whale watching – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Watch: Bulldog playing fetch pauses to watch dolphins

An English bulldog named Rotax was among those who stopped what they were doing Sunday to watch a rare close approach by dolphins at New Zealand’s Bucklands Beach.

“A beautiful start to the morning seeing the dolphins at Bucklands Beach boat ramp,” Andrew Hill Adventure Fishing wrote on Facebook.

Hill told FTW Outdoors that public boating is not allowed because of pandemic-related restrictions “and with the lack of activity the fish and dolphins have moved in closer to land.”

Hill added that he was enjoying a walk with his daughter, Ava, and girlfriend, Kristy, when the dolphins appeared. “This is the closest we have seen them to land in a long time. It was pretty special,” Hill said.

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Rotax wasn’t sure to make of the situation but appeared to have lost interest in playing fetch with so much attention being paid to the dolphins.

Watch: Orcas dazzle boaters during ‘magical’ rare encounter

A whale-watching charter out of San Diego on Tuesday spent “five magical hours” with orcas that surfed, leaped, and even swam upside down within feet of passengers and crew.

The extraordinary footage, captured by Gone Whale Watching San Diego, shows Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales, or orcas, clearly interacting with those aboard the 27-foot Boston Whaler.

“All in all this was one of the best trips in our company’s history,” Domenic Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, wrote on Facebook.

Acting on a tip from a sportfishing captain, Biagini traveled 80 miles south of San Diego, into Mexican waters, in search of the ETP killer whales.

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He first located beaked whales, and footage of that rare encounter is forthcoming. Biagini and crew spotted the orcas on the way back up the coast, about 50 miles south of San Diego.

ETP orcas, which are spotted sporadically off Mexico and in the Sea of Cortez, are famously inquisitive around boats and have been known to surf in their wakes.

Biagini’s passengers were treated to this behavior but also observed the grace and beauty of the mammals as they slowly swam beneath and next to the boat, at times completely upside down.

Passengers also witnessed a predation event (the jumping portion of the video) involving a common dolphin that ultimately became an orca snack.

“The orcas toyed with this common dolphin for nearly 90 minutes before finally completing the kill and sharing in a meal,” Biagini explained on Facebook. “It very well may have been a teaching moment for the youngsters in this pod. They’ll have to complete hunts themselves one day!”

The footage was captured by Biagini, Kyle Henderson, and Alyson Moors.

Biagini assured that his engines were not running during the orcas’ close approaches, and that the orcas were “play-chasing us,” and not the other way around, when the boat was in motion.

Watch: Humpback whale delivers ‘kiss of approval’ to catamaran

A humpback whale was documented “kissing” the bottom of a catamaran Sunday off Queensland, Australia, after surfacing between the sailboat’s pontoons.

“A pretty cool female just checking us out from the tunnel of Blue Dolphin and then giving us her kiss of approval,” Blue Dolphin Marine Tours stated on Facebook. (See video below.)

Capt. Peter Lynch told FTW Outdoors that passengers aboard the 33-foot sailboat “watched her gently going under the vessel and going vertically in there.”

Lynch added: “We were on the back steps looking in up along the tunnel.”

The boat was stationary as the whale explored the cavern-like atmosphere and gently touched the vessel’s smooth surface with its mouth.

Blue Dolphin Marine Tours, based in Hervey Bay, is taking advantage of an abundance of humpback whales and on Saturday passengers were treated to a rare triple spyhop that also was caught on video.

Watch: Whales thrill boaters with rare synchronized behavior

Passengers on a weekend charter out of Queensland, Australia, were treated to a rare triple spyhop by humpback whales in a behavior that almost seemed choreographed.

The accompanying footage, captured by Blue Dolphin Marine Tours in Hervey Bay, shows the whales poking their heads out of the water moments before Capt. Peter Lynch predicts the event by announcing, “One, two, three… Spyhop!”

The company’s Facebook description reads: “Gold, Silver and Bronze for the Humpback Team. We were all a little excited at seeing the triple spyhop. We all had a great day.”

Lynch, owner of Blue Dolphin Marine Tours, told FTW Outdoors that from the vessel’s roof, “I could see them lining up and then they popped up together. [But] I wasn’t sure they would all come up like that.”

Humpback whales are known to approach whale-watching boats in a behavior called mugging. Spyhopping affords the curious mammals a means of viewing their surroundings with their heads out of the water.

The behavior is fairly common, but a triple spyhop at almost precisely the same moment is not commonly observed.

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Watch: False killer whales share ‘sashimi’ during rare encounter

Whale watchers on an all-day private charter Sunday out of Newport Beach enjoyed a rare sighting of false killer whales as they feasted on tuna.

Whale watchers on an all-day charter Sunday out of Newport Beach enjoyed a rare sighting of false killer whales as the mammals feasted on tuna.

The accompanying footage, captured by Ryan Lawler of Pacific Offshore Expeditions, shows several false killer whales passing a freshly caught bluefin tuna among themselves in a prey-sharing behavior.

“A family of false killer whales shares a meal of sashimi,” reads part of the Facebook description.

The encounter occurred 60 miles offshore, near San Clemente Island, after nearly three hours spent on what seemed a deserted ocean.

“Then we saw shapes and birds on the horizon,” Lawler told FTW Outdoors. “When we first saw them they were spread out, and we were not expecting this.”

A bonanza for crew and four passengers: perhaps 75 false killer whales foraging in a bluefin tuna school, with black-footed albatrosses competing for scraps.

The false killer whales were spread out in subgroups of six to 12 animals, such as the subgroup featured in Lawler’s footage.

False killer whales, which are dark gray and do not bear a strong resemblance to killer whales, are found in tropical and subtropical waters and rarely encountered off California.

However, sightings have increased in recent years, perhaps because of unusually warm ocean temperatures during summer months.

Like many dolphin species, false killer whales are highly social and develop strong bonds within their subgroups.

Prey sharing is common and fish and squid are chief prey items. Though catching tuna might seem a difficult task, false killer whales are powerful swimmers and are known to capture prey as deep as 1,600 feet.

“We also had a small pod of offshore bottlenose dolphins in the area mixing with the false killer whales, and it was really cool,” Lawler remarked. “We were with them for at least three hours and everyone onboard had never seen this species before.

“It was my probably my 10th time seeing this species since 2016. But it was my first time seeing them eat tuna.”

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Whale mugs for photographer, but somebody else nabs the epic shot

A photographer in California’s Monterey Bay last Saturday encountered two humpback whales that circled and “danced” around his boat for 30 minutes.

“Definitely a day I will never forget!” Slater Moore Photography wrote on Instagram.

But the epic shot – showing Moore dwarfed by the towering fluke of one of the whales – was snapped by the captain of a nearby vessel.

Capt. Tim Zoliniak of Sea Goddess Whale Watching captured the extraordinary image atop this post and another showing Moore and a partial fluke as the whale dipped beneath the surface.

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“We had about 100 people on board and they were pretty vocal and excited,” Zoliniak told FTW Outdoors. “After the whales were done with Slater they spent a few minutes with us.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Slater Moore (@slatermoorephotography)

Moore said his engine was not running throughout the encounter – in accordance with NOAA Fisheries guidelines – and Zoliniak said he tried to maintain a 100-yard distance (never easy with friendly whales).

Humpback whales are actively feeding on anchovies in Monterey Bay and their lunge-feeding behaviors can be spectacular.

But Moore told FTW Outdoors that the two whales that mugged for him were simply curious and playful. “They circled my boat for about a half-hour,” he said. “They kept going under my boat then to the back and front and just dancing around.”

He was shooting in video mode and shared his footage via Instagram (posted below).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Slater Moore (@slatermoorephotography)

“I was on my way in from a ‘slower’ day of whale watching, lots of whales just not a lot of active behavior and then everything changed,” he wrote. “This whale’s fluke was towering over me!”

Moore said his wide-angle lens “did not do [the encounter] justice.” But he’s undoubtedly thankful that Zoliniak was positioned to help immortalize the moment.

How many ‘hitchhikers’ can you spot on this giant blue whale?

A San Diego-based videographer has captured the moment a giant blue whale surfaced with remoras on its head.

A San Diego-based photographer has captured the moment a blue whale surfaces and blasts a massive mist plume skyward.

But what stands out in the drone footage captured by Domenic Biagini recently at San Clemente Island are the many remoras visible on the whale’s head, or rostrum.

Biagini, owner of Gone Whale Watching San Diego, asked his Instagram followers:

“How many Remoras can you count on this Blue Whale’s rostrum? Those little sucker fish are bigger than you realize, and they are found on almost every single Blue Whale we see out here!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Domenic Biagini (@dolphindronedom)

“The Blue Whales pick up the remoras in warmer waters down south off of Baja and Central America, and these little hitchhikers provide a kind of ‘skin cleaning’ service for the largest animal on earth! Nature is pretty amazing.”

Blue whales, which can measure 100 feet and weigh more than 150 tons, are the largest creatures on the planet. They feed on tiny shrimp-like krill and can be found off Southern California during late spring and summer.

Whale watchers don’t often see remoras because their viewing perspectives are limited compared to views afforded by drones flown directly over the whales.

Remoras attach themselves to their larger hosts, including sharks, and feed on scraps of food, plankton, and parasitic copepods.

They do not seem to adversely affect their hosts.

As for Biagini’s quiz, most of those who have inspected his footage or the accompanying images discovered that the correct answer is 12. Most will also agree that nature is, indeed, amazing.

Epic humpback whale images captured before Sydney’s lockdown

As a renowned marine wildlife photographer, Rachelle Mackintosh eagerly awaited the arrival of humpback whales in mid-May off Sydney, Australia.

The season opened May 20 as the first whales – migrating northward from Antarctica to Queensland – announced their presence with spectacular breaches and other surface behaviors.

Mackintosh, shooting from Go Whale Watching vessels, filled her Instagram page with images that capture the power and grace of these 40-ton leviathans until June 26, when another COVID-19 lockdown was imposed throughout Sydney.

“Which is basically when the northbound migration begins to peak,” Mackintosh told For The Win Outdoors. “Other places on our state’s coastline are still able to go out and watch the migration, but for those of us in the city it’s all-day pajamas and watching Netflix for our wildlife fix.”

As Sydney awaits an impending decision by the New South Wales premier whether to end or extend the lockdown, Mackintosh agreed to allow some of her images captured pre-lockdown to be showcased in this post.

“This year we’re expecting 35,000 to 40,000 whales to pass by the city, first heading north from Antarctica between May and July and then passing by us again from late August to November as they journey back to Antarctica,” the photographer explained.

“So yeah, there’s still plenty of time to see them BUT this part of the migration is super exciting because it’s when the competition/heat runs are going off, as the males get their biff on and the ladies make the fellas work for the opportunity to breed with them.

“It’s always a hormone rush for the whales and an adrenaline rush for us humans to see it. Knowing they’re out there partying while we can’t really leave the house is making me itchy.”

Mackintosh typically shoots four days a week, but inclement whether kept the boats in the docks for several days before the lockdown.

The accompanying images were captured during the 15 days she was able to be on the water.

Humpback whale’s ‘unthinkably’ high breach captured in photos

A photographer in Maui has captured a photo sequence showing a humpback whale launching its entire body out of the water.

The image atop this post, showing a humpback whale calf breaching clear of the surface, was featured this week by a whale-themed Facebook page with no details about location or time. For The Win Outdoors reached out to the photographer, Burak Ayday, and was told the image is part of a sequence captured off Maui on March 1, 2020, as COVID-19 dominated the news cycle and days before a global pandemic was declared.

The images are wonderful in part because large whales rarely launch their massive bodies entirely out of the water – it’s a feat mostly reserved for smaller calves. Ayday allowed the use of his photos and provided the following recollection of his unforgettable encounter:

“It is a day that I won’t soon forget. The media was full of talk of the coronavirus and the unsure times ahead. Living in Hawaii, there is a sort of disconnect from the news and things that are happening worldwide. All I knew is that whales were in abundance in Maui and that I needed to get out and capture as much as I could before the season had ended or lockdowns were put in place.

“A friend of mine, Sean, texted me at about 7 a.m. and asked if I wanted to hit the water. Shortly after 8 we were heading out in search of whales. During our mission we encountered lots of friendly whales, and picture-perfect water conditions.

“We came upon this calf at about noon. The little calf put on quite the show, displaying pec-slaps, lunges, and breaches for well over 30 minutes… right before he took it upon itself to perform one of the most legendary breaches I have ever seen with my own eyes.

“The boat went absolutely silent… there were no words to be had for what just happened. This whale cleared an unthinkable distance above the surface, and we were lucky enough to have witnessed it. Gratitude and disbelief quickly entered my mind.

“How, Why, How, and How? This whale had already used up so much energy. How did it find it within itself to propel himself out of the water like a rocket to the moon? I truly don’t know, but what I do know is that not 15 seconds later a full-grown bull of a humpback barreled himself out of the water as high as possible, as if not to be outdone by a wee young calf.

“I think about this day often. This calf serves as a source of inspiration. The courage, the strength, and execution of the breach we witnessed, will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life.”

Watch: Orca leaps 15 feet during dramatic dolphin hunt

On Monday we shared video footage showing an orca’s extraordinary leap while attacking a dolphin Sunday in Mexico’s Sea Of Cortez. Late Monday a sharper clip surfaced showing the same incident, but from a different angle.

On Monday we shared video footage showing an orca’s extraordinary leap while attacking a dolphin Sunday in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Late Monday a sharper clip surfaced, showing the same incident from a different angle.

The footage, captured by Afrelandra Glez. Cibrián, shows the orca slamming the dolphin during a vertical charge and vault of about 15 feet. (Best viewed with sound.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPACJZ2g9Yg/

“Orcas should always be free to jump out of the water and follow their natural instincts!” the Instagram description reads. “They don’t deserve to be used as human entertainment and be kept in captivity.”

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The predation at Cabo Pulmo, a dive spot north of Cabo San Lucas, occurred after several boats had gathered to view an orca pod of about 10 animals. The footage below was captured via cellphone by Miguel Cuevas of Cabo Pulmo Divers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-we3PgF9P/

The orcas killed the dolphin during a scene that played out over several hours. Eastern Tropical Pacific orcas, or killer whales, often prey on marine mammals.

–Image courtesy of Miguel Cuevas