> some snips > > Wish I'd read this and Roger's post before I sent my last post! If > these don't hook my wife, it's a lost cause! Melissa, are they as > friendly > when you aren't alone......the first thing my wife will say is "I'll take > up > paddling if you take me to where Melissa is so I can play with a whale". > So.....are you ready to be a tour guide?????? > > Rick > > > I paddle with Gray Whales almost every day, and I've also paddled > > with Orcas on several occasions, and once with a Blue Whale. All of > > my encounters have been safe and lovely experiences. > > > > > > I know the Gray Whales the best, as there are eight residents here in > > my local waters, and we've become good friends in the last few years. > > All of them will spend hours at a time with me (individually and/or > > as a group), and some will even allow me to scratch their beaks. I > > tap a little "signature" rhythm on my deck, and they will often come > > say "hello" when they hear me. > > > > I'll sometimes capsize when one approaches (so that I can > > see/experience the whole whale underwater), and it will come right up > > to me and allow me to touch it. I've even gotten out of my boat and > > swam with them. Really quite wonderful. One of them likes to gently > > push the bow of by boat around in circles. Each has it's particular > > personality, and patterns of "social behavior". > > > > Even the local mother whales will trust me to "babysit" their young > > ones when they're off eating. I'll sometimes spend hours paddling > > slowly alongside a baby, and later, it's mother will come back, and > > they'll swim off together. > > > > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Here's a link to my trip report of two whale encounters I had off Nova Scotia last year. http://pages.cthome.net/wsmith16/scotia.html Words do not describe it adequately, but I tried. Wayne Smith -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wayne Smith wsmith16_at_snet.net Check out my sea kayaking & homebrewing page: http://pages.cthome.net/wsmith16/home.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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