Whale watching is sort of a hit-or-miss activity. When I was seven, my uncle took me on a two-day excursion in San Diego to witness the gray whales migrating from the chilly waters of Alaska down to warm waters of Baja. I was an eager, naïve little boy who really just wanted to see some sharks. Needless to say, I didn’t see a single fucking whale, and I’ve hated them and my uncle ever since.
All jokes aside, whale watching can be an awesome, spiritual experience. Such was the case last weekend when a group of French tourist visiting Canada got up close and personal with a fin whale, the world’s second largest species. The massive ocean mammal is seen surfacing with its mouth wide open, seemingly about to swallow the small zodiac-type inflatable boat full of tourists before graciously gliding below the boat’s hull.
“An unforgettable experience!” said filmer Eric Mouellic.
There are an estimated 5,000 to 11,000 fin whales currently in the North Atlantic, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which has registered the whales as a species at risk. These whales range from 65 to 90 feet in length and are celebrated for their distinctive ribbed bellies and asymmetrical pigmentation on their lower jaw.
See a second angle here:
