“Hold your fire until you see the whites of their lower lips.” Where on earth would you hear something like this being said? From the bow of the Sea Bird You can see one of these beautiful lips in the photo above, on the lower right jaw of a fin whale. With a full compliment of eager, itchy fingers impatiently sitting on as assortment of shutter buttons, we took our photographic coaching this morning from an expert photography staff. Our first morning in Baja California started before sunrise and we reluctantly left our beach on Isla San Francisco just after sunset. The afternoon was filled with swimming, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and photography.
The details of the morning are what we need to share the most. Fin whales by the dozen and several hundred common dolphins provided a plethora of subjects for us to shoot with our cameras. A lone northbound humpback whale caught our attention as we watched a quartet of fin whales swim in synchronous rhythm to the south. We focused on the humpback. On board our ships we have un-scientifically proven that geology lectures attract marine mammals. Our first mate had us perfectly positioned to gaze at the layered cliffs of the Baja California peninsula, as our geologist, Stewart Aitchison, explained the origins of the red and green tiers. This was close enough to a geology lecture to force the one humpback whale to propel itself completely free of the water. We had a full body breach a mere twenty-five yards off the bow of our ship while we sat idle in the water. Did you see THAT? It seemed as though we had to re-affirm with each other what we had just seen as we stared at the now foamed and turbulent waters in disbelief. We pleaded with Stewart to continue talking about geology, in hopes the whale would part the waters with additional aerial displays.
The word “breach” is wonderful to say. As you mouth the word, it leaves the corners of your lips in just the right position to display an ear to ear smile. At the very end of the pronunciation your jaw drops slightly, this is where you can then vocalize your amazement. With whoops, hollers and a few other wide-eyed exclamations we expressed our amazement. That was one image that no one caught on film, but one that was captured as a mental picture to be enjoyed for years to come.
