Rescue dog enjoys first look at blue whale, footage is ‘priceless’

During a voyage off San Diego, Fin is shown intently observing the massive whale at close range. What could be going through his mind?

A San Diego whale-watching captain this week shared a short but wonderful video clip showing a dog intently observing a surfacing blue whale.

“First Mate Fin reporting for whale-spotting duty!” Capt. Dom Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, stated via Instagram.

Biagini added: “This is the first time I’ve taken Fin with me on a filming expedition, and he had a blast searching for all the wildlife.”

Blue whales, which can measure nearly 100 feet and weigh 200 tons, are the largest creatures on the planet.

The footage was captured by Erica Sackrison, also with Gone Whale Watching, and one can’t help but wonder what was going through Fin’s mind as the majestic leviathan revealed its massive fluke befor a deep dive.

Several Instagram followers chimed in with comments, including this from Sackrison:

“1. ‘You can swim under me any time now.’

“2. ‘I wonder if you taste like chicken.’ ”

Other observations:

–“So freaking cool. Go Fin!!!

–“This is everything! 💙💛”

–“Priceless…. What they must think as they slip back under.”

–“I wonder if he can hear them singing underwater.”

Biagini told FTW Outdoors that Fin is a 5-year-old mixed yellow lab/golden retriever that he rescued near the U.S.-San Diego border.

On Instagram, Biagini reflected on the evolution of Fin as a whale-watching companion:

“The first time I took Fin on the boat was when he was a puppy, and he promptly sprinted to the front of the boat and jumped off into the bay! 😂 We’ve come a long way since then!”

Notre Dame wins thrilling Gator Bowl over South Carolina

An absolute thriller!

If you’re someone who can’t let themselves enjoy college football’s non-playoff bowl games then you missed a ton of fun on Friday afternoon.  Notre Dame and South Carolina dueled in a thriller in the Gator Bowl as the game featured just about everything one could imagine.

South Carolina jumped out to 21-7 and 24-10 leads before Notre Dame stormed back to take a 38-31 lead in the fourth quarter.  Leading by seven and seemingly about to head in to end the contest for all intents and purposes, Tommy Rees inexplicably decided to pass the ball which resulted in an all-time backfire.

Instead of a two-score lead, a pick-six made the score was 38-38 late in the fourth quarter.  The running game was relied heavily on by Notre Dame to get down field before Rees again went to the air with Tyler Buchner, who played his first game since September, and he found Mitchell Evans on a throwback to give the Irish a 45-38 lead.

It might not win any awards for being the best played bowl game you’ll ever see but it was certainly one of the most entertaining games one will ever witness.

The 45-38 win gives Notre Dame a 9-4 final overall record while South Carolina finishes 8-5.

What a way to end Marcus Freeman’s first season as head coach as the game had as many ups and downs as the past four months.  Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire as we’ll have tons of reaction all evening long.

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