a "whale" of a time

Our friendly whale that welcomed us to Palmerston remained in the anchorage. She spent the following night next to our boat. Whales sleep on the surface which is why it is so easy to run into them when you are at sea. She slept soundly whilst less than a meter from Barraveigh, who from underneath looks very much like a whale herself! We sat on deck in the early hours of the morning watching her & hoping that she would move away. She slowly floated to the bow at which point we got nervous. She could easily break the chain or pull our anchor (which was wedged on a coral shelf) causing us to drift. At this point Bobby begun speaking “whale” to her, think Doris from Nemo – it was hard to keep a straight face!! As she completed her circle around the boat she lightly bumped us, causing her to startle & dive…only minor issue, it was right next to the rudder, one touch by a huge humpback whale could be disaster. We held our breath until she reappeared & swam away.

But wait it gets better! She continued to hang around the anchorage remaining on the surface the majority of the time. We soon found out why as we quietly dropped into the water next to her. Our friendly whale was pregnant & it seemed she was in labour. She was curious & swam closer, checking us out. We stood our ground, remaining totally still, concerned that if we moved she would see us as a threat. We were within touching distance. It is the most incredible experience, a once in a lifetime. So breathtaking it is hard to put into words, all I can say is check out the photos.

“Our whale” gave birth to her calf in the anchorage during the night. She took a victory lap around boats to show us yachties her baby. We all stood on deck clapping & cheering.