By: Blonde One
I have seen Wales often and it is beautiful, but the whales that I saw in Tromso, Norway were by far more spectacular! The Blonde One family and Numbers set off on a boat trip in search of these amazing creatures in the fjords of Northern Norway. We hoped to see Killer whales (or Orca’s) and Humpback whales. Luckily for us we were not disappointed and saw both. We weren’t out long before being treated to sights of them blowing in the near distance. Apparently they come so far into the fjords to hunt the mackerel that migrates there to the warmer waters rather than in the middle of the Arctic ocean (I can see their point). The whales have a very clever routine for catching them which we witnessed several times. Under the water they circle the mackerel to gather them up into one place, then one whale will move under them to force them up to the surface. The first the observer sees is the surface of the water bubbling in a circle. A few seconds later the whales jump up out of the water with their mouths open to catch a mouthful of the fish. It is quite spectacular to see!
It is amazing to think that boats can safely (I hope) sail so close to them without disturbing them or being in any danger. The Orcas can grow up to 9 metres long and the Humpbacks can get to a staggering 16 metres! It’s a scary thought that we were so close to such big and powerful creatures that could cause unthinkable problems. The water may seem warmer to the mackerel but I’m certain that I wouldn’t agree!
I don’t really have a ‘bucket list’ because there is too much that whets my appetite, but seeing whales has long been something that I have wished for. I feel very thankful.
Clever I’ll give you, but how about efficacious? How many mackerel constitute a whale-lunch? Fifty? A hundred? And how many mackerel can a whale catch out of the air – two or three? Yet your first pic shows five – possibly six – whales involved in preparing lunch. Seems like a meal that could last from dawn to dusk.
You can see why orcas dropped this system and went in for snagging baby seals along the shoreline. Not just to shock Daily Mail readers (though I commend them for that); one baby seal – two at a stetch – represents lunch straight off.
Yeah, I know. There’s you extolling the glories of nature and there’s me with my little bit of arithmetic to spoil the fun. I dunno how you go about preparing lunch but I do know who’s unlikely to be on the guest list.
That sounds like an enviable experience, but I am a bit worried about your downgrading of wonderful Wales.
I’d love to see that for myself – only seen it on t.v. Bet those huge mouths catch fish in tens, not units, though! The whales leap right through the mackerel cloud they have gathered in the sea. It must be an amazing sight at close quarters.