#37 - The Rare Blue Whale and Hector’s Dolphins

Today will go down in the Pick history book as probably the most amazing day ever!  At least when it comes to wildlife sightings.  We witnessed two things that very few people ever get to see in an entire lifetime.

We knew we might have a chance to see Hector’s dolphins in the waters off Akaroa (not too far from Christchurch). So we signed up for a boat trip in the hopes we’d see the smallest and rarest dolphin species in the world.  The only place they are found is in the shallow waters off the coast of New Zealand.  It is believed that there are only about 100 Maui dolphins (subspecies of Hector) left in the world.  Gillnetting and fishing nets are responsible for 95% of fatalities.  So sad.

Sure enough, once out of the harbor we were greeted by these beautiful dolphins which are distinguished by their dorsal fin that is shaped a bit like a Mickey Mouse ear.  I have some great video on my camera which unfortunately I can’t post here.  But this still photo will give you an idea of what they look like.

The Hector Dolphin just below the surface of the water

I was thrilled by these sightings and thought the day couldn’t get any better, until it did.  The captain of our boat told us to keep an eye out for whales.  He said that Orcas can be seen in this area from time to time.  So we all had our eyes glued to the surface of the water looking for evidence of this gigantic creature.

One of the crew members shouted out that she saw a whale.  The captain cut the engine and we waited in hopes that the whale would come our way.  And it did.

Then the captain, with binoculars in hand, said, “This is unbelievable!  I’ve been coming out here 3 times a day for 25 years and I’ve only seen three Blue Whales in that entire time.  And folks, we have a PAIR of Blue Whales headed right toward us!”

I thought the captain was going to crap his pants, he was so excited.  I only appreciated why after his explanation continued.  The Blue Whale is very rarely seen.  It it the largest mammal ever known to have lived on Earth.  It can live up to 90 years, be up to 100 feet long and weigh 200 tons.  The spray from its blowhole can shoot 30 feet into the air.

They look very blue underwater but when they get to the surface they appear to be a blue-grey color.  As they got close, I thought they looked a bit like submarines in shape and color.  It’s hard to believe that an animal this size eats only krill (tiny shrimp-like animals).  But they do eat 4 tons of it a day!  Their heart can weigh as much as an automobile.

The baby calves are 25 feet long and weigh 3 tons when they are born.  And women (human) complain about childbirth!?!?  The baby will subsist on nothing but its mother’s milk for the first year and gain 200 pounds a day!!!!  Now that’s my kind of diet.

So to sum this up.  Within a matter of a couple hours we saw, up close and in the wild, the world’s largest mammal and the world’s smallest species of dolphin.  Amazing.  Simply amazing!

                             By the time I could click the shutter, I missed some of the best shots.
                                   But these still give an idea of how massive the Blue Whale is.