Yesterday we (I am back aboard Rutea) headed out to anchorage 13, also known as Hunga Island, with Merkava. Anchorage 13 is actually a volcanic crater that turned into a lagoon, with perfectly flat water and a very narrow and shallow entrance to get in to. We were not daunted by the 9 foot depth at the entrance at high tide, even though we draw 6.5 feet. Mom gunned the engine and we made it through the bright turquoise water into the safe, deep blue in seconds flat. On our way in we saw a mother and calf humpback whale hanging out at the entrance, so we thought we might go out in the morning to do some whale watching.
After celebratory beers aboard Merkava, celebrating another safe passage - never mind that it took under two hours - Mark, Yuka and I went for a snorkel outside the lagoon. It was getting to be late in the day and I must admit I was a bit paranoid about sharks, but my fears were unwarranted because the only 2 meter, black tipped reef shark that I did see was totally uninterested in me. I am okay with that.
Unfortunately last night the wind picked up and I woke up many times to the wind howling through the rigging. We were tied up to a mooring, and it takes a leap of faith to believe that a mooring will hold in 25 knots of wind. To make matters worse, the reef of the lagoon was not 500 feet behind us. I don't think any of us got a good night sleep. By the time 6:00 AM rolled around this morning the wind had generated some pretty choppy seas, even inside the lagoon, so Merkava and I canceled our morning whale watching trip. We heard on the morning net that the winds were supposed to pick up even more, so we decided to leave the lagoon because if the winds get too strong at Hunga Island, boats can be trapped inside if the pass out to the ocean gets too rough. We did not want that to happen.
Rutea and Merkava headed out to sea (once again) and ended up back at Lape Island, home of our favorite dive spot, Mushroom Mountain. This afternoon Mark, Yuka and I went diving out there for the fourth time. You would think a dive on the same reef would get boring after a while, but every dive has been so different it has held my interest. The dive was cool - tons of cool fish, some tuna, an octopus, etc. But the coolest part happened once the dive was over.
As we were pulling up the dinghy anchor to head back to the boats, I noticed a whale spout a hundred meters in front of us. We decided to try to swim with it because it was late enough in the day that all the whale watching boats had returned to Neiafu and would not harass us. Once the anchor was up, we followed slowly and quietly behind the whales, which we realized were a mother, her baby, and a male "escort" (yes - they are actually called escorts). Yuka and I jumped in the water a few times when we thought we were close enough to see them, but no dice.
Finally, Mark drove the dinghy right up to the three whales and they did not swim away. We slid silently into the water, only to see the huge, looming figures of the whales not 20 feet away from us. Amazing. Thrilling. Freaking scary. COOL.
The mom was huge. She was probably 45 feet long, with 15 foot pectoral fins, an 8 foot wide tail, and maybe 20 feet in circumference around her body. She was massive. Her baby, which swam right next to her at her eye level, was tiny in comparison. It must have been a newborn, because it was less than 10 feet, blew very tiny spouts, and looked all wrinkly like a newborn baby does. The male escort, which swam under and a few meters to the side of the mom and baby, was much smaller than the mother, but huge nonetheless.
The whales were very gentle, slow and methodical in their swimming, but they could have easily killed us with one slap of the tail. In all honesty I was pretty scared to be swimming along side these majestic, powerful and awe-inspiring creatures, but the thrill and my adrenaline pumping kept me afloat. After swimming in a wide circle with us, the whales took off. I think they were well aware of us, and it almost seemed to me like the mom was proudly showing off her new baby to us. Who knows, but they certainly could have avoided us if they wanted.
After they left we did not follow them again, too stoked on what we just did to try and replicate it. With big smiles, high fives, and a few, "Oh my god!! That was so.... wowww!!"'s, we headed back to the boats. Unfortunately none of us had cameras so there is no photographic evidence, but I don't think any photo could have done the experience justice anyway.
Sorry, did I get a little mushy there? Don't worry, I am not going to go join Whale Wars or anything, but man, save the whales!
Anyway, we have been invited to visit a kindergarten of the small village we are anchored in front of tomorrow. It should be a good time. After that (and perhaps another dive or a snorkel) we are heading back to Neiafu where some serious partying is in order: Dad's birthday is on the 1st, and my amigos on Slow Dance just arrived. This spells trouble. Should be a good time as well.
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At 9/28/2011 5:29 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 18°42.44'S 174°04.18'W
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