At Sea
Today was the quintessential day at sea…mostly blue sky with puffy clouds, lots of sunshine, light breeze, smooth seas, and interesting marine life. These waters in the Mozambique Channel have been plied by Arab traders for more than 12 centuries. We were off the Swahili Coast headed for the ancient capital of Mozambique, but the far distance gave us the luxury of this relaxing day at sea. We could imagine the Arab dhows sailing south with the trade winds during the wet, warm Summer season (which is now) and then waiting around for a few months before taking off on their return trips laden with African goods with the reversed winds. We also thought about the early Portuguese who came on the scene in the 16th century and established themselves in this area, and then quickly took control of the valuable trade routes from here all the way to the Orient.
Several splashy eruptions at the surface attracted our attention as small schooling fish (probably anchovies) were being ravaged by larger, fast-moving predatory fish such as bonito or jacks (we couldn’t see them well enough for accurate identification). As the ship diverted course for closer looks, we discovered we weren’t the only ones attracted by these feeding frenzies, because flocks of sooty terns swooped in whenever the prey fish started jumping at the surface. The poor anchovies were trapped at the surface boundary by predators coming at them from both above and below (see photo on left, above).
In the afternoon, an announcement was made about a sighting of large dolphin-like creatures jumping and splashing far ahead of the ship. As the ship got closer, we identified them as melonhead whales…small, dark, dolphin-sized cetaceans related to killer whales and pilot whales. They seemed on a mission and were not interested in the ship (see photo on right, above).
However, an hour later we encountered a mixed group of dolphins, consisting of both spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins, that were more interested in the ship. Oceanic dolphins often exhibit a remarkable playfulness and we were thrilled to watch some of the spinner dolphins do what they do best, that is…spin. The leapers went high into the air with an impressive twisting motion of their bodies before reentering the water with a nice splash. Most did simple twists, but a few managed real spins in the air, bringing oohs and aahs from those of us on deck. Unfortunately, they were very difficult to photograph.
Today was the quintessential day at sea…mostly blue sky with puffy clouds, lots of sunshine, light breeze, smooth seas, and interesting marine life. These waters in the Mozambique Channel have been plied by Arab traders for more than 12 centuries. We were off the Swahili Coast headed for the ancient capital of Mozambique, but the far distance gave us the luxury of this relaxing day at sea. We could imagine the Arab dhows sailing south with the trade winds during the wet, warm Summer season (which is now) and then waiting around for a few months before taking off on their return trips laden with African goods with the reversed winds. We also thought about the early Portuguese who came on the scene in the 16th century and established themselves in this area, and then quickly took control of the valuable trade routes from here all the way to the Orient.
Several splashy eruptions at the surface attracted our attention as small schooling fish (probably anchovies) were being ravaged by larger, fast-moving predatory fish such as bonito or jacks (we couldn’t see them well enough for accurate identification). As the ship diverted course for closer looks, we discovered we weren’t the only ones attracted by these feeding frenzies, because flocks of sooty terns swooped in whenever the prey fish started jumping at the surface. The poor anchovies were trapped at the surface boundary by predators coming at them from both above and below (see photo on left, above).
In the afternoon, an announcement was made about a sighting of large dolphin-like creatures jumping and splashing far ahead of the ship. As the ship got closer, we identified them as melonhead whales…small, dark, dolphin-sized cetaceans related to killer whales and pilot whales. They seemed on a mission and were not interested in the ship (see photo on right, above).
However, an hour later we encountered a mixed group of dolphins, consisting of both spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins, that were more interested in the ship. Oceanic dolphins often exhibit a remarkable playfulness and we were thrilled to watch some of the spinner dolphins do what they do best, that is…spin. The leapers went high into the air with an impressive twisting motion of their bodies before reentering the water with a nice splash. Most did simple twists, but a few managed real spins in the air, bringing oohs and aahs from those of us on deck. Unfortunately, they were very difficult to photograph.
