Beach discovered just what means to be “mugged” by a 50-ton humpback whale.

Whale watchers on a voyage out of Newport Beach, Calif., on Saturday discovered just what means to be “mugged” by a 50-ton humpback whale.

The accompanying footage, captured by Mark Girardeau, shows the whale surfacing just inches from the 36-foot boat, generating an almost euphoric collective response.

“What do you do when a massive whale decides to surface right next to your boat? Well, stay there and enjoy it!” Girardeau wrote Tuesday on the Orange County Outdoors Facebook page.

The humpback whale was encountered during an all-day Pacific Offshore Expeditions trip, and remained with the boat for 30 minutes. When curious whales approach and circle boats in this manner it’s described as mugging behavior.

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The man shown in Girardeau’s video, enjoying the closest view, is Patrick Coyne, who wrote on Instagram:

“Saturday’s trip was one of the best days out on the water I’ve ever had. We had this curious Humpback whale check out our boat multiple times and get extremely close. These gentle giants truly amaze me and you can clearly hear how excited I am in the video.”

While NOAA Fisheries guidelines suggest that boaters remain at least 100 yards from whales, the proper course of action when a whale approaches a boat is to remain idle and let the situation play out.

Ball State Offensive Lineman Danny Pinter Talks Versatility, Fishing Stories, NFL Draft Preparation

After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.

After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.

Quick-acting marine officer avoids boat crash

A marine officer standing in his docked patrol boat in Fort Myers, Fla., was lucky he was paying attention when a boater attempted to dock some 50-feet away otherwise he might have been nursing a bit of whiplash, if not something worse. That’s …

A marine officer standing in his docked patrol boat in Fort Myers, Fla., was lucky he was paying attention when a boater attempted to dock some 50-feet away otherwise he might have been nursing a bit of whiplash, if not something worse.

That’s because the driver of the boat accidentally hit the throttle and crashed into the patrol boat. The Fort Myers Police Department posted video of the accident on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/fmpolice/videos/703697273495405/?__xts__[0]=68.ARApGQ8ErOT5NHsozXyP7-wf18ybJFxLLGMOlMFxw-t_ywbIc0SC9wNgWFLFZ1ZXciNFCjf0Ab7vL6Viae8V-F5pC3KHYIMKU7JYgCg3znCAup5gqSgcKiq03K0TgjOTXWIVWALrA8shhAwzZxyJvlKrLR0BmAQ_Z7CDbAXxoy6rznPFlLKGxL-ouz-mvUVFOn0xLRB0w46bpYU7sYizLKHFGn1RQ-XtsW6YuNBOmdYC0QY_VQ1KULt9Wfj0tz4NxEvvpslSVftUt-kNsElO0pIxQ_mW937dSABuag3QejyEBBROopY6TY94Okzt47KSsGz5mK0N3eFCymdEm8ez8sxPrY5fcA&__tn__=-R

As seen from a surveillance camera, the boat slowed as it came upon the dock, and an occupant standing on the bow tossed a rope to someone on the dock. Suddenly the occupant standing on the bow was no longer standing when the boat suddenly lurched forward along the dock toward the Fort Myers Police Department Marine Patrol Boat.

boat crash

Marine officer Curr quickly leaped out of his boat onto the dock just in time to see the runaway boat hit the back end of his patrol boat. Curr wasted little time getting on the radio to report the incident.

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the accident and cited the driver of the boat for careless operation of a vessel, according to WBBH.

Fortunately there were no injuries, but both engines of the patrol boat were damaged.

Photo courtesy of the Fort Myers Police Department. 

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