Dolphins! - February 16

On our way from Carcass Island to New Island we had a true marine mammal show. At first we spotted three Fin or Sei Whales (the verdict is still out, but I think it was 2 Sei and one Fin Whale). After watching them for a while, we spotted two Commerson's Dolphins close to the shore. The dolphins were not as playful as the last time and just stuck near the kelp. But then the Fur Seals and the Peale's Dolphins arrived and the show began. The Peale's Dolphins were very playful and hung around the ship for a long time. For a while, we were still and just watching them swim around the ship calmly. But then, it was time to go, and it seems that that is what they were waiting for. As we increased our speed, they all went to the bow of the ship to bow ride. At some points there were about 10 of them all on the bow. Mick caught this amazing shot of them riding the bow. You can even see the bulbous bow of the ship in the photo. I still need to master the technique of photographing bow riding animals, so an extra special thank you to Mick for sharing his photo.


Peales Dolphins riding the bow of the ship