Whales!

I didn’t know what to expect when swimming with the whales but it was not this! We spent hours in rolly seas spotting lots of whales but trying to find ones in the mood to swim with. As only four people could swim with the whales at once, Rick, Trev, Ness and I teamed up. We would be standing all kitted up in wetsuits and snorkeling gear on the side of the boat and the captain would say “go go go!” And we would all jump in and swim to the guide. The first time was so special. I saw two beautiful humpback whales, one swimming above the other, so graciously but quick. The visibility was amazing and I could see the bottom too! The others hadn’t swim fast enough and only saw one or none, after that we really knew we had to swim quick as the whales only hung around for a minute or so. We found a different group of whales further offshore and it was the kids turn. They had lots of fun with Pip and John, they were so amazed that they didn’t lift their heads out of the water until the whales had gone. My second swim was as amazing if not more, I captured some of it on Ben’s GoPro. They whales were all around us, so close and personal. On one swim I looked a whale straight in the eye and I will never forget that, the picture is engraved in my head. When it was the kids turn, we (on the boat) heard the guide (in the water) yell “it’s breaching over there”. We looked to where he pointed, next to John and Georgie and in seconds a big humpback fully breached right next to the boat and we had the best view. We all got three or four swims which were all as special as the last. I was pretty tired as we motored back in but so grateful to the Managh’s for the amazing experience they’d gifted me and that I got to share it with them.