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The worst-named animal in the world.
This entry was posted in Europe, Iceland and tagged Ólafsvík, Blackfish, Calf, environment, Europe, Fishing, Fjord, Herring, Iceland, Killer whale, Láki, Láki tours, Mammals, Marine Mammals, Matriarchy, Mountains, North Sea, Orca watching, Orcas, Orcinus orca, Photography, Sea, seagull, Snæfellsnes, Snow, Tourism, Travel, Trawler, Westfjord, Whale, Whale watching. Bookmark the permalink.
How glorious! The photos are great but I know they only capture a fraction of what you experienced. I once drove along the coast of California and saw a whale – I don’t know what kind – a very large one – spouting and riding the waves, twisting through the water playfully. It was from a distance but it yanked on my heart. Really one of the most incredible sights – I was too was profoundly moved. Thanks for this and the reminder of my own experience. They are grand creatures.
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Hi Tricia, thanks for sharing that great memory! I probably would’ve crashed had I seen that… Grand creatures indeed.
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Great narrative and a great adventure. We see humpbacks every year in Hawaii and have seen so-called “false orcas” (which is actually a species of dolphin) in Costa Rica, but I’ve always wanted to see orcas in the wild.
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Well according to Wikipedia orcas are cousins of dolphins… Anyhow, they’re apparently quite numerous in the Seattle/Vancouver area, perhaps worth a stop on your way back to Hawaii? I, for once, would love to see a humpie breaching.
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A beautiful post about a beautiful animal. Living on Canada’s west coast I’ve never thought of orcas as being anything other than magnificent – so the rebranding has been affective. I’ve seen pods a couple of times travelling on the ferry between Vancouver and the Island. The ferries always slow right down – the backlash if they hit one would be titanic! They also announce where they are so we know where to look to see them. Whale watching bonus.
Alison
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Thanks Alison and well done to the Canadian ferries! Aren’t you guys a nice bunch?
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Yes we are 🙂
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How awe-inspiring. Interesting how some creatures get branded as bad, and it takes so much to change that image. But it’s quite possible that many people equate them with Sea World, goofy Shamu shows. Anyway. Watching the horizon has never ever helped When I’ve been seasick. Another lie that needs to be dispelled.
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I suppose so, but I’ve never been to one such show so can’t say. So seriously looking at the horizon has never helped you? I don’t know if it was a placebo effect but it surely did the trick for me!
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As much as I love taking such a journey to see the wildlife, I’d probably end up vomiting. It happened to me several times: the first time was after I snorkeled at one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever been, and the other one after seeing manta ray for the first time. Despite my stubborn motion sickness, I will never say no to this kind of experience. As for orca’s name, maybe we should call them sea pandas? Because panda is perceived as a kind creature which helps its conservation efforts, and of course because of the colors.
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Mmmmh sea panda? Not too convinced, they don’t look to me as lazy-ass bears! But it’s better than what I used to call them when I was a kid, i.e. “Juventus-fish” on account of their colours…
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😀
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BTW, I’m told that the Hungarians call orcas “kardszárnyú delfin”, or “sword-finned dolphin”. I like that!
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And people love dolphins! That name will do.
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I’ve only seen whales from the shore but would love to have an experience out at sea with them. (I totally believe being on deck with a view of the horizon helps with seasickness! The only times I’ve ever felt queasy on a boat were when I was below-deck.)
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From the shore? That must’ve been nice, where was it? (for some stupid reason I’ve always thought that one couldn’t see whales from shore because “they’re too big”… you can see I’m not a seawolf).
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Hawaii in January. Humpback whales all over the place right off the coast. We wished we’d had time for an actual cruise to see them, but we didn’t.
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Ah, too bad. It must’ve been quite a view!
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Ahhh, how wonderful!! I’m so glad to be able to do it through you, observe them like that. I think at one point I saw whales somewhere between Trieste and Patras in Greece but it could have been the beer. And one dolphin when waking up on the beach in Croatia. And one sword fish exiting straight up from the sailing boat near the island Hvar.
Oh, and it helps me to observe clouds when riding in the back on the car on curvy roads, I don’t know why the horizon wouldn’t do the trick as well. It’s the illusion of control, isn’t it?
Thank you for all the info on the blackfish as well, not just for the glorious images. Good to know.
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You’re wecome Manja! Now, swordfish in the Adriatic, who knew! I always thought they were only in the Caribbean, ready to be fished out by Hemingway’s Old Man!
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Ohh, isn’t that what pesce spada is? 😮 Or a relative? For sure it had the sword!
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Yes it is pesce spada! But somehow I thought they weren’t in the Med 🙂
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Sounds like a terrific experience, to see so many of them, and for so long. They’re surprisingly big, aren’t they? I’ve only had one relatively short, close encounter with a small pod of Orcas, from the deck of a dive boat off the west coast of Canada. It was impressive. I may have seen them from a distance, not as memorable.
I think there’s validity to the idea of looking at the horizon line, and standing in the middle of the boat where the roll isn’t quite as pronounced. If your brain sees something that isn’t bouncing around, it helps override what the inner ear is telling it. On the other hand, standing downwind of diesel fumes is not conducive to a happy stomach.
For what it’s worth, I just posted a whale watching story/pictures too, on humpbacks. (Sorry, no breaching.)
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Oooh, going to check the humpie story right now, thanks Dave!
And you’re right; in water it’s hard to understand dimensions properly, but when they got really close we realised how HUGE these beasts were.
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Wonderful photos and so much interesting information. Thank you for this delightful post. What a wonder and a treat to see animals in their natural habitat. We saw whales in Santa Cruz California years back and boy did I get sea sick. It is not easy to enjoy the beauty while throwing up and feeling so off.
Peta
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Sorry to hear that Peta! I know, it must somehow spoil the fun 😦
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