Whale Tail

October 19, 2013 by Coastal Dweller

Why is it that when you see a whale, splashing, slapping its tail, breaching and generally having a whale of a time, it’s when you don’t have your camera ready? And when you do have your camera and tripod all set up, the whales stay miles offshore so all you see is a plume of white water on the horizon. A mother and calf came so close to our headland a few years ago I could have reached out and touched them. Didn’t have a camera then. Anyway, I sort of got this whale tail shot the other day – even from this distance it was exciting to watch. I think it’s time to invest in decent long lens.

Saving The Whales

November 13, 2011 by Coastal Dweller

I was lucky enough to get on board one of Sea Shepherd’s vessels when it was in Sydney recently. This is the ‘Bob Barker’ one of three boats that will travel down to Antarctica this summer to chase the Japanese whaling fleet as they hunt for minke whales under the guise of ‘research’. Marine activist group Sea Shepherd (a bit like Greenpeace but much more radical) have been down to the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary to harass the whalers for the past seven years. The Australian government is opposed to the whaling activity and agrees that it’s illegal, but doesn’t seem to do much about it. We got a tour around the boat, met the crew and captain Paul Watson and travelled with them as they brought the ship from the inner harbour to Circular Quay. Here’s a video we made.