Today’s Daily Program read “At Sea,” but what does that REALLY mean?
Are we merely adrift on the open ocean?
I think not.
Is there nothing to do apart from bask in the sun with a good book?
Perhaps for some.
Should we stay inside, cozy and cool in the lounge?
Definitely an option.
Jump in the pool?
The water's fine.
How about hit the gym?
Many do just that.
Write an e-mail to our loved ones?
Certainly time for that.
A nap?
Maybe
Are we bored?
Read on.
As I write to you this evening, the naturalists onboard are still a bit excited about what we witnessed this afternoon. Jonathan Cooley, our National Geographic expert is sitting across from me writing to a friend about the encounter. I couldn't have said it better:
“…you wouldn't believe what we just saw. A day at sea, motoring from San Blas Islands to Aruba, dead calm, making fourteen knots. Yeeehaaa. The call goes up…fish breaking the surface. By the time I get to the bow, I see a ball of tuna frothing the sea 100 yards off the port bow. In the middle of the frenzy are the heads of two rorquals, just hanging. It looks like spy hopping, but the heads are not out of the water far enough. We are now closer…everybody is on the bow, bridge wings, and two in the crow’s nest. There are at least four whales working the school of fish…the tuna are good size, 10- to 20-pounders; I still can’t see what the tuna are hitting, but there is a lot of activity by whales and tuna alike. I think I see a lunge by one whale and a roll that shows one pectoral fin and a light underside, either Sei or Bryde’s… too soon to tell. Soon there is a patch of white water right below the port bridge wing. A whale slowly spears its head up into the middle of the action, and slowly opens its mouth, so we are looking into its throat and can see individual plates of baleen. It holds its jaws open at nearly 90 degrees for at least 20 seconds while the tuna are still going crazy all around its head. Suddenly the whale lunges up out of the water, expanding all of its throat pleats. It gradually closes its mouth and water squirts through the baleen. Dennis Cornejo and I, along with Mike Greenfelder, another Undersea Specialist and Josh Newman, the Video Chronicler, had a Zodiac in the water within minutes and were off to try and capture some footage with the splash camera. Back on board the high definition video taken from the bridge deck is phenomenal. We watched it over and over again at recap and worked ourselves into a frenzy because none of the dozen well-traveled staff on board had ever seen this kind of behavior before, particularly in a Bryde’s whale…I am still pumped up.”
So what does a day “At Sea” mean aboard the National Geographic Endeavour?
See above.
Are we merely adrift on the open ocean?
I think not.
Is there nothing to do apart from bask in the sun with a good book?
Perhaps for some.
Should we stay inside, cozy and cool in the lounge?
Definitely an option.
Jump in the pool?
The water's fine.
How about hit the gym?
Many do just that.
Write an e-mail to our loved ones?
Certainly time for that.
A nap?
Maybe
Are we bored?
Read on.
As I write to you this evening, the naturalists onboard are still a bit excited about what we witnessed this afternoon. Jonathan Cooley, our National Geographic expert is sitting across from me writing to a friend about the encounter. I couldn't have said it better:
“…you wouldn't believe what we just saw. A day at sea, motoring from San Blas Islands to Aruba, dead calm, making fourteen knots. Yeeehaaa. The call goes up…fish breaking the surface. By the time I get to the bow, I see a ball of tuna frothing the sea 100 yards off the port bow. In the middle of the frenzy are the heads of two rorquals, just hanging. It looks like spy hopping, but the heads are not out of the water far enough. We are now closer…everybody is on the bow, bridge wings, and two in the crow’s nest. There are at least four whales working the school of fish…the tuna are good size, 10- to 20-pounders; I still can’t see what the tuna are hitting, but there is a lot of activity by whales and tuna alike. I think I see a lunge by one whale and a roll that shows one pectoral fin and a light underside, either Sei or Bryde’s… too soon to tell. Soon there is a patch of white water right below the port bridge wing. A whale slowly spears its head up into the middle of the action, and slowly opens its mouth, so we are looking into its throat and can see individual plates of baleen. It holds its jaws open at nearly 90 degrees for at least 20 seconds while the tuna are still going crazy all around its head. Suddenly the whale lunges up out of the water, expanding all of its throat pleats. It gradually closes its mouth and water squirts through the baleen. Dennis Cornejo and I, along with Mike Greenfelder, another Undersea Specialist and Josh Newman, the Video Chronicler, had a Zodiac in the water within minutes and were off to try and capture some footage with the splash camera. Back on board the high definition video taken from the bridge deck is phenomenal. We watched it over and over again at recap and worked ourselves into a frenzy because none of the dozen well-traveled staff on board had ever seen this kind of behavior before, particularly in a Bryde’s whale…I am still pumped up.”
So what does a day “At Sea” mean aboard the National Geographic Endeavour?
See above.
