Tomorrow, the third Saturday in February, is World Whale Day, which has been observed on this date since 1980. I’d like to offer a few images from two encounters that come immediately to mind. I made the first in the Hauraki Gulf, during an excursion 
from Auckland, New Zealand, in 2005, while I had only dreams (and no firm plans) ever to reside here. It’s a pair of Orcas, with the Auckland skyline in the background. 
These last two are fond memories of humpbacks from a cruise that sailed from Moss 
Landing, California, back in November, 2014. May you have a safe, healthy, whale of a day.
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krikitarts 
Wonderful creatures! :)
So right, and what a treat to see them!
We want whales, not wails, when we wander.
Agreed. Most of my wails have been when they appeared where I wasn’t looking and I couldn’t get a shot in time. Many missed ops, but the few that worked were worth it.
Great to see those orcas so close to Auckland, and what a great shot of the breaching whale!
Well, thank you–I was really lucky to get that, as I calculated that the whale was about half a mile away and it’s a pretty close crop to boot. Thanks, too, for making me aware of World Whale Day!
For the alliteration, though, we would welcome World Whale Week.
Sublime, my friend.
Many thanks, my friend. That’s a great descriptor for the feeling of being out in the company of such magnificent fellow beings.
Wow. These images are wonderful, Gary. I’d love to contribute shots to celebrate World Whale Day, but, alas, I have not yet had a chance to photograph any in the wild. (I have vague memories of seeing orcas at Sea World almost 40 years ago.)
I have very similar memories, Mike, and they certainly were impressive. My parents moved to the Clearwater area when my dad retired and we visited them many times when our girls were little. Sea World and Busch Gardens were among our frequent destinations.
That is something I have failed to capture…. even after many trips to Norway and Iceland (at least its an excuse to go back again – sometime, maybe, if) :-)
As if you really need a(nother) excuse to go back. I’ve been to each a couple of times and would love to go again as well.
They are beautiful creatures. I saw them once on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.
Which ones did you see? I presume not Orcas, but I may well be mistaken. The breaching one and the owners of the twin tails were humpbacks.
There are several different kinds in this area. Given it’s size, perhaps a Beluga.
Lovely photos. I was lucky enough to see Orcas while sailing Glacier Bay, and they were magnificent. Here, we have to “make do” with bottlenose dolphins, which is fine. They’re quite entertaining, especially when they surf the bow waves of the ships.
Wow, sailing with Orcas, rather than being out in a powered vessel, must have been quite special. There are other dolphins here who love to surf the bow waves too. Magic.
That last shot is particularly good. I’d love to see whales in person, but there are some good videos online in the meantime :)
In retrospect, I should have made a couple of videos, but I’m happy to have gotten the stills.
Years ago I used to take whale watch cruises off Cape Cod but stopped when we felt we were contributing to their harassment. Some captains were very aggressive in approaching for folks to photograph them. I still have a few transparencies from those times but they are buried away somewhere. The only time there were orcas I was retching in the cabin. Folks got some wonderful breaches. Alas.
I understand and appreciate your reaction to the aggressive captains. Both of our skippers were very circumspect and shut down their motors if we were in proximity and let them come to us, if their curiosity encouraged them to do so. So sorry to hear of your mal de mer during the Orca encounter. I’ve only had it once and I’ve tried to forget it ever since.