a whale of a tale

We all have those lists. Lists of things we have always wanted to do. On my list is whale watching. It started in middle school when I wanted to be a marine biologist. This was until I realized just how much science was required in the field. So I just settled for a great whale watching trip. So when I found out that the humpback whale wintered here in Hawaii I was thrilled. Finally I would get to see them up close. So off we went. We boarded the Honolulu Starlet excitement brimming at the surface. As the boat chugged out of the safety of the harbor Zac leaned over to me and said "I sure hope the ride is smooth." In my excitement I had forgotten that the men in my life have somewhat of a weak stomach, but then again the boat was bigger then the last we had been on...

Once out into the open ocean we all decided to go out onto the front deck so we could get a better view. Then the boat started hitting the waves...here in this picture you see the happiness in Anne's face as we strike one such wave. You also see the hint of green creeping slowly into Zac's and Andrew's face. So while Anne and I were loving the ups and down of each wave Zac and Andrew decided to retire back inside to ease the queeziness that plagued them both. Sorry my boys!

What nobody told us was that whales only surface every 8-10 minutes to breathe and when they do it will be very brief. So for the first hour Anne and I scanned the water looking for that sign the whale would give us it was surfacing, that 300 mph puff of water shooting into the air. We saw nothing for the longest time so we headed back inside to watch with Zac and Andrew. Finally someone yelled 11 o'clock!! We craned our necks and of course just missed it. Then a few minutes later I saw my first whale...or more accurately my first burst of water followed by the whale's fin. And that was the first and last glimpse we had of a whale on our trip. The highlight of the trip turned out to be the dolphins who loved the slip stream that our boat made for them to swim in. They jumped out of the water doing tricks I have seen dolphins do at Sea World. It was great. Pictured above are a few of the splashes the dolphins made as they went back into the water. Sorry slow camera. Anne just loved them. Here is the conversation she and I had while watching them:

Anne: Mom, I want to get a pet dolphin.
Mom: Anne where are you going to keep this dolphin?
Anne: Well, I will get a huge bowl, bigger then the ocean, fill it with water, then keep it in our living room.
Mom: Do you think it will fit?
Anne: Well, I think we will have to move the couch.

If you look closely you can see the dolphin in the water. This would be the only picture we captured of a live animal on our trip. It was fun for us girls although I was a bit disappointed I didn't get to see a whale jumping out of the water. I still was thrilled to see my first whale fin. Dad I still want to go out with you into the Puget Sound to see the Orcas someday!