Time to say goodbye

I've postponed this post as long as I could, but now there's no denying anymore: another season with the whales has come to an end. Our last trips were still quite successful with very nice swimming encounters, but we could definitely feel the whales had itchy feet (or flukes) and were preparing for their long journey (about 4,500 miles) to Antarctica. Nevertheless, a few late departees are still here. We got a nice surprise when twice this week we heard the familiar "pssssssssshhhhhhhhhh" of their breaths close to the boat - once a mother and calf, the second time with an escort. They granted us a few good looks, but clearly had other things on their minds than letting us swim with them and it is time to bid them farewell. Anyway, here is our best-of-2010 video "Gentle Giants" featuring the most moving, impressive and exciting encounters from this year:

We hope that they can make it through all the perils that await them on their long journey. Orcas will gather and try to separate calves from their mothers in order to drown them and eat only the tongues and kidneys - the rest is left behind. Sharks may try their luck with the little ones, too, and of course the human predator is a big threat.

Once again this year, the Japanese whaling fleet will search the Southern Ocean "Sanctuary" for whales, harpoon them and process their meat under the old, worn-out guise of science .... 935 Minke Whales, 50 Fin Whales and 50 Humpback Whales are on their killing list again this year. This means that a few of these magnificent animals that we interacted, swam and created a bond with might lie chopped up on a Japanese "research" boat in only a few weeks' time. The last few years allegedly no Humpback Whales have been killed, but since there is no regulating or supervising authority out there, it is hard to tell what really is the truth.

Only the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society makes the effort to take their ship out there into Antarctica trying to prevent the whalers from killing as many whales as possible and defend the whale sanctuary. We wish them all the luck in the world for their 2010/2011 campaign "No Compromise" and hope that even more people become aware of Japan's blatant violation of treaties, speak out against whaling and support active conservationism.