By the time we walked back to the shore,
the kids had gone down from the summit. The crew told us they hopped onto the
Zodiacs and went cruising with Mike. We wanted to go cruising, too, and Andre,
our Brazilian climatologist, obliged us.
Andre was in contact with Mike and Ruslan,
our Russian guide, and I overheard them say they saw a minke whale. We hurried
to the area where they saw it, but all our group could glean was its tiny
dorsal fin. I missed even that; Rhodora spotted it, however. Our kids waved at
us from their Zodiac. They were very lucky! Jesse and Juliene were able to take
great photos. When we boarded the ship, they couldn’t wait to tell us about it.
Juliene was waving her iPhone to anyone who cared; it showed the minke
spyhopping. Well done, Jesse and Juliene. Amazing shot – you could its eye!
The minke is the smallest of the whales. It
is about 20 to 30 feet long and can weigh close to 1,800 pounds. It is slim and
sleek and swims at great speed. It has a pointed snout that it frequently lifts
above the water. The minke swam underneath their Zodiac, sidled to its side –
less than a foot away! – and lifted its head. What a show!!!
It was a busy day. We capped it by going up
to the deck and posing for a family picture. The kids were still fresh. Rhodora
and I were visibly tired. Everyone, however, was undeniable happy …
Read about our morning in the Panorama Room in my Antarctica Journal 6 (Part 1).
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