.A Whale Of A Time.

Last week Dave and I went whale watching...again. Last time we went it was horrible weather, the little boat was rocking like no tomorrow and we didn't see ANYTHING. So at the end of the miserable trip they gave us vouchers to come back again.  Dave and I were hesitant..because what we just experienced was not fun and we hoped to never experience it again.

However, being the optimists that we are, we packed up and went again. This time the whole experience was AMAZING! We got to the town of Nelson Bay an hour before our trip and found a delicious Seafood restaurant! We got some fish cakes and of course Fish 'N chips before heading out to the ocean. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining and the ocean water sparkling.

The first animals we encountered were dolphins swimming in front of and besides the boat. A few different pods joined us during our 3 hour tour (3 hour tour..ha ha).  Dave and I have never seen dolphins in the wild this close up before. They were like little kids on a sugar rush, swimming and darting from here to there with their pals. I also learned that if you wave at the dolphins from the boat they will turn on their sides and wave back! After I learned that, I spent my time waving like crazy!

After saying goodbye to our dolphin friends, the real fun began. Have you ever been whale watching before? Let me tell you, it is INTENSE! They really could make a sport out of it, whoever sees the whale first gets X amount of points, whoever has the most at the end is the winner. When whale watching you have to always be on alert, not letting your eyes leave the water, and slowly scan the water in front of you for a sign of blow mist or splash or raise of a body. Dave and I were on constant alert, but we would not win the game...we rarely were the first to spot any of the whales. BUT I am really good at being the second person to find the whale, because I usually just watch the people on the boat and then when they react (the kind where you just point cause you can't speak your so excited) I pounce and find the whale before the rest of the crowd! You have my permission to use this strategy on your next expedition! 

Humpback Whales are the sixth largest animal in the world, which means they are pretty big. They may be large and in charge creatures but they are so graceful and quick. It was hard to take any video or photo because as soon as they are jumping out of the water they are already landing with a large splash. We were lucky that we had a few whales that wanted to show off for us and jumped their big hearts out! I don't know if I can describe how it was to see these amazing creatures in person.  They continuously amazed me and took my breathe away. Most of the time I just stood in awe of their mightiness. 

If you ever have a chance to go Whale Watching, please take it!

This is an experience that I know

I will never forget and will always remember!