When the calf finally broke free of its mother’s stronghold, it bolted directly for the guests, not in a menacing way, but in a curious “Hey look, toys my size” sort of way.
We came across a couple of sleepers fairly early in the day and jumped in. Fifteen minutes went by as we were able to float above and make out the details of the whale. Acorn barnacles along the flukes and pectorals…
By the time the tenders were departing in the afternoon, the whales had moved in closer to the coral heads and three in particular, a female with escort and challenger, were directly under the Turks & Caicos Explorer II.
All of a sudden the escort began to shift different, angling up towards the surface, we watched as he kicked his enormous flukes and came flying up out of the water, launching into a chin breach and landing with a giant splash.
Ten minutes out from the mooring area, JF is forced to bring the Turks & Caicos Explorer II to a halt. There is a small rowdy group crossing the bow of the boat. Four whales, one likely a female and three males competing for her, are breathing heavy and throwing themselves into an aggressive display of surface activity just fifty feet from the vessel.
Our first encounter was of a very friendly and relaxed mother and calf. As soon as we entered the water, the scout recognized them from the previous week; this was the mother and calf that was so comfortable with us that the calf spent multiple breathing cycles at the surface, playing and investigating the snorkelers in the water while mom stayed resting below.
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish