Whale Swim Eua

Had two absolutely amazing whale swims here in 'Eua. On Monday we encountered a large mother whale and its calf plus an equally large adult male whale. The male usually escorts the mother and calf - keeping a friendly presence and probably helping the mother to ward off predators or unwelcome suitors.

Seeing the two adults ascend at the same time - with their eyes on me - was an incredible experience. They were giants - 10 times my size and many many times my weight.

But the penultimate experience happened on Wednesday when we swam with a group of 4 to 6 large adult whales. We saw them in the distance breaching many times. As we approached they got shy but we followed - and swam - followed and swam... Eventually they realized we were not a threat and began to come closer to us even circling around us. After two hours - they were swimming right alongside us - even singing. 

My GoPro battery ran out exasperatingly at this moment. I wasted a lot of battery life filming the action on the surface. And I chose maddeningly not to bring a 2nd battery which I was holding in my hand before the event. 

I had dropped my Canon on the concrete floor a few days before - and broke my 16-35mm lens. So I couldn't use it for this amazing shoot. Darn it.

But maybe the fates are trying to teach me a lesson in being grateful for blessings. And you can't have everything your way all the time.