Chasing tail in Kaikoura
Chasing sperm whale tail!
After a bit of back tracking to run away from the rain and try and catch a little bit of the feared New Zealand sun, I’m back in Kaikoura to see chase some tail. Last time I was here, the wind cancelled our whale sighting trip, but this time it seems the weather gods are with us!
So it’s off with Whale Watch an operation based in Kaikoura that dubs itself the “Ultimate Marine Experience in New Zealand”. Well I do not know if that is the truth, but the chance of seeing a sperm whale, or two, was to good to pass up and so I boarded one of their vessels with about 30 other people.
Having suffered from seasickness when I was younger, I am always amazed that despite knowing that they will be sick, people still force themselves to get on the boat, only to spend the next 2 hours being sick… The crew deal with it very efficiently and cheerfully, picking up the infamous white bags regularly from these poor passengers…Why do they put themselves through that I have no idea! And the sea was not that rough. Just imagine what it must be like when the sea is not as forgiving
On to the whales: the operation guarantees an 80% refund if you do not see a whale during the trip, so you know they have the trick down pat. After a bit of listening to the other boats, the planes and the helicopters looking for them, and sticking a hydrophone in the water, we located 2 whales. Now if you have never seen a whale on the surface, unless you are incredibly lucky, most of what you will see, is the spray, the back and the fin of the animal.
Only when it dives back again does the excitement level rise and you get the chance of chasing the perfect tail photo! Well I was not in luck this time, but still these animals are incredible to watch!
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