eXite - Exite 10/11 - whalewatching

Had our first real experience with whales jumping out of the water, and it was extraordinary! Was handsteering when I saw a pack of whales about 20m out on the port side jumping out of the water and slamming their bodies down at the surface. Shouted for Erika (who was sleeping) and the kids to come up and look. I think this beat seeing dolphins play next to the boat, if not just for the shear size of the whales. Seeing whales as big as our boat doing those jumps really make you see the power in the animals. Also, realizing just how close we were to perhaps hit them with potential damage. Another participant hit a UFO (unidentified floating object) yesterday morning with damage to steering, the bow, and water ingress - so there is a possibility, although small.

We have also finally hit the tropics, or at least the warmth associated with it. This past night was the first night not needing to wear shoes due to being cold and the jacket could take a rest down below instead of being worn. 26.5 degrees in the water right now and we really want to go swimming, too bad that the waves are still relatively large so we have to wait until arrival.