We Found Willy...and Some of His Friends Too!!

     Last Saturday, I had a truly once in a lifetime experience. I got the chance to go on a whale safari! I knew before coming here that I was going to be able to go, and let me tell you, it was one of the best Saturdays I've had in a long time!

     I started my morning by getting nice and bundled up! I wasn't sure how many layers I should wear, since I knew we would be wearing survival suits with warmth built in as well. So I figured I'd play it somewhat safe, and I wore three layers on top and bottom each, and stuck two more sweatshirts in my bag. Luckily, throughout the day I was able to stay pretty warm, considering we were out in the middle of the ocean! 

     The boats we were on were so much fun! They were a bit on the smaller side, with each boat seating about 12 people, plus the driver. Once we hit the open water and the bigger waves, those boats flew! It was a bit of a rough ride at times, but it was a blast none the less. It almost felt like we were on a ride at an amusement park!

     Now going into the day, I was almost expecting not to see any whales. I had been told by multiple students (including one who has gone on the safari the last two years) that they very rarely see any. I was kinda bummed by that idea, but knew I was going to see some beautiful scenery and have a great day nonetheless. 

     Well I am VERY happy to report that Jaileen and I must have been the lucky charms this year, because oh boy did we see whales! Words cannot even describe how incredible it was to be that close to whales and not be inside of an amusement park like Sea World. We saw many killer whales (including some babies) and a humpback whale. It was just the most incredible thing! At one point, I was looking over the side of the boat, and thought the water was so clear I could see to the bottom where it was white. Little did I know, that while the water was incredibly clear, that it was in fact a whale swimming underneath our boat! It was hard to get pictures of the whales, because by the time I got my camera ready, they were back underwater already! However, I was able to capture some of the trip on video, and it is a video I can look back at to remeber this incredible day (Not that I'll need a video to remember this truly once in a lifetime experience!).

  

All bundled up and ready to go!! 

A panorama of the pier the morning of our safari as we were getting ready to go!

The water was so unbelievably clear!