Surprise guests

The last two weeks have been magic with the whales and we also got some surprise visitors.

We were cruising in search of whales when two of us suddenly saw some splashing and a little fin being lifted out of the water. We got excited because we thought it was a Humpback calf playing on the surface. But after the next few splashes it became clear that it was too small even for a baby whale. Our suspicion was confirmed when we began to make out two big dark shapes gliding just below the surface: Manta Rays! Our excitement grew because we had only ever once seen one Manta in Ha'apai and those two were so close to the boat that a snorkel seemed possible. We all slipped in the water and got those legs working: the rays were feeding in some current, so it was a bit of an effort to stay in visible range, but it was so worth it! The next day we saw four of them in the exact same spot, but they were too quickly moving to swim with them...

The whale encounters have been awesome. Mostly we swam with mothers and calves and sometimes an escort, once of which we called "Grumpy Head", because he tended to take the mother and calf away every time he came to the surface until eventually he settled down and allowed us in the water with them for a bit longer. He also sang a few times and we could feel the vibration of his voice in our bodies.

We had a very investigating calf that swam around and under the boat a few times, spyhopped to look at us and provided for some exciting video material - video to follow soon as part of a best of. On two occasions we had adult whales performing full-body breaches, which is the most spectacular thing I have ever witnessed. An unforgettable moment was had by some guests when an adult breached in the water in front of them:

Photo courtesy of Michael Berg - great shot, thanks!