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Decameron Day 3. Whales in rough seas.
This entry was posted in Day 3, Decameron, Odd ones out and tagged 3, Blue whale, Conquered things, Day Three, Decameron, Dippy, Freighters, Indian Ocean, Look Up London, Lost things, Mirissa, Natural History Museum, Neifile, Ocean, Rain, Sri Lanka, Swell, Tour, Whale watching. Bookmark the permalink.
You went out in those seas? I bet your mother would have told you off for this one too! 😂
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Alas she couldn’t, for she’d left us a few years prior… but I can picture her drinking a Limoncello from up above, cast a quick eye down, check out what kind of muppetry I was about and go “Nope. I’ll rather walk the dog” and proceeding to do exactly that rather than ‘watching us from above’…
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Hahaha I’m sure there have been numerous times she’s looked down and thought “my bloody crazy son, what is he up to now and where is he going?”. Sorry for your loss. X
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No worries 🙂
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Blue whales have also captivated my imagination since the first time I learned about this species. The largest animal to have ever existed on Earth? Truly mind-boggling, to say the least. Despite the rough weather, you were very lucky to be able to see those magnificent creatures up close. Sometimes we do need to go on such tense boat ride to see something amazing. Almost five years ago we went to these remote islands in eastern Indonesia, and on our way to one of the islands, we were met with strong waves hitting our small boat from every direction. I’m usually like you, in general my stomach hates boat rides. But that moment, I was so focused on staying put on this wooden bench where I sat in the boat and had no time at all to listen to my stomach. When we finally arrived at that tiny island, we were presented with the most spectacular coral reefs we’ve ever seen in our lives.
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Hey Bama thanks for reading. I think that if we need to embark on something like this, it better be for a good reason. I mean, I feel for the Vikings: go through the North Sea on a wooden boat, braving storms and ice and stuff… to hit bloody Northumberland or Orkney!? Litte wonder they were pissed once they arrived…I would’ve.
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We’ve seen a zillion humpbacks in Hawaii, and some right whales near Cape Town. But you are the only person I know personally who has seen a blue whale. Now you’ve given me a new bucket list item.
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Ha! Apparently the biggest ones are to be seen off the coast of California (where else?!?) and they have bounced back to the pre-hunting level in that particular population… now, I know we have a bit of a situation right now but this summer, if things improve… just sayin’!
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Fortune shines on those who dare. Those seas look pretty ominous …and I live on the sea. But you faced your fears and were beautifully rewarded. We came to these blue whales in 2018 after frustration and disappointment. But had we not gotten our keel stuck in that fishing net, we would have sailed through these waters too early in the day to see the blue whales. Instead, our delay turned into delight when we sailed into a pod at feeding time. Seeing your group here today brought back that excitement once again and gave me great hope for the future. Dreams come true when we chose to pursue them. As always, I adore your writing.
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Thanks a lot Lisa!!!! It’s an amazing story, yours, and I’ve learnt that you can get stuck in fishing nets even in a sea as big as the Indian Ocean… Who’d ever guessed!
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Seems the fishermen are having to go further and further out for their catch these days. We’ve seen them a cast their nets as far as the 1000 meter contour lines in both the Indian and The Atlantic. Love that you’ve stared adding chapters to The Decameron!
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Thanks Lisa! 🙂
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We went whale watching in Mirrissa in 2018. Sorry to tell you this, but we had a perfectly calm day. It was my first whale watching experience and we were also lucky to see a few blue whales. It was thrilling. The only whale experience that was better was diving with a Whale Shark in Thailand.
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Well it seems everyone had a great experience, weather wise, but us! But hey, it made for a great adventure. Now swimming with a whale shark… that’s something!
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You might still be able to use yesterday’s quotation, “God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and those who lack good judgment” today! Haha – glad it not only did not result in capsizing, drowning, or wretched sickness, but in the joy of the whale sighting. I love your description of the whale’s smell in that column of vapor – fantastic!
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Thanks Lexi! Yes, that quotation works perfectly for this day as well… and many more to come I feel.
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I was with you all the way. How exciting! All the more so for being in rough seas. It must have been an incredibly special experience. The size is mind-boggling!
I’ve not seen Blue Wales, but pods of orcas (Killer whales) more than once when on the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. The ferries slow right down when whales are spotted. There would be hell to pay if they hit one.
Alison
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Rightly so, well done to the ferry! I saw orcas in Iceland, again not my finest hour but boy weren’t they amazing!!!
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Just looking at those photos makes me want to barf.🤢
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As a recreational diver I’m not a stranger to being on the ocean in a small boat, but six foot swells and blowing seas? No thanks. Worth it, I suppose, just maybe for a blue whale. I’ve never seen one. Only humpbacks, California greys, and orcas.
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Well I didn’t know what it really meant! Anyway surprised you haven’t seen any Dave, they should migrate past the US west coast!
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I could barely read this. I despise being on rough open seas. My most terrifying memory is a ferry crossing from Newfoundland to tiny, French held Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. All I could see were mountains of waves (even the whales would have hated it). I made deals with every god to get me back on dry land. Years later, hubby bought a boat thinking it would be fun family activity. Suffice to say, things didn’t go well and we no longer own a boat. I’m so glad you got to see the whales (and survive!) Great story!
It just occurred to me that today, Easter Sunday, is the anniversary of those horrible bombings in Sri Lanka. So sad that just as visitors were starting to return to this beautiful country, COVID-19 hit.
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Yes, I just remembered… just a year has passed from what happened to Sri Lanka. No one deserves that but Sri Lanka deserved it even less.
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Yes, Sri Lanka has had an unfair share of tragedy.
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Ahh. Just love. I could smell them between your lines. I saw them only once, from so far away that we couldn’t tell what they actually were.
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The other smell was vomit… 😀 thanks for reading Manja!
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