We nearly lost our minds this evening when the second‑largest animal on Earth surprised us by surfacing just 30 ft off our bow—in barely 100 ft of water and only a couple miles from shore! We spent an unforgettable 45 minutes with this Fin whale as it surfaced again and again right beside the vessel.
After riding the swell sideways to stay with our giant visitor, we headed off and found a pod of playful bottlenose dolphins leaping out of the water and turning the bow into a full‑on splash zone- or the scream zone for the group of giddy little girls in the impact zone.
Naturalist, Alison
